Consider a scenario where Travis Bickle after gaining hero status at the end of 'Taxi Driver' embarks on a rampaging killing spree(as is very likely for his character), but this time a documentary crew follows him and his actions, and with this you have the thematic equivalent of the mockumentary 'Man Bites Dog'. 'Man Bites Dog' follows a violent serial killer as he casually commits one murder after another with horrific brutality.
This film is a brutal satire on how society and films from all around the world glamorise violence and hero-worship the vigilantes(which was also the point of the ending section of Taxi Driver). The way the documentary crew remain indifferent and downright casual about the murders until things start affecting them personally is a clear statement on the film viewers of that time and subsequent generations and their tendency to gravitate towards graphic and disturbing violence. Although the film has comedic sensibilities running through it, but it does not compromise when it comes to depiction of violence.There are some chilling moments in the film that underline this like the moment where two kids are scene playing with toy guns and shooting at each other and the it suddenly jump cuts to Ben actually shooting real people. There are other scenes where Ben tries to emulate in real life, murder scenes he has seen in films. This film is certainly not for everyone as it consistently flirts with the line dividing what is offensive and what's not and at times for some viewers it may seem to skew a little towards the offensive side. It does make you feel a bit contaminated by the nihilistic violence, a bit like 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer', but I think that was intentional on the part of the directorial team.
The tag line for 'Taxi Driver' was 'On every street in every city, there's a nobody who dreams of being a somebody.' This tag line is also very much fitting for 'Man Bites Dog'. The protagonist Ben isn't really plagued by loneliness like Travis was, but what he shares with Travis is an intense yearning for attention. It is made very clear in the film that Ben loves the attention that the documentary crew give him. So much so that when the crew try to turn down his invitation to a meal one evening citing plans that they made earlier, Ben gets antsy and feels offended. It is clear that like most serial killers and psychopaths, the roots of his deranged behaviour and monstrosity lies in his want to be seen and celebrated. He is always putting on an act and pretending to be this angelic, sharp individual with high intellect who just happens to be a serial killer. This pretension stands out as there comes certain scenes later in the film where Ben is forced to be his genuine actual self which is very different from the character he is pretending to be in the initial part of the film. Travis' story had the inescapable backdrop of post-Vietnam and post-Watergate America, I don't have enough knowledge to know whether the directorial team is making a statement about a state of disillusionment existing in Belgium at the time of its release but it very well could be the case. Another film that comes to mind is 'A Clockwork Orange'. Just like Kubrick's film, 'Man Bites Dog' challenges us by making us follow a truly despicable, deplorable and loathsome character. However just like Alex, Ben also pays big time for his actions.
Textually and technically, this film reminded me a lot of the French New Wave from the late 50s and 60s. There is a lot of Godard-esque jump cutting, preponderance of long unbroken takes as is expected from a pseudo documentary,etc. There is a beautiful directorial moment of subtle imagery towards the end of the film where just before a shocking revelation, there is a fleeting moment where we see a mirror in front of Ben with his reflection on it signifying that he is about to see the monstrosity of his own work reflected back at him, he is about to get a dose of his own medicine and it will be painful. The directorial team does very well to juggle and balance the darkly comedic elements of the film along with the graphic and gruesome violence.
The acting is good and believable from everyone, but certainly Benoît Poelvoorde deserves a special mention who drives the film forward and gives a layered performance. He plays a guy pretending to be a bad- ass, he doesn't go over-the-top, but manages to still capture a manic psychopathic demeanour in every scene. He also shines in the more quiet, subtler moments when the character suffers loss and regret.
'Man Bites Dog' is the darkest that a black comedy can get. It is challenging, shocking, disturbing and maybe perceived by some to be at times offensive. But I think there is a justification for the shock value that the film makes use of. The film has something to say about society, cinema and evil in general. If you can sit through a few moments of disturbing imagery, I will recommend this film to you ever so strongly.
This film is a brutal satire on how society and films from all around the world glamorise violence and hero-worship the vigilantes(which was also the point of the ending section of Taxi Driver). The way the documentary crew remain indifferent and downright casual about the murders until things start affecting them personally is a clear statement on the film viewers of that time and subsequent generations and their tendency to gravitate towards graphic and disturbing violence. Although the film has comedic sensibilities running through it, but it does not compromise when it comes to depiction of violence.There are some chilling moments in the film that underline this like the moment where two kids are scene playing with toy guns and shooting at each other and the it suddenly jump cuts to Ben actually shooting real people. There are other scenes where Ben tries to emulate in real life, murder scenes he has seen in films. This film is certainly not for everyone as it consistently flirts with the line dividing what is offensive and what's not and at times for some viewers it may seem to skew a little towards the offensive side. It does make you feel a bit contaminated by the nihilistic violence, a bit like 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer', but I think that was intentional on the part of the directorial team.
The tag line for 'Taxi Driver' was 'On every street in every city, there's a nobody who dreams of being a somebody.' This tag line is also very much fitting for 'Man Bites Dog'. The protagonist Ben isn't really plagued by loneliness like Travis was, but what he shares with Travis is an intense yearning for attention. It is made very clear in the film that Ben loves the attention that the documentary crew give him. So much so that when the crew try to turn down his invitation to a meal one evening citing plans that they made earlier, Ben gets antsy and feels offended. It is clear that like most serial killers and psychopaths, the roots of his deranged behaviour and monstrosity lies in his want to be seen and celebrated. He is always putting on an act and pretending to be this angelic, sharp individual with high intellect who just happens to be a serial killer. This pretension stands out as there comes certain scenes later in the film where Ben is forced to be his genuine actual self which is very different from the character he is pretending to be in the initial part of the film. Travis' story had the inescapable backdrop of post-Vietnam and post-Watergate America, I don't have enough knowledge to know whether the directorial team is making a statement about a state of disillusionment existing in Belgium at the time of its release but it very well could be the case. Another film that comes to mind is 'A Clockwork Orange'. Just like Kubrick's film, 'Man Bites Dog' challenges us by making us follow a truly despicable, deplorable and loathsome character. However just like Alex, Ben also pays big time for his actions.
Textually and technically, this film reminded me a lot of the French New Wave from the late 50s and 60s. There is a lot of Godard-esque jump cutting, preponderance of long unbroken takes as is expected from a pseudo documentary,etc. There is a beautiful directorial moment of subtle imagery towards the end of the film where just before a shocking revelation, there is a fleeting moment where we see a mirror in front of Ben with his reflection on it signifying that he is about to see the monstrosity of his own work reflected back at him, he is about to get a dose of his own medicine and it will be painful. The directorial team does very well to juggle and balance the darkly comedic elements of the film along with the graphic and gruesome violence.
The acting is good and believable from everyone, but certainly Benoît Poelvoorde deserves a special mention who drives the film forward and gives a layered performance. He plays a guy pretending to be a bad- ass, he doesn't go over-the-top, but manages to still capture a manic psychopathic demeanour in every scene. He also shines in the more quiet, subtler moments when the character suffers loss and regret.
'Man Bites Dog' is the darkest that a black comedy can get. It is challenging, shocking, disturbing and maybe perceived by some to be at times offensive. But I think there is a justification for the shock value that the film makes use of. The film has something to say about society, cinema and evil in general. If you can sit through a few moments of disturbing imagery, I will recommend this film to you ever so strongly.