A documentary film crew has decided to follow around a real life thief/killer named Ben as he goes about his business. In between murdering and thieving from people Ben likes to go off on tangents about life and art. Slowly the crew begins having to participate in his activities and end up getting lead down a dark path.
Who is the Audience for This Movie?
People who like their movies realistic and violent.
What I Liked About This Movie
Man Bites Dog follows the killer with a point of view that is fascinating. The documentary crew is not only observing they are directly referenced while Ben is talking and often are part of the movie. The transformation you see in the crew as the movie goes along is subtle yet builds to a level where you feel they have gone over the line of being subjective to the point of embracing the subject.
Man Bites Dog is the epitome of gritty; the movie pulls no punches in its depiction of violence. The violence is in no way stylized like big Hollywood movies it happens as you would expect it to happen in real life. The violence feels raw and is very unsettling, which is a compliment to the makers of the movie. Violence in movies over the years has de-sensitized me and for me to say this movie is shocking should say a lot about what this movie achieve.
What Didn’t Work For Me
Ben’s character and motivations feel like they are overdeveloped. There are plenty of scenes involving Ben talking about different subjects that feel unnecessary. I feel that at times the actor who played Ben went a bit farther with the character then he needed to and it distracts a bit from the attempt to ground the film in reality.
Should You Watch This Movie?
This movie will absolutely disgust most people due to its graphic nature but if you are looking for a disturbing foreign film Man Bites Dog definitely bites back! (Corny, I know).
My Rating (Out of 13)
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