The Criterion Collection recently re-released “Man Bites Dog” and presents it in fine packaging. The DVD release contains a new digital transfer of the film, an intriguing interview on morality and media with the three filmmakers, the original theatrical trailer and “No C4 for Daniel-Daniel,” a bizarre short the filmmakers made in 1989.
When Belgian filmmakers Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel and Benoît Poelvoorde set out to make “Man Bites Dog,” two criteria for the film must have dominated the thought process — the film was to be a vicious satire of media violence and sensationalism, and that no holds were to be barred in the pursuit of shock to deliver their message. The resulting film effectively demonstrates the powers of cinema and pushes the boundaries of violence in film.
Released in 1992, “Man Bites Dog” won the International Critics’ Prize at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. The awarding of the prize caused controversy, as the film’s premise and violent content proved to be too much for many audiences. Some critics, such as The Washington Post’s Hal Hinson, believed the film too violent to deliver a viable message. Rather, it should be recognized as an important moment in cinema, recalling “Network” and other works meant to expose the possible dangers of an abused medium.
The film is made in an eerie pseudo-documentary style, as the characters share their names with the filmmakers. It follows Bonzel and Belvaux while they make a shoestring-budget documentary about Ben, a unique and original subject. Ben is intelligent, charismatic and witty. He considers himself an intellectual, and like many intellectuals, he is incorrigibly pretentious. He recites verse into the camera with drama and gusto, and he enjoys showing off his education.
Ben is also a serial killer, and bases his survival on robbing his victims. At one point the filmmakers begin to take part in Ben’s horrifying adventures, becoming an integral part of Ben’s bizarre lifestyle and losing the tiny shred of objectivity and morality they shared before. Ben’s escapades, such as hunting postal workers at the beginning of every month, spiral into recklessness, foretelling destruction for everyone involved.
Benoît Poelvoorde gives a chillingly comical performance as Ben. Poelvoorde is obviously comfortable in front of the camera, and his presence glows. Although his character is not necessarily likable, his dialogue shows him to be witty and sharp, jumping on any possibility of a comical moment. Through Ben, “Man Bites Dog” gives its audience some of the blackest humor ever recorded on celluloid. The humor lies not only in the dialogue but in the ironic situations Ben and his crew find themselves in, including a running gag about the crew’s soundman dying in firefights between Ben and the hunted.
The film’s cynical edge offers shocking scenes that would sucker-punch the mind of the most desensitized of movie fanatics. Some criticize the film, saying many violent scenes exist for their own sake rather than contributing to the filmmakers’ message. This is not true. Although frighteningly violent, the film is not an exploitation of violence. Here violence is wielded like a hammer, pummeling the viewer into submission and acknowledgement of the filmmakers’ point. It is this directness that marks the film’s success as a piece of social commentary.