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The Green Butchers


De grønne slagtere
a.k.a.
The Green Butchers





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Country: Denmark

Year: 2003

Directed by: Anders Thomas Jensen

Screenplay by: Anders Thomas Jensen

Cast: Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Mads Mikkelsen, Line Kruse, Ole Thestrup, Bodil Jorgensen, Aksel Erhardtsen

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De Gronne Slagtere is perhaps one of the darkest comedies I ever watched. In fact, it’s so dark I even hesitate before calling it a comedy.

Two socially awkward friends who work in a butcher’s shop are tired of being constantly mistreated by their boss and they decide to open their own shop. Their anti-social behavior doesn’t help them and the business doesn’t go well until one unfortunate accident changes everything - suddenly, their butcher’s shop becomes a success and it improves drastically their own personal lives.

What impressed me the most about this film is the huge amount of things that could have gone wrong. It could have been so terribly bad and yet, it’s brilliant!
The whole premise is very original but dangerous. There were two ways this could easily have gone – or it could be absolutely ridiculous or overly dramatic. However, Jensen manages to create an incredibly realistic way to tell the story and surprisingly, it works.
Of course that wouldn’t have happened without the two main actors, Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas. They both have very difficult characters – especially Mikkelsen – that any average actor could have ruined by overacting. But these two are not any average actor and they deliver two astonishing performances that bring to life all the realism Jensen was looking for.
Having solved that, a strong script, great soundtrack and very interesting cinematography do the rest and the result is an atmosphere so heavy that you can barely breathe.

De Gronne Slagtere it’s not a film for everyone, that’s guaranteed! It’s dark, twisted, scarily realistic and its humor can be hard to swallow sometimes. Nevertheless, it’s a must-watch for everyone who likes to feed his dark side once in a while.