A film crew documents the activities of psychopathic professional killer Benoit (Benoît Poelvoorde).
Man Bites Dog is, to begin with, a pitch black comedy in which the absurdity of a documentary team recording a killer at work provides the uncomfortable humour. Benoit's actions are reprehensible, but too ridiculous not to find amusing, the killer starting the month by killing a postman, then preying on gullible OAPs from whom he steals their life savings (always creative in his work, Benoit literally scares one old dear to death). Benoit talks to the camera about his work, discussing his methods and techniques, whilst lapsing into moments of poetry and artistic reflection.
This somewhat whimsical approach doesn't prepare the viewer for the more harrowing content in the latter half of the movie, which provides an emotional punch that really drives home the horror of its subject's lifestyle. When Benoit kills a family, including a young boy, the grim reality hits home, and is compounded by the subsequent gruelling gang rape, murder and mutilation of a woman, the crew of the documentary not just recording the act but participating in it as well. This shift in tone from black comedy to genuinely disturbing shockumentary continues as Benoit displays his dangerous unpredictability by suddenly executing a guest at his dinner table. The end of the film sees the psychopath's loved ones brutally murdered by his rivals, who then turn their attention to Benoit and his film crew.
Admittedly, at times, Man Bites Dog can be an overly talky affair, both ponderous and a tad pretentious (presumably deliberately so), but the more shocking scenes guarantee that the film will stick with you long after the credits have rolled.
7/10. For fans of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Natural Born Killers and The Blair Witch Project (which surely 'borrowed' its ending from Man Bites Dog).
Man Bites Dog is, to begin with, a pitch black comedy in which the absurdity of a documentary team recording a killer at work provides the uncomfortable humour. Benoit's actions are reprehensible, but too ridiculous not to find amusing, the killer starting the month by killing a postman, then preying on gullible OAPs from whom he steals their life savings (always creative in his work, Benoit literally scares one old dear to death). Benoit talks to the camera about his work, discussing his methods and techniques, whilst lapsing into moments of poetry and artistic reflection.
This somewhat whimsical approach doesn't prepare the viewer for the more harrowing content in the latter half of the movie, which provides an emotional punch that really drives home the horror of its subject's lifestyle. When Benoit kills a family, including a young boy, the grim reality hits home, and is compounded by the subsequent gruelling gang rape, murder and mutilation of a woman, the crew of the documentary not just recording the act but participating in it as well. This shift in tone from black comedy to genuinely disturbing shockumentary continues as Benoit displays his dangerous unpredictability by suddenly executing a guest at his dinner table. The end of the film sees the psychopath's loved ones brutally murdered by his rivals, who then turn their attention to Benoit and his film crew.
Admittedly, at times, Man Bites Dog can be an overly talky affair, both ponderous and a tad pretentious (presumably deliberately so), but the more shocking scenes guarantee that the film will stick with you long after the credits have rolled.
7/10. For fans of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Natural Born Killers and The Blair Witch Project (which surely 'borrowed' its ending from Man Bites Dog).