Man Bites Dog
January. 15,1993 NC-17The activities of rampaging, indiscriminate serial killer Ben are recorded by a willingly complicit documentary team, who eventually become his accomplices and active participants. Ben provides casual commentary on the nature of his work and arbitrary musings on topics of interest to him, such as music or the conditions of low-income housing, and even goes so far as to introduce the documentary crew to his family. But their reckless indulgences soon get the better of them.
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I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.
Best movie ever!
There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
If it weren't for all the grim violence this would be a hilarious picture. There are so many moments that are just patently absurd you simply have to laugh. Like when Remy (Rémy Belvaux) eulogizes both of his dead sound men using the same dialog and referencing the same woman and child they both left behind. Or when Ben's (Benoît Poelvoorde) film crew runs into a competitive team and kills them all because they had a higher end camera. The best had to be the dinner scene when Ben tries out his birthday gift holster and shoots one of the guests for presumably laughing and talking about him. Covered with blood spatter, the other guests sit shocked but otherwise nonplussed as Ben asks - "May I have some more bubbly?"It's pretty much certain you've never seen a film quite like this before. The central character Benoit is a walking and talking misfit who gradually engages his film crew into participating in his crimes. As victims are chosen at random, there appears to be little in the way of story continuity per se, the technique employed is virtually cinema verite, but with drastic results. Depending on one's disposition, the picture might be seen as glorifying violence until the viewer realizes that the writers and directors (the three main principals themselves) are demonstrating the absurd by being absurd. Thrown into the mix are some ghastly images that won't sit well with those of weak constitution, so one might well decide to forego the picture if the sight of disfigured or disemboweled bodies causes consternation.Made in 1992, I can see how this movie might have influenced later film makers like the ones who came up with 2014's "Nightcrawler". That one takes the concept of recording the news and transitions it into one where the reporter participates in the news making, while seeking out the attention, glory and remuneration it might bring. No such luck for Benoit as his career ended abruptly with a bad choice to revisit old stomping grounds. Or it may simple have been the case of a competing film maker who needed a cheap camera to work with.
Man Bites Dog (French: C'est arrivé près de chez vous (It has Happened near your Home) (1992) Brave original, Serial killer gives tips, As we meet his kin. Funny in its nonchalance, Biting Belgian black humor. Then a line was crossed. Then another, and again. Making a statement? Backfired, too numb to care. Well-earned NC-17. Somonka is a form of poetry that is essentially two tanka poems, the second stanza a response to the first. Each stanza follows a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable pattern. Traditionally, each is a love letter. This form usually demands two authors, but it is possible to have a poet take on two personas. My somonka will be a love/hate letter to a film?) #Somonka #PoemReview
The first fifteen minutes of Rémy Belvaux's debut film, Man Bites Dog (1992), is a sort-of test for the viewer. It's not as graphic or as obscene as scenes to come, but can jar viewers, especially those who aren't forewarned. The first scene starts on a moving passenger train. A woman walks down a seemingly hall and is quickly accosted from behind by a man. The assailant pulls her into an apartment and strangles her with a wire as her feet kick helplessly. Now, compared to other contemporary movies, this seems a mild scene; I mean there isn't even a chainsaw decapitation or brains splattered on a car window. What sets Man Bites Dog apart is how the violence is presented. And what sets it apart from most violent movies is it's wildly funny.Man Bites Dog is a mockumentary about a Belgian serial killer named Benoit. Benoit's smiling face, charm, and his knowledge of the arts in all areas, makes him seem an unlikely candidate to be a cold-blooded killer. This dichotomy is where much of the movie's humor is drawn from. One scene, while the camera crew is following Benoit as he chases down an escaped victim, Benoit stops mid-pursuit to pick up a fallen pigeon feather. He notes its oily texture, which means mating season is upon us. He then regales the crew with a poem about pigeons in love. Benoit Poelvoorde's (His real and on-screen name) performance is comedic brilliance. The film was shot with a shoe-string budget in black and white. This coalesces with the premise of the mockumentary; film school students trying to make their debut documentary. In this way the film deviates from others in its genre, say a Christopher Guest movie (Although most people who appreciate the humor of his movies would probably appreciate Man Bites Dog dryer approach to comedy). Here the filmmakers are part of the story, as opposed to outside of it. In this way Man Bites Dog achieves social commentary. It's a satire with similar themes of Stone's Natural Born Killers. At first, the crew seems like objective filmmakers. Pretty soon Benoit is taking them out for dinner, and the crew is carrying victim's bodies for him. Half-way through the story Benoit is financing their film. Remy (Who is the director of Man Bites Dog and is the character who is directing the "documentary") and the crew are passive, especially juxtaposed next to the infinitely charismatic Benoit. Like Natural Born Killers this satirizes the media's role in violent culture. Of course Man Bites Dog being an independent European project, achieves this in a subtler, dry fashion. In one poignant scene the crews helps Benoit spot and capture an escaped victim, who is a child.This is where the aforementioned viewing test comes in. There are disturbing scenes that are enhanced by the film's documentary feel. A realistic scene of Benoit suffocating a child with his pillow is something not everyone can bear. There are others equally upsetting. But if you can stomach horrific scenes of violence then you are in for an engaging comedy that challenges the viewer to question the relationship between violence and those who gain from it.
Me and my mate went to see this film in 1992 when it came out.We were 20 something nobodies in London. It was the only friend we had and I think it still is!!!! We howled all the way through.The sangfroid with which the killer dispatches his victims. The gutless bumbling of the film crew were just brilliant.The pieces to camera were great as was the black and white photography.If I could get a copy of the poster I would hang it on my wall!Perfect for 20 something nobodies and one of the best experiences I have had in the cinema.