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Man Bites Dog - Criterion Collection

Man Bites Dog - Criterion Collection

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: SIMPLY AWESOME!
Review: this is one movie where i hated the ending for all the wrong reasons(i think).i didnt want this to end.the killer was the man!it was both brutally hillarious and graphically violent(if you get your hands on the nc-17 version that is).excellent premise,a maniac films his escapades.and the film crew sees nothing wrong with this.neither do i!anyway,it seems theres a war amongst gangs and the hero wont have this!RENT,BUY,...,...,DO WHAT YOUR HAVE TO,BUT GET THIS MOVIE!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: blach humor at the best...
Review: u liked Blair Withch cause "it looked like the real thing", well, Man Bites Dogs was years ahead from Blair Witch... 3 filmmakers follow around Remi, a nice guy, with dear parents, kid loving and with a job ..... a hitman by profesion, xpert in it, sharing techinques and moments of joys and desulution in his job... filmed in Black and Whit, with a Gonzo-style we get to love the good Remi cause after all it's only his job..... with great acting and little production but a realistic one these black humor french movie is GREAT

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Slow down there, Killer.
Review: There are no words to describe how sensationally violent this film is. I've heard a lot of critics try to attribute some sort of social commentary to it to justify their love of this movie. In truth, "Man Bites Dog" is only a black comedy. No pertinent social or psychological implications, no lampooning of sacred cows, just a simple comedy that happens to have a serial killer as its protagonist.

Shot in black & white this mocumentary-style comedy treads ground where few others have dared and fewer still have done so with as much intelligence as Belvaux and Poelvoorde. "Man Bites Dog" showcases some of the most genuinely shocking moments ever committed to film and presents them in a very matter-of-fact deadpan style. Some may find this to be the most disturbing part of this film, even more so than the acts themselves.

Along with having the honor of being one of the most unrepentantly brutal films of all time it also provides more than its fair share of hysterically funny moments. A perfect example of this is when Ben's film crew runs into some friends of theirs who happen to be documenting a rival serial killer. It's classically comedic moments like these that make this such an incredible film.

In short, "Man Bites Dog" has the distinction of being one of only a handful of intelligently written films of this sort. For further explorations in this vein try McNaughton's "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" but whatever you do skip Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers" unless watching a three hour music video is your idea of a good time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Life is Beautiful" meets"Henry:Portrait of a Serial Killer"
Review: Thanks to "Man Bites Dog" we know now the answer to the question "What would Roberto Benigni be like as a serial killer?"

Answer: Very funny, very interesting, very entertaining.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Shocking the bourgeoisie
Review: This 1992 Belgian mockumentary is a brilliant satire on the media and its love of violence. The film follows the killing spree of serial killer Benoit (Benoit Poelvoorde). Every moment of this film is shot documentary-style in grainy black-and-white. This pseudo-realism, complete with choppy editing and unsteady, hand-held camera shots, gives a wicked air of legitimacy to Man Bites Dog. Added to that, the three main characters in the film all use their real names. The film makers are Remy and Andre, and the killer is Benoit. Despite being a sociopath, Benoit is a very cool dude and fun to watch. He loves his girlfriend and adores his family. He's smart and thoughtful, often giving lengthy discourses on various aspects of life and death. Then, the next thing you know, he's blowing someone's brains out or raping a woman while her naked husband looks on in horror. HA! He's also racist and the inventor of a mixed drink charmingly known as the "Dead Little Boy." The constant switching between the mundane and the violent is the films strongest point. It's incredibly effective in terms of keeping you off balance. As a condemnation of the media's exploitation of violence, Man Bites Dog is easily superior to Oliver Stone's sloppy Natural Born Killers. It is in this area that our filmmakers' reliance on the black comedy elements pays off. After following Benoit around for a while, the crew eventually starts helping him commit his crimes (and in return, Benoit helps fund the rest of the shoot). Yeah, the preaching can get heavy handed and the lack of any kind of discernible plot gets old. But hey, this is solid entertainment.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "...Violence is the scourge of society..."
Review: A classic line from a classic film. Man Bites Dog is a mock documentary that follows the life of serial killer Benoit. What makes Man Bites Dog stand out amongst other mockumentaries is the inherently human side of Benoit that is portrayed when he is not killing. Benoit is an intelligent, well-liked, and well-adjusted murderer. He has a family that loves him and friends that care about him. Remy heads the film crew who follows Benoit on his crimes and in some cases aid him in disposing of the bodies. The violence in Man Bites Dog is brilliantly interspersed between very normal scenes. For example, Benoit's birthday party; he just gets released from the hospital and is enjoying cake with his friends and the film crew when he hears one of his male friends make a joke about him. The party continues and Benoit receives a holster as a gift from the film crew. Benoit remarks how much he likes the gift and then calls for his gun. He practices taking the gun in and out of the holster and suddenly shoots his male friend dead. No one says a word, no one screams. Benoit's two female friends are covered in blood but continue to eat their cake and shower gifts upon him. The reactions of the film crew are funny, especially Remy who is obviously both scared and attracted to Benoit as a powerful central figure. The violence is not as shocking as I thought it would be, but there is still a fair amount of gunplay, murder, and strangulations to disturb any viewer. One particular scene sticks in my mind with the old woman who he scares to death, literally. Man Bites Dog is challenging but rewarding fare, disturbing yet vital. Benoit is the ultimate anti-hero, he is sick and sadistic, yet he also cares for certain people and about certain social problems. Benoit is truly an enigma that will captivate your attention right up until the end of this film. Highly Recommended.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Funny, Vicious, Dark, And Intelligent.
Review: Man Bites Dog pulls off two brilliant cinematic tricks with consumate ease. This is all the more impressive as it was put together on a budget of less than $15,000 US. The three Belgian directors star alongside family and friends.

