The story is based around Louison (Jeunet regular Dominique Pinon who also appears in Amelie), who arrives out of nowhere one day, in a post apocalyptic world, or more specifically, a small town in France. Louison is looking for work in trade for room and board, as a former clown his skills aren't so much in demand but he is a perfectly capable laborer and while he doesn't have much money he's perfectly happy to work for what he needs. He finally finds a job as a handyman in an strange old apartment building overtop of a butcher shop, where, to his delight, he is given lodging and some food in exchange for his services by the butcher himself, a man named Clapet (Jean-Claude Dreyfus of The City Of Lost Children).

Food is a hot commodity in this world, and used as currency. Most people live off of grain and other bland consumables and use more expensive foods like meat as barter, and because of this a lot of people are also cannibals. The butcher shop downstairs takes care of this for the tenants, but unluckily for Louison, he's next on the menu. Things get a little complicated for the butcher, who intends to serve him up to the tenants who live above him in exchange for grain, when his pretty daughter, Julie (Marie-Laure Dougnac), falls in love with Louison as she knows all too well what her father and his tenants are up to. In order to save his life, she gets in touch with an underground movement made up of some eccentric vegetarian rebels who actually east food rather than covet it as a possession.

On a visual level, Delicatessen is a completely amazing film that could easily draw comparisons to the better works of Terry Gilliam with maybe some of the stranger elements of David Fincher's catalogue thrown in for good measure – but which also stands on its own as a completely unique animal. Strange architecture, oddly mutant like cast members, and bizarre and unlikely color schemes with an emphasis on organic Earth tones like green yellow and brown give the film a very original visual flair uncommon in most other films. Every frame is constructed with a detail-oriented sense of care and the compositions in this movie are absolutely perfect from start to finish. Truly one of the finest examples of just how good a film can look made within the last fifteen years, Delicatessen is such a sumptuous looking movie that it's really hard to appreciate just how pretty it all is upon first viewing and as such, it holds up well and for that reason it has quite a bit of replay value. Repeat viewings ensure that you'll pick out little details that you didn't notice the first or even second time around.

The performances in the film are similarly fantastic. Dominique Pinon is completely sympathetic and a genuinely likeable guy in the film, we're able to feel for him and understand his plight and we honestly don't want to see him end up on someone's dinner plate. We're able to invest enough in his performance that we care about him and therefore we care about the outcome of the film, especially when his romance with Julie kicks in. To that mind, Marie-Laure Dougnac is adorable in her part, she's quirky and odd but there's a sweetness to her in the movie that suits the equally goofy sweetness that Louison carries about. The true star of the cast, however, is Jean-Claude Dreyfus who is over the top pretty much throughout the film and he brings a very funny persona to the movie that works well in the setting of the story. It helps as well that Dreyfus has some of the best lines of dialogue in the film, made even more memorable by his delivery (his interaction with the "Bullshit Detector" is classic!). Look for Jess Franco/Euro-cult regular Howard Vernon, who pops up in the film in a fun supporting role.

The story is quirky and while it's very dark it keep its tongue very much in cheek while the film takes us through the beautiful and freakish world that Jeunet and Caro have created. It's a strange film of contrasts, clashing horror with love and suspense with comedy, but it's a very original work that proves to be both interesting and entertaining at the same time. It isn't particularly thought provoking, and at times it seems to be simply weird for the sake of being weird, but those with a taste for surrealist black comedy should embrace the film with open arms.

Final Thoughts:
The movie...holds up really well, making this one highly recommended!

Louison wanders into the story as a drifting part time clown, looking for work, he finds a job and a place to live with Clapet, the neighbourhood butcher and black market kingpin. Here he meets the collection of oddball characters who inhabit the dank tenement block owned by the butcher - characters who really defy description - and, more importantly, falls in love with Clapet's myopic daughter Julie (Dougnac).

It soon transpires that Louison has been employed more as a future addition to the tenants stews than as a hard worker, and when he encounters the vegetarian freedom fighters (who inhabit the sewers) and is pulled into their war against the meat eaters then things really begin to heat up.

Visually the film is an absolute feast - following City Of Lost Children and Jeunet's recent Amelie, we know what to expect - it's decidedly like a Terry Gilliam film, without being plagiaristic. The set colours and the lighting are sumptuously grubby, and are flooded with the greens, reds and yellows so favoured by the directors. The acting is exemplary, and never before has a subtitled film flowed so well - you really don't notice that you're reading at all after the first few minutes. Pinon has always had great screen presence, from his role as a hapless thug in Diva, to his role as a comedic pusher in the full-length three hour release of Betty Blue (his scene was cut from the normal version of the film, sadly), but finally with this role he was given a real chance to shine, and grasped it gratefully. Also, casting him as a romantic lead was a real sign of genius - as you wouldn't automatically think of him in this way. I mean, the man actually looks like Robin Williams playing Popeye - naturally - with no make-up, or contorted facial expressions.

The film's plot is imaginative, but fairly basic, and it's really the characters, the fact that the storyline regularly performs U-turns and pirouettes, and some of the set pieces (lots of which have since been ripped off by other lesser films, and for ideas in commercials), which make it such an unforgettable experience. It is moving, it is inspiring, it is exciting, it is highly imaginative, it is really, really funny, and above all else it is magical. The final 20 minutes, in particular, soars to such incredible heights that it leaves the viewer wide-mouthed with awe.

If you haven't seen Delicatessen by now, then make it your business to see it soon. In fact, go out and buy it - it's one of those films that are an investment to own, as I promise you, you'll return to it time and time again. Oh, and keep an eye out for the special edition which also features the very funny short film, Foutaises.