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Man Bites Dog (The Criterion Collection)

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4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The Criterion Collection brings film lovers some of the most engaging, challenging pictures ever made. National borders mean little to the folks at this DVD company; they will release American films as readily as they will European cinema or documentaries about African dictators. Moreover, Criterion does not flinch from controversial films because they contain controversial themes. Thanks to this company, we can readily obtain excellent versions of Paul Morrissey's "Flesh for Frankenstein" and "Blood for Dracula" along with the ultra violent "Robocop." I have yet to fully explore the depths of Criterion's film catalog, but their other discs must surely be as interesting as the titles I have viewed so far. Criterion finally released one of my favorite foreign films, the independent little gem entitled "C'est Arrive Pres de Chez Vous," oddly translated as "Man Bites Dog." Made in Belgium a little over a decade ago, this fascinating movie viciously satirizes the media and its love for dramatic violence. Criterion not only presents this movie with a heap of extras, they also restored the film to its uncut form. This is important because the version I watched nearly ten years ago was missing two scenes that are arguably the most shocking parts in the entire film.

Filmed entirely in the style of a black and white documentary, "Man Bites Dog" is an often outrageous excursion into the underground world of a sadistic thug named Benoit, a travelogue of the daily activities and random thoughts of a bloodthirsty sociopath. Most of the time he robs the elderly of their pensions, commits burglaries, drinks himself silly, or kills innocent people for no other reason than that he feels like it. In several scenes we see Ben instructing the film crew on how to weigh down bodies so they will not float when he dumps the corpses into an abandoned rock quarry. His associates are mostly a rather seedy lot: he often visits an aging woman of questionable virtue and hangs out with an obnoxious boxer. Good old Benny is not above suddenly killing a pal in a fit of rage, or giving an old woman a fatal heart attack by screaming at the top of his lungs into her face. This guy is a piece of work, but what truly makes the film painful to watch is how Benoit gradually lures the filmmakers into sharing his gruesome crimes.

In a way, and this is the real genius of "Man Bites Dog," the viewer can sometimes understand why the documentarians become involved in Benoit's shenanigans. Even as he commits the most despicable of crimes, this hooligan is truly a charming character with many endearing traits. He often waxes philosophic about such disparate topics as architecture and poetry, has a lady friend who takes him to art galleries, and his generosity to the filmmakers chronicling his life knows no bounds. Benny is always willing to buy a drink or pitch in to help pay for more film because he enjoys the company of his newfound buddies. Watching this guy play with children in the street even though he committed an atrocious crime against a youth in another scene presents the documentarians, and by extension the viewer, with a moral quandary not easily resolved. Benoit does not represent what Hannah Arendt referred to as the "banality of evil" but rather an "ambiguity of evil," and it makes pigeonholing this character at times extremely problematic. To make it even more difficult for the viewer to hate Benoit, his likeable mother and grandfather appear from time to time. But abhor him you will, especially after seeing the aftermath of a robbery in the suburbs and an encounter with a couple in an apartment after an all-night drunk. "Man Bites Dog" is a challenging film.

Even worse, this movie is often quite funny in the way only the blackest of comedies can achieve. Benoit's overdramatic French dialogue is a scream, and many of his views on life are just downright hysterical. You cannot help but laugh when Benoit forces the camera crew to rebury bodies that have suddenly reappeared when the quarry goes dry. I think one of the funniest scenes in the movie occurs when a member of the documentary crew dies as a result of Benoit's activities and we see a member of the crew eulogize him on camera. When another filmmaker dies later in the film, this same guy performs another eulogy nearly indistinguishable from the first one. I have never felt as guilty about laughing during a film as I have with this one because I knew I just should not, could not, dared not find this amusing, but in the end I just could not help myself from giggling over Ben's antics.

The extras on the Criterion disc are not all that impressive. There is a film short starring the actor who played Benoit that is not that good, an interview with the filmmakers that is rather short and does not reveal much about the film, a still gallery, and some reviews concerning the movie. The transfer quality of the picture is excellent, though, as are the subtitles for this French language film. As far as I know, we have never seen anything further from the people responsible for "Man Bites Dog." Perhaps these guys were one hit wonders, and if so that is a darn shame. This movie is so brilliantly conceived and executed that it is difficult to imagine that whoever made it would slide into obscurity.

