Man Bites Dog (DVD)

Man Bites Dog (C'est arrivé près de chez vous) was first released in 1992 It started off as a project by two film students Remy Belvaux and Andre Bonzel and their old school friend Benoit Poelvoorde (who plays the lead role). The trio were initially held up by a severe lack of resources but were eventually helped out financially by their local Belgium French speaking community, a film lecturer who gave them some free film stock and their family and friends who took unpaid parts in the film. The eventual budget totalled $15,000. The film won awards at both the Cannes and Toronto film festivals. The film takes on a documentary style format in which a small film ...  Read the complete review

Man bites dog is an extraordinary first time directorial debut by three Paris students. It one numerous European awards on its release as it wowed, and shocked most of the film glitteratti… Remy Belveux as equally stunning in his performance as the psychotic arrogant come blase killer who has no particular lean or selection as he kills indiscriminately. It’s handled cleverly by the young directors, who are also the stars with injections of humor at the right time to stop this being too disturbing. It’s also shot in black and white, which for the squeamish is a Godsend. It also gives it a darker side as the carnage continues, making the ...  Read the complete review

note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room The French are always known for their superb and inventive, from the French New Wave in the 1950s, but in 1992, they released a film that stands as one of their best - Man Bites Dog, a scathing look at the unscrupulous media, and also a visceral film on its own merits that pulls absolutely no punches. Rémy Belvaux was certainly a talent to watch following the film's release, but sadly committed suicide a few years ago. The film opens as we meet a camera crew following Benoit around - a seemingly genial young man who is very talented at numerous things and also seems healthy from a social ...  Read the complete review

Man Bites Dog is simply the most cutting edge style of film making I have ever seen. It was made by three Belgian film students and was a prize winning sensation at the 1992 Cannes film festival. Set in the gloomy backdrop of Belguim, Man Bites dog is a spoof documentary about an amiable but seriously warped mass murderer who kills all types of people,but has a particular fondness for postmen. The film charts the increasingly close relationship between the killer and a film crew making a documentary about his exploits who get implicated in his horrendous deeds. The murder scenes are the most disturbing ever seen on film and because its a documentary ...  Read the complete review