It is presented in the form of a documentary, replete with shaky handheld camera, and jump cut edits, with a small independent film crew following vicious but charming serial killer Benoit around as he performs a series of gruesome murders with casual disregard.

So the first trick is to make this scenario genuinely very funny. It begins very darkly with a woman being garotted on a train, and then switches to Benoit disposing of the body while talking with great erudition about the amount of ballast required to keep a corpse underwater.

You can instantly see from this that Man Bites Dog is not a film for all tastes. And gradually, over the next hour, it gets darker and darker, drawing you further into Benoit's twisted mindset. It would be an exaggeration to claim we *like* Benoit (he is a vicious, callous, racist thug) but we make allowances for him (he does, after all have some fascinating views on architecture). And, let's face it, it may be grim but it is just a film, right? We continually make allowances and we start quite quickly to really enjoy ourselves. It *is* very funny.

The film crew become increasingly involved with the killer's crimes (as in a way do the audience). It is a hilarious satire of the media's involvement and the viewer's fascination with serial killers. It hits all its targets perfectly.

And then, two thirds of the way through, it pulls off its second trick. Bang! The tone is suddenly changed. It presents us with a moment which is so completely repulsive, so vile, so unacceptable to any sensible mind, that it forces the viewer to reassess all that's gone before it. You realise that you've been laughing outloud at some extraordinarily vicious immoral stuff. And your blood runs cold. The remainder of the movie is watched in silence and... guilt, I suppose. It is very effective. A real slap in the face.

This is the purpose of the movie; and the scene is cut from the Unrated version, so the point is lost. It is difficult to watch, I grant you, but it is an important part of the directors' intent. Watch the NC-17 version.

It is intelligent, witty and laugh-out-loud funny, but it also has some very serious and disturbing points to make; points which Oliver Stone tried to make in Natural Born Killers. See Man Bites Dog and see if you agree with me - Stone should have saved his money. Some brilliant Belgium film students did it all much better with just $15,000!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A brilliantly gritty and violent black comedy.
Review: 'Man Bites Dog' is certainly one of those films that isn't for everyone. Teetering far too often between comedy and horror, the film always walks a hair-thin line between tongue-in-cheek satire and dangerously violent social statement. The 'faux-documentary' look of the film adds far too much realism to the film at times, making it uncomfortable and sickening to watch. It also brings us way too close to a 'professional' serial killer / thief who would be so disgusting, were he not so amusing and charming. The nonchalant way in which he discusses the proper way to dispose of a corpse in a body of water (turning the gruesome practice into a simple standard equation) is enough to chill us to the bone were it not utterly fascinating and so damned bizarre. The camera crew that follows this murderer on his day-to-day rituals slowly becomes accomplices, helping to dispose of the bodies and, after stumbling upon a simliar filmcrew shooting their own documentary on a serial killer, sometimes helping him to knock a few people off. In fact the film challenges us to NOT LIKE it's subject, marking that evil lives and breathes behind even the most charming of smiles and healthiest laugh. Like the documentary crew, we are too fascinated by this man and the closer we come to him, the more we begin to think like him and cheer him on. It's this slow progression from simply being voyeurs to being allies that makes the film so chilling. When it finally reaches it's shocking, violent conclusion, we are drained. The film is like a roller coaster of emotional imput, screaming one second, laughter the next. And so convincing is the documentary look and feel (and amazing performances) that often times you will have to fall back behind that age old mantra of protection from what is on the screen... 'it's only a movie... it's only a movie'. This is powerful cinema, and not to be viewed by anyone without a strong stomach. The violence is heavy-handed and quite shocking, but it's the absolute lack of morals and humanity that makes the film so tough to watch. It will test your gag reflex as much as it tests your own humanity. A must-own for fans of challenging cinema.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wrong Is Right
Review: This is one of the best movies I've ever seen. It is a complete mess of chaotic filming/editing that creates a very convincing sureality where serial killing is just another job. I was laughing the entire time.

Watching the reactions of the film crew as they are drawn into Benoit's killing is hilarious social commentary. The movie has a lot to say about relative morality and society (or so I think).

If your sense of humour runs very, very dark ... - this is your movie. All others are forewarned.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Proceed with caution
Review: I consider this film the funniest movie I have everr seen. The first time I watched it I quite literally did not stop laughing audibly for the length of the film. However, this film is the blackest and most humorous of black humor and only those who can laugh at a montage of brutal gun slayings should venture down this dark road. The unrated edited version cuts two scenes from the movie, one which I believe could have stayed and the other which made me physically ill. This film is a masterpiece for those who can handle it. I do recommend the edited version however.


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