Delicatessen

Empire by

This is still a delightfully original picture, poised perfectly between farce and horror.

Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt

Delicatessen seems overstuffed at times, unable to digest its own surfeit of jokes, tricks, and surprises.

The New York Times by Janet Maslin

Among the things that deserve mention in this lightweight but sometimes subversively stylish farce are its ingenious credit sequence, its lively editing by Herve Schneid, its use of code names like Artichoke Heart and Cordon Bleu in the guerrilla war that rages underground and its reference to a couple of odd inventions.

Boston Globe by Jay Carr

What keeps the film going, and helps it keep its comic tone, is the constant threat of cataclysm - and the deadpan Buster Keaton charm of the ever-responsive Pinon as he combats the giant Rube Goldberg meat-grinder that the house, in effect, is. [17 Apr 1992]

Chicago Reader by Jonathan Rosenbaum

There are no characters to care about or remember afterward - just a lot of flashy technique involving decor, some glib allegorical flourishes, and the obligatory studied film-school weirdness.

Austin Chronicle by Marc Savlov

Set in some sort of post-apocalyptic Parisian deli o' the damned, this lunatic's take on the future of man is so delightfully warped that it's impossible to shake it out of your head and go get a decent night's sleep.