MBD will undoubtedly receive its equal share of lovers and loathers...this is a very hard film to watch due to its extremity of the violence. Though its content is shocking to say the least, the overall effect is a startlingly satirical look at the media's fascination at peering from the safety of our collective couches at the levels of violence that run rampant in television.

An extremely tight budgeted camera crew follow a poetry spouting serial killer through the streets of Belgium in a quasi-documentary. Adhering initially to the unofficial press "rule" of not interfereing with the outcome of events, they capture the horrific details of Benoit's bloodlust, which can only be equalled with the evident psychosis in his mind as He swings from controlled to chaotic. Ben is an interesting soul- friendly, charismatic and intelligent- which provides a pleasant yet disturbing contrast to the depravity of his actions. What gives MBD that extra degree of cinematic edge is the interviews with the crew and cast (all of which coincindently use their real names in the movie, adding a greater sense of realism)...where they argue about costs, running out of equipment and film, again spurring on the documentary feel on a fictional film. When the line is crossed by the crew from neutral observers to participants, they follow the same overall repercussions as our diabolical hero.

Based on Criterion's history of giving beautiful transfers, I will be optimistic that MBD will recieve the similar royal treatment. Past VHS copies had both the Unrated Cut (which was missing the gruesome scene of Ben strangling a young boy) and the Unrated Director's Cut (aforementioned scene intact). From what I've heard, the DVD will be the unedited version. This important movie's message has become even more potent as the demand for "reality" shows has risen to ludicrous levels. We may find MBD distatesful and disturbing, but are we able to look away?

MAN BITES DOG is, quite simply, one of the blackest comedies ever made. The documentary following a charismatic serial killer about his daily business contains some of the most biting satire and perverse irreverence ever put on film. It's also perfectly scripted, directed and acted on a non-existant budget (most of the cast are members of the crew, who made the film whilst at school). Years before NATURAL BORN KILLERS, these Belgian students made a far smarter and wittier satire of media violence, that challenges our society to look at its morbid fascination with the macabre dead in the eyes. Perhaps you will not like what you see of yourself from this perspective.

This remains the only Belgian film I've seen, and one of the few Belgian cultural artefacts of any nature. A country that can produce a masterpiece such as this surely can't be as bad as everybody says :))

Let's get one thing straight right now: look carefully at Criterion's cover picture for "Man Bites Dog". Zoom in on it, take your time; I'll wait.

Got it? All clear in your mind what the Bad Man with the Gun is doing on the cover? That's right, that's a baby binky flying up out of that cloud of blood and brains and clotted gore.

Why a binky? Because I expect the baby was sucking on it before our hero Ben (Benoit Poelvoorde) showed up to do his thing.

His thing is killing people: men, women, postal workers, clerks, schoolgirls, elderly women with bad tickers, little kids, entire families. Come to think of it, "killing" doesn't get close to describing what Ben does to his victims---I'm thinking 'butcher' is closer to the truth. Anyway, a man's gotta have a hobby, and Ben sticks to what he knows best: slaughtering in pretty much every fashion imaginable.

Best of all, "Man Bites Dog" charts the rampaging wild rumpus of a whacked-out Belgian killer through the streets, attics, dive bars and country lanes by means of a documentary film crew---complete with narrator, camera-man, and two sound guys!---who follow and film Benoit's every brutal move.

Why did I start by asking you to check out the DVD cover art? Because you should know what you're getting into: this is a sick film. This is a warped, deranged, merciless little nugget of pure, horrible filth. If you get offended easily, if you're disturbed by what amounts to a stinking cinematic toilet of human filth and barbarity, if you find yourself saying "I'm Appalled!" a lot---trust me, stop reading, and stay far away from "Man Bites Dog".

Alright, are the Legions of the Appalled gone? Whew, excellent---now we can talk. "C'est Arrive Pres de Chez Vous" (which means "It Happened Close to your House", bafflingly translated stateside as "Man Bites Dog"; I don't know, don't ask---but it works) is one of the sickest, bleakest, funniest flicks I have ever seen, and perhaps the only decent thing to come out of Belgium besides the waffles.

Originally a student film shot with practically zero budget, "Man Bites Dog" astounds on a technical level: the cheap, grainy film and the bumping herky-jerky warzone feel of the photography add to the seamless, searing reality. The film crew that follows our snarky assassin around is the actual film crew that masterminded this brutal nugget of horror: director Remy Belvaux (Remy the reporter), director of photography Andre Bonzel (Andre the Cameraman)---even trigger-man Benoit worked on the screenplay.

