This was the debut film from director Luc Besson (Léon, The Fifth Element), this film featured in the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book was a different kind of French film, I didn't have to worry about subtitles, because I had no idea it was completely mute. Basically in an unspecified point in the future, the world has become a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and only a few humans have survived whatever the disaster was, and none of them are able to speak or communicate verbally, most likely due to some kind of gas or radiation exposure destroying their vocal cords. Using physical movements and expressions only to communicate, all those who are left alive from the devastation of civilisation are fighting for survival, trying to find food and most fending for themselves, living in isolation, and the only way they can get by is through using brutality and hostility. The main character is known only as The Man (Pierre Jolivet) who is battling against the vicious character known only as The Brute (Jean Reno, in his feature debut), using improvised weapons and armour made from parts in the wreckage and their own remaining physical strength, they are only two of a few people left, and practically all are against each other. Also starring Jean Bouise as The Doctor, Fritz Wepper as Captain, Christiane Krüger as Captain's Concubine, Maurice Lamy as Dwarf, Michel Doset as Captain's Man, Pierre Carrive as Captain's Man and Bernard Havet as Captain's Man. The acting is obviously crucial to what is going on, because the film has absolutely no dialogue, only a little grunting and stuff, in his first acting role Reno proves himself a terrific villainous character, there obviously isn't any plot, it is just literally the last few humans on Earth fighting each other to survive and get whatever resources they can, an interesting poetic and cataclysmic science-fiction film. Very good!
Review of The Last Battle
