Man Bites Dog (1992)

I remember renting 'Man Bites Dog' (or 'C'est Arrivé Près De Chez Vous' which is its original title) on a hunch in the mid-nineties, because I found the title and the cover on the VHS cassette intriguing. I had no idea for what kind of ride I was in. At first I was taken aback a bit, as I didn't expect the film to be in black and white. And then it simply blew me away. This mix of realism, pitch-black comedy and shocking (though not very graphic) violence had me on the edge of my seat throughout, and I simply hadn't seen anything like it before. The direction and the realistic performances in 'Man Bites Dog' are simply outstanding; when I later watched it with a friend of mine he was visibly shaken at first, because he had thought he had watched a real documentary (which is obviously the film's intention). What must be mentioned above all else though, is the standout tour-de-force performance by the charismatic and frequently hilarious lead: Belgian actor Benoît Poelvoorde who also co-wrote and co-directed the film. He IS the film, and I have a hard time imagining the story working so well without his inspired, genius turn.'Man Bites Dog' is perhaps one of the best and most original satires on sensationalist media since Sidney Lumet's seminal movie 'Network'; it's certainly the meanest (and not for the easily offended, mind you). In my opinion, it's a flat-out masterpiece. Highly recommended. 10 stars out of 10.

A camera crew follows serial killer Ben as he kills and steals. He pontificates on life and the world. He likes to steal from old people. As the filming continues, the crew gets pulled further and further into Ben's world of crime.The premise of a film crew following a serial killer is really edgy. The violence is brutal. The only drawback is the film crew. I don't find them realistic. The movie opens with Ben killing. The film crew should be going to cops unless they're also psychopathic killers. I need to get a sense of the camera crew from the start. Their devolution needs to be better mapped out. The whole crew needs to be as important as Ben in terms of character expositions. Although I can understand the attraction of concentrating on the serial killer. When the crew switches side, I don't feel it like it needs to be. Nevertheless, this is an interesting film that should be seen.

A cerebral hybrid between "Monty Python", "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" and "American Psycho", "Man Bites Dog" is one such film that certainly lives up to its underground reputation. The film's grainy black-and-white photography sets up the overall tone as the viewer goes on a violent, blackly-humorous joyride masquerading as an actual documentary.Meet Benoit Poelvoorde, a clever, cultured, quick-witted, well-liked young man. A seemingly normal man with a fondness for mussels, running down the beach in the nude and most of all, he kills innocent people for a living. Cameraman Andre Bonzel and reporter Remy Belvaux are on hand to film the mundane activities of Ben's daily life along with his friends and family. Unfortunately, the two men begin to realize that their archetypal subject is doing more than just being Mr. Nice Guy.From losing his cherished ID bracelet to accidentally killing a birthday party goer, Ben becomes more than just your garden-variety serial killer in the movies. While viewing the film numerous times, I don't know what my natural reaction would be whether to laugh or be horrified. The final reaction would be both.Yes, the film is indeed shockingly violent, offensively funny and proud of it. But thanks to Poelvoorde's naturalistic performance, we know "Man Bites Dog" will be an out-of-this-world experience filled with manic glee and intense energy. The main saying goes: "No rules, no consequences." Which reminds me of that fine American institution for censorship? The Motion Picture Association of America better known as the MPAA."Man Bites Dog" makes sense for receiving the dreaded NC-17 rating. While the latter rating is usually reserved for sexually-themed films like SHOWGIRLS, it is finally put to proper use for a movie with such realistic depictions of violence.Forget "Blair Witch." Forget "Paranormal Activity." And forget "Quarantine." Those so-called "home video" genre movies don't hold a candle to the pure down-and-dirty celluloid that is "Man Bites Dog." The best film of 1992.Viva Cinema!

Wow. What a disturbing film. It sure packs a wallop. It is suppose to be a black/comedy but I did not find anything amusing about it. Except for the hospital scene when our so-called hero "Ben" is bothered by the "smell" of his neighbor in the next bed who all day just, "s*^ts and sings all a day!" There are plenty of very disturbing scenes in these so-called comedy. but i could not pull myself away from watching it till the very end. It's just like the movie, Henry:Portrait of a Serial Killer with Michael Rooker. This guy Benoît Poelvoorde exhibits some strange charismatic quality about him even if he is playing a most despicable character. I guess in the end I wanted too see him get his just desserts for all the pain and violent things that he did.I felt no remorse for his crew of film-boy/fan-boys that are getting killed along the way for being with this crazy, insane psycho. When they finally cross the line and become part of the madness it is just too much. they deserve what they get as far as I'm concerned.All in all it's one of those films that stays on your mind because of certain scenes. So if you are not in to this kind, stay away. Anyone else proceed at your own risk.