Man Bites Dog is a 1992 Belgian documentary written directed and produced by Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel and Benoît Poelvoorde. The film centuries around a film crew following a serial killer as they record his crimes for a documentary. At first, they act as mealy observers but as the film goes on, they get caught up in his crimes eventually becoming accomplices. Man Bites Dog is a film that satirises and showcases people obsessions and enjoyment with violence especially within a visual narrative and how people through there obsession with violence can become monsters themselves.
Man Bites Dog is a found on footage film that follows a serial killer Ben going about his day to day life as shown in the first scene where he strangles a woman on a train. This horrible act is juxtaposed with Ben the serial killer himself who is a very likeable funny charismatic person, he explains what he does like deposing a body in a lake like his making an instructional video showing how through media these obvious killers are allowed to become charismatic and likable for the prose as entertainment. Ben is shown to have a normal life with a family a mum and dad that are normal showing how these killers could be anyone they are not stereotypical monsters but rather a normal person. This is further shown with his parents explaining how he was a nice boy who is juxtaposed with the next shot of him beating someone to death as the film crew uses a light to get a better shot showcasing the films statical nature with our infatuation with violence. Ben then explains that he likes killing old people more than young people because they have more money and interacts with kids in a nice way showcasing how is in a moral person with normal emotions and explains what he does as if it’s a normal job. The kid that plays shoots Ben cuts to a montage of him shooting people showcasing how violence is every present both within the character and the film, the film also dives into Bnes phycology somewhat with him. Talking about his issues with women and that he has been hurt with them.
Ben is childlike in some respects as he seems to not fully get what he is doing; he also is disturbing normal with a girlfriend who he loves. He also has normal problems in that he must find a job, he also kills a person he views as a friend and doesn’t care showcasing he has no discrimination in who he kills he just does it instinctively. This showing of no discrimination is when he talks about him being black but not in a racist way, in some resects he sees his murders as a sort of righteous good in that he targets old and venerable people in society as he laments against the government neglecting them. Ben ultimately romanticizes himself and his work in the film as explains his murders in an instructional and entertaining as shown when he gives an old woman a heart attack saying it saves him a bullet as through the documentary, he miniplates the crew and the viewer into liking someone who is a murderer. Ben likes the idea of being a celebrity as he gives money to the crew for the film and even tries to make friends with them, but they can’t quite accept him with his murder aspect causing tension.
They then all have dinner with Ben out of fear for him as he talks about financing the film showcasing his power as he miniplates them throughout the film, it shows that little things make him angry showcasing his unhinged mind he likes being a celebrity as he can boost his ego to make his murders seem like they are something more profound than they are. There is a great juxtaposition in the film where he recites poetry, he sees himself as an intelligent well educated individual dreaming of himself as a romantic when he is a drunk just like, he is a murderer, and the film is criticism of romanticising people like this. This is also show when he mingles with his friends in the art world, and he has an artist’s heart showcasing how he views himself to be better than he is. Reality however intrusts the film destroying the romanticism another interesting thing in the film is that it his choice to kill is not like he has no options as his shown to be a talented musician. He also is a loving caring person as he helped a woman from a young age with her music and his funny, however whether this is genuine, or a smoke screen is up for discussion. He then kidnaps and guy and drives him around as he kills people. As he escapes and they run after him showing that violence is very present within him.
Within this moment he is shown to not be in control and further shown when he loses his bracelet. In an interesting scene the soundman is killed as they use the zoom lens to find the guy so that Ben can kill him showing how film can be used in order to not only showcase violence but create and help violence questioning whether this film should be considered entertainment, in another interesting scene they morn to sound guy for a bit but continue showing how there documentary has become the reality of their lives. From this moment onwards the film crew participates more and more in helping him dispose the body Ben then showcases his ego and how he wants to be known through the documentary as he talks about only big murders making the headlines. Throughout the film there is a tension between him and the crew as Ben wants to lay low and not make any big murders as they talk about the film being on hold in interview style showcasing how the lines of reality and their fictional creation has blurred. They want to finish the film even if it costs them their lives as they are lost in the line between fiction and reality. Throughout the film Ben is a very complex character is a comedian, a pervert, a philosopher, and a pretentious fool. The idea of the film destroys reality as when they break into a home killing a couple, they use the mic to pick up the sound of them breaking the kids neck as a kid escape in which they find and kill him. To further drive home to horrors of this scene these people have no money meaning everything was done for nothing causing them to all butt heads witch each other. Later on, a gun fight with an off camera person break out as the crew states they will never have enough footage showcasing how they have become one with the reality of the film they are obsessed with capturing there violence on camera and that there obsession and love for on screen violence will come at any cost.
In this intense found on footage gun fight sequence, they find another film crew and murder doing the same thing and kills them, showcasing how people obsession with violence is everywhere within everyone. Everybody is obsessed with violence with a media form and want to become as close to the real violence as possible, by killing them they show that they want to be the ones to destroy the boundaries between the real and the fake the entertainment and the experience. Ben and a robber friend of his then reminisce about the good times and the film shows that his grandmother was in porn. Ben does boxing to get money as the film destroys the grandiose illusion about himself as for all is posturing he is just and drunken mess and a asshole. He then quizzes the crew about what they have learned as he sees himself as a artist, but he is not he is a murderer and a drunk. They then all drunkenly sing about film as they break into a couple’s home as ben holds the man at gun point as the crew rape his wife. This showcases the danger of not distinguishing fiction and reality and idolising horrible people through the lens of media and entertainment as through their friendship with a murderer the crew has decided to commit horrific acts for the sake of entertainment the fiction of the film has become the reality of their lives as they can only view the world though the literal lens of there camera. The aftermath of this is horrifying with the woman being butchered with a knife her entails spilling out and the man’s throat being slit as Ben’s friend receives a rat from the collages of the criminals, he killed this shows that for all the enchantment these crimes are they are real and have horrific consequences. From this Ben starts to lose control of his mind as his murders become for irrational. This is shown when on his birthday a friend is annoying him causing him to kill him. Everyone then sits there in a shocked silence but with motivation from Ben they continue like nothing has happened as they are sacred of him. This shows the real true irrational monster that lurks behind the mans he is ultimately a crazed serial killer and all the people in his life oblige him out of fear and not love.
The crew then gets rid of the body as Ben yells at them, as one of Bens victims escapes as they re-watch the footage to see what happened causing more tension between them. He then gets arrested witch becomes a media circus as the film shows that the people in bens life care about him. Ben then escapes as the brother of the dead Italian along with members of the gang start taking revenge on Ben and his family. they then find his girlfriend dead and humiliate both her and himself by showing a flute up her anus as for the first time in the film Ben has a genuine emotional reaction showing that despite everything he is human. He also has an emotional reaction when he finds out that his parents were also killed with her also being humiliated in death by being sodomised with broomstick. The film reveals that his mum owned a flower shop as was not a musician showcasing that he has fabricated his entire backstory to make himself seem better for the cameras. At the ned of the film Ben and the film crew meet to say goodbye to each other. In the middle of a poem, he is killed off camera by a gunman as the camera crew is killed off one by one. Even after the cameraman dies the camera keeps running as the film ends with the death of the sound recordist. This showcases the problems of glamorising violence thought media and entertainment as these people pay the price for there sadist art and paying the price with their death ironically taking place on their film.
Man Bites dog is a film that highlights the dangers of people obsession with violence and the darkness that can come from a detachment from the brutal aspects of reality.
