Man Bites Dog AKA C’est arrivé près de chez vous (1992) is a darkly comedic mockumentary that sees a film crew follow the life of a serial killer as he goes about his daily routine.
The lack of onscreen gore takes nothing away from the brutality of the sociopathic, Ben. A role that owes everything to Benoît Poelvoorde who plays it (as well as co-directed) completely straight, almost as if you were following the daily life of any blue collared worker. As he recites poetry, admires architecture, is even playfully short with his girlfriend when they play music together, the movie somehow hypnotizes you with charm, leading you to forget you’re watching this horrendous creature commit some of the worst atrocities known to man.
In short, this Belgian masterpiece is a dark comedy in every sense of the word, but definitely isn’t for everyone. If slapstick and dad jokes are your thing, probably steer clear. However, if you’re curious to see how some of the darkest parts of the human psyche can be made humorous through a truly original medium, get involved.
Available on Netflix (US) & Amazon Prime (US)
Jacked In Recommends ‘Hook’ (1991)
We meet Peter Banning (Robin Williams), a middle-aged, workaholic, lawyer who spends most of his days avoiding his […]
11 Reasons Why ‘Superman III’ Is Better Than You Remember
Superman has certainly come a long way ever since Christopher Reeve reignited the character on the big screen back […]
Behind The Scenes of John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’
A story of psychological horror and isolation, featuring scares like you’d never seen before with its […]
Jacked In Recommends ‘Flight of the Navigator’ (1986)
Flight of the Navigator follows the story of David (Joey Cramer), a typical 12-year-old boy in the year 1978. After […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Misdirection’ (2023)
Every now and again you’re given a film that doesn’t necessarily have a start, middle and end but still manages to […]
Jacked In Recommends ‘Super’ (2010)
Super follows the story of Frank Darbo (Rainn Wilson), a luckless fry cook who has literally only had two perfect […]
Jacked In Recommends ‘Drive’ (2011)
Drive follows the story of a Hollywood stuntman/mechanic (Ryan Gosling) who also happens to moonlight as a getaway […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Melanie’s Grave’ (2023)
A robber on the run chooses to lay low, away from prying eyes and the law. Unfortunately for him, the chosen […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘The Ribbon’ (2023)
We open on a young girl surrounded by (a foreshadowing) darkness but before we have time to start feeling worried, […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Wish I Were There’ (2023)
Directed, written and animated by Neil Baker, Wish I Were There is an ode to the English seaside.
Jacked In Reviews ‘The Batman’ (2022)
As we tour Gotham city on a dark, rainy night accompanied by a gritty narration announcing it’s “October 31st”, you […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Da Block’ (2023)
Written by Jay Anthony Connor, director Velton J Lishke brings us the story of Mikey (Lladel Bryant) and Sully […]