Review of Man Bites Dog (1992) by Gillian W — 17 Nov 2009

For me, the most fascinating movie about a serial killer ever made is Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. With the gritty way it was filmed the movie had an almost documentary feel to it, like you weren't watching actors but rather following a real killer during his various murders. Remy Belvaux's Man Bites Dog, or it Happened in Your Neighborhood, is a lot like Henry, only it is meant to look like a documentary. It was a rather ballsy idea to present the film's central character as if he were a real person, and a film crew was on scene every time he performed a murder. But Belvaux executes this spectacularly and created one of the most dynamic movies about a murderer ever made.

The film's central character is Ben Patard (Benoit Poelvoorde). He has a great relationship with his parents, is an avid music lover, into all sorts of art and likes to hold very intelligent conversations about whatever might cross his path. At first, Benoit is a very likable person, especially with how charismatic he can be. But it is when we come to realize that he is a serial killer that this film really starts to challenge its audience.

There have been a lot of films that call into question modern audiences obsession and fascination with murder on film. For me, Man Bites Dog is one of the more successful films to present this idea. It was really interesting the way the film carried its message. The murders in the film aren't done in a shocking manner, but almost in this nonchalant kind of way. I knew I should have always been horrified at what I was seeing, but I wasn't, and I began to feel a little ashamed at myself for this. Have I really become this desensitized to violence?

Poelvoorde was fantastic in the film as Ben. He was always a captivating character, even when some of his deeds were terrible ones. There is a scene where he is smothering a child to death, and begins to talk casually about how he doesn't like killing kids (for one they make things difficult because they can run faster, and also they usually don't have money on them to steal) that was awkward to sit through. On one hand I was terrified for this kid, but on the other hand I was looking more at Ben and listening to what he had to say. It was also intriguing how the film had its faux-film crew that was following Ben around start to get pulled into Ben's world and start to participate in his activities.

Man Bites Dog is an easily misunderstood film, and a rather difficult one to sit through if you aren't prepared for what it has to offer. If you can look past the film's violence, which really isn't as bad as some have made this film out to be, you can see a very intelligent film with a lot of merit to it. Ben Patard might not be as well known of a movie monster as other serial killers in film are, but he deserves to rank among the most dynamic serial killers ever put to film.