Man Bites Dog
1992
Directed by Remy Belvaux, Andre Bonzel, and Benoit Poelvoorde
Ugh. Here we are again. Yet another film with a brutal rape sequence, not to mention all the other scenes that feature horrific acts of violence. I will briefly try to see if there was any credible reason for this film's existence, then hopefully, move on and forget about it quickly.
A crew of filmmakers follow around a serial killer for the purposes of a documentary. At first, they just record his crimes but gradually, the entire crew begins participating in the murders. I guess the point is that society views violence as a sick form of entertainment? How about people stop making films like this then?
Anyway, we all know I hate seeing sexual violence on screen. It almost never has a viable purpose, other than to show a naked woman or demonstrate that we are dealing with a "bad" guy. Or, I suppose, to give our male hero something to avenge. Of course, it is sometimes used for humor, but I can't even talk about that.
Once again, I have to use one of my favorite Roger Ebert quotes: "the star rating is unsuited to this film. It is what it is and occupies a world where the stars don't shine."
RATING: -----
Interesting Facts:
Received a NC17 rating for its American release.