We don't exactly know what Ben is, or how he makes his money and gets around: is he an assassin, petty criminal, mass murderer, happy sadist, philosopher? Does he do contract killing, or just slaughter people for sh*ts, giggles, and money?

The point seems to be: who knows? Who cares? Who says there has to be a reason? In the meantime:

*MARVEL as Ben regales his film crew with his thoughts on art, architecture, music, and social justice! Take a jaunt with him to hear his favorite floutist Jenny (Jenny Drye, who suffers a fate that shouldn't happen to a dog)show off her pipes!

*SWOON as Ben demonstrates: the best way to suffocate a victim with a plastic bag! PLUS---how to get rid of those pesky bodies using a tarp, a little rope, and a handy drainage ditch!

*EMPATHIZE as Ben complains about the lack of good help in holding down a potential victim these days, lecturing his film crew about the one that got away!

*APPROVE as Ben hangs wif da homeyz and accepts no sh*t on his birthday. Admit it: in his shoes, you'd do the same.

*SING with Benny as he shows off his singing voice after getting thrown out of a bar! See if you're not crooning "CINEMA! CINEMAAAAA!" long after the credits roll.

LAUGH as Ben and his film crew run into another serial killer---followed about by his *own* documentary film crew! Bullets fly, celluloid rolls!

Some reviewers try to gussy this thing up as an "astute social commentary". Come on. "Man Bites Dog" is divinely inspired, and it is what it is: it is honest, brutal, deadly, black gleeful fun. "Man Bites Dog"---I'll be honest---is terrible, perhaps, but it is also liberating.

There is something in many of us---perhaps most of us---that languishes beneath the shackles of our politically correct high-minded Republic of Nice (the bane and curse of 21st century democracies, where everyone takes pains not to offend)---something that longs for firebombs, and midnight massacres, and death squads: rapine, torture, carnage on a massive scale. I'm not saying that's not demonic, but the truth is---that Demon lurks in all of us. "Man Bites Dog" opens up the pen and slips the collar off for 90 minutes.

You'll laugh; maybe, if you're still human, you'll feel guilty about it afterwards (I didn't, but I'm a jaded creature). Ben is trenchant, witty, funny, totally loyal to his friends and devoted to his parents. He is, in his own warped way, considerably moral. He just happens to have shifted left where many of us shimmied right, and kills people for amusement, mega-bucks, and GREAT door prizes!

Whatever: see it. You'll find it is entirely possible to be deeply morally offended *and* laugh like a madman.

JSG

'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.

This was stunning in two directions. There's the activities taking place - mucho dark stuff - and the fact that a film crew is documenting it and even assisting in the action. Normally, I don't watch foreign films because the subtitles frustrate me. Glad I changed my mind this one time. I highly enjoyed this flick. But if you're a delicate soul, you won't like it. It's brutally immoral.

This is what reality television may look like in the future at the appalling rate its going. Think of a Belgian "Natural Born Killers" with a film crew in tow. The story follows Benoit and the film crew making a documentary of his exploits, which include robbery, rape, murder and hiding of bodies with hilarious dialogue (at one point, the main character tells us the proper ratio of basalt rocks to add to different body types to make them sink when disposed of in a river, unbelievably funny). The film maker achieves an "off the cuff" feel with each scene to make the film feel like gorilla film making. Black and white is used well to evoke a gritty mood.

The film is gory at times and is not for squeamish. Through out the film are repeated scenes of murder. That aside, it's a great movie of dark humor and senseless violence that can be viewed with eyes open and brain off or on and still be enjoyable. Highly recommended.

A black and white, pseudo fly on the wall documentary, with French dialogue following the weird antics of a man teetering somewhere beyond the edge of normality. That may sound like a description of "Mr Hulot's Holiday" but it also sums up "Man Bites Dog".

The film follows the exploits of Benoit, a serial killer. It is his vocation and he takes it seriously indeed. Serious, not just about killing individuals but about being a serial killer. He is aware of his filmers and, on occasion, plays up to the camera. We see him commit a number of gruesome killings and dispose of the bodies of his victims. Gradually, the film makers become dragged into his crimes and finally, they are fully fledged accomplices.

Some people have ascribed motivations and meanings to this film as being a comment on the way in which the media fixates on and lauds some violent criminals. I cannot agree with this. The film was made as a student project and with no expectation that it would be viewed outside its immediate academic environment. It is perhaps unconstrained by the expectation that it would be widely exhibited.

There is a lot of violence in this movie. Explicit, gratuitous and, on occasion, sexual. At the same time, there is a lot of, albeit very dark, humour. It is not for the squeamish or for the narrow minded and indeed, I could not really argue with anyone who found this film profoundly offensive. On the other hand, it does have something to say which can only be said in this way.

When "C'est arrive pres de chez vous" was released in my city (Aix-En-Provence) we had the pleasure of an after viewing chat with the directors. A little background on this movie makes it an even better achievement! Let me stress it also, this is an intense movie, definitely not an easy watch, but a very, very good intense movie none the less.

This is the three directors final project from the Cinema School they attended in Belgium. My understanding is that they never intended to have it released commercially, however it was entered into a festival (needless to say after they graduated with honors) and became a phenomenon. In my opinion it is one of the best movies ever made in French in the past few years.

During our after movie chat, where Benoit Poelvoorde scarred the hell out of me by entering into the dark movie theater screaming, they launched into a few anecdotes regarding the making of "Man Bites Dog". All of Ben's family is actually played by Ben's family, a family which is clueless as to which type of movie they are starring in, the directors would just briefly give them an idea of what the setting was like before engaging the cameras. His uncle plays the old guy at the hospital who launches into songs, songs which he improvised on the set to everybody's surprise. Each person who watched this movie would agree with me that the rape scene is the hardest one to bear, which trust me is sort of a weird reaction considering the rest of the movie, upon discussing it, all three directors agreed on how they wished they would have tammed it down. However in order to ease us they told us of how they came about filming it, how this lady had to stay lying down for hours while a make-up team was working on her and how she kept on drinking beers upon beers and finally had to take a leak. They had to take a vote on who was going to hold the bucket. Remy was the chosen one.

Man Bites Dog is indeed disturbing, especially because you end up laughing all the time to a very intense subject matter. It is a complete achievement and recommended viewing for anybody who is not afraid of facing a certain aspect of life.

Mockumentary's are often hilarious exaggerations of human obsessions presented in a way that makes us laugh at ourselves and our own pathetic indulgences. Wonderful films like `Best in Show' or `Drop Dead Gorgeous' are magnificent examples of exploitation of harmless activities that we as a culture take too seriously.

`C'est Arrive Pres de Chez Vous' (translated `It Happened in Your Neighborhood' yet strangely named `Man Bites Dog') does not fit into that mold.

On the outset this film is laced with a black comedy both intriguing and inviting, yet the end result is one of repulsion and guilt. `C'est Arrive Pres de Chez Vous' strikes a nerve because it's not merely exposing harmless guilty pleasures; it is calling out our society's sick attraction to violence and suffering. It's like a comedic version of Kubrick's masterpiece `A Clockwork Orange'; a film that makes light of violence in order to add weight to the subject; a film that gives an air of triviality in order to shock the audience into realizing that they don't take this as seriously as they should. I remember watching `A Clockwork Orange' with open mouth and straining eyes and by the time `C'est Arrive Pres de Chez Vous' was through I was in the very same predicament.

The film follows a camera crew as they follow a serial killer by the name of Ben. Ben murders and robs with reckless abandon and is actually flattered that this group of young men wants to document his lifestyle. His reactions and methods are criminal yet presented in a manner that elicits laughs and smiles from the audience. This succeeds in creating an air within the audience, one of lighthearted glee as they think they are watching just another comedy. But they are not, and as the film tapers to a close and the violence gets more extreme, the audience suddenly realizes that their enjoyment in this film is further proving the point of the filmmakers; that our society is so calloused to the sadism surrounding us that it rarely shocks us.

We realize that we shouldn't be finding any of this `funny' and the fact that we do sickens us.

The performances by the entire cast are flawless, but no one deserves more credit than Benoit Poelvoorde who plays the serial killer Ben. His performance is flamboyant and charismatic and convincing; completely dedicated to the material and essential to the desired effect of the film on the audience; us.

In the end I feel that `C'est Arrive Pres de Chez Vous' is an extremely important film. This film reminds me of the feelings derived from reading Bret Easton Ellis' phenomenal novel `American Psycho', a novel that exposed our cultures calloused condition flawlessly. `C'est Arrive Pres de Chez Vous' is not for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach but it is monumentally important for it calls to attention a growing problem, a problem that will only continue to get bigger.