Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Man Bites Dog

Original title: C'est arrivé près de chez vous
  • 1992
  • NC-17
  • 1h 35m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
42K
YOUR RATING
Benoît Poelvoorde in Man Bites Dog (1992)
ComedyCrimeDrama

A film crew follows a ruthless thief and heartless killer as he goes about his daily routine. But complications set in when the film crew lose their objectivity and begin lending a hand.A film crew follows a ruthless thief and heartless killer as he goes about his daily routine. But complications set in when the film crew lose their objectivity and begin lending a hand.A film crew follows a ruthless thief and heartless killer as he goes about his daily routine. But complications set in when the film crew lose their objectivity and begin lending a hand.

  • Directors
    • Rémy Belvaux
    • André Bonzel
    • Benoît Poelvoorde
  • Writers
    • Rémy Belvaux
    • André Bonzel
    • Benoît Poelvoorde
  • Stars
    • Benoît Poelvoorde
    • Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert
    • Nelly Pappaert
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    42K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Rémy Belvaux
      • André Bonzel
      • Benoît Poelvoorde
    • Writers
      • Rémy Belvaux
      • André Bonzel
      • Benoît Poelvoorde
    • Stars
      • Benoît Poelvoorde
      • Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert
      • Nelly Pappaert
    • 249User reviews
    • 91Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 7 wins & 5 nominations

    Photos47

    Man Bites Dog (1992)
    Benoît Poelvoorde in Man Bites Dog (1992)
    Benoît Poelvoorde in Man Bites Dog (1992)
    Benoît Poelvoorde in Man Bites Dog (1992)
    Benoît Poelvoorde in Man Bites Dog (1992)
    Benoît Poelvoorde in Man Bites Dog (1992)
    Benoît Poelvoorde in Man Bites Dog (1992)
    Benoît Poelvoorde in Man Bites Dog (1992)
    Benoît Poelvoorde in Man Bites Dog (1992)
    Man Bites Dog (1992)
    Man Bites Dog (1992)
    Benoît Poelvoorde in Man Bites Dog (1992)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Benoît Poelvoorde
    Benoît Poelvoorde
    • Ben
    Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert
    • Ben's Mother
    • (as Jacqueline Poelvoorde Pappaert)
    Nelly Pappaert
    • Ben's Grandmother
    Hector Pappaert
    • Ben's Grandfather
    Jenny Drye
    • Jenny
    Malou Madou
    • Malou
    Willy Vandenbroeck
    • Boby
    Rachel Deman
    • Mamie Tromblon
    André Laime
    • Bed-ridden Old Man
    Édith Le Merdy
    Édith Le Merdy
    • Nurse
    • (as Edith Lemerdy)
    Sylviane Godé
    • Rape Victim (Martine)
    Zoltan Tobolik
    • Rape Victim's Husband
    Valérie Parent
    • Valerie
    Alexandra Fandango
    • Kalifa
    Olivier Cotica
    • Benichou
    Rémy Belvaux
    Rémy Belvaux
    • Remy (Reporter)
    André Bonzel
    André Bonzel
    • Andre (Cameraman)
    Jean-Marc Chenut
    • Patrick (Sound Man #1)
    • Directors
      • Rémy Belvaux
      • André Bonzel
      • Benoît Poelvoorde
    • Writers
      • Rémy Belvaux
      • André Bonzel
      • Benoît Poelvoorde
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
    7.0
    Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
    Delicatessen
    7.5
    Delicatessen
    Angst
    7.2
    Angst
    Funny Games
    7.5
    Funny Games
    Bad Lieutenant
    7.0
    Bad Lieutenant
    I Stand Alone
    7.3
    I Stand Alone
    Dog Bites Man
    8.1
    Dog Bites Man
    Happiness
    7.7
    Happiness
    Génération Raymond
    Flickering Ghosts of Loves Gone By
    7.4
    Flickering Ghosts of Loves Gone By
    Man Bites Dog: The Sequel
    Man Bites Teen
    Man Bites Teen

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to an essay André wrote, Ben's family didn't know anything about the plot of the film. Ben's mother and grandparents thought they were filming raw footage of Ben, and had no idea that the footage was going to be used in a film in which Ben is a serial killer. Ben's mother was shocked to see her son behind bars, when she comes to visit him in prison.
    • Goofs
      At the beginning, Benoît says that four times a child's body weight is needed to sink a dead child. However, at the bar where they drink Dead Baby Boys, Benoît asks René for the weight ratio needed to sink a child, to which René replies "Twice," and Benoit says, "Right!"
    • Quotes

      Ben: Once I buried two Arabs in a wall over there... Facing Mecca, of course.

    • Alternate versions
      ENDING SPOILERS - In some versions, the final shot, where everyone dies, lasts until the film runs out of the camera, which leaves a blank white screen after the film slips out of the camera's gate. In other versions, there is a dissolve between the the final shot and the blank screen at a much sooner point--and the viewer does not see the film slip out of the gate. The Criterion Collection edition released in 2002 has the latter version of the final shot.
    • Connections
      Featured in Zomergasten: Episode #12.2 (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Ice Ice Baby
      Written by David Bowie, Earthquake (as Floyd Brown), John Deacon, Mario 'Chocolate' Johnson (as Mario Johnson), Brian May, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor & Vanilla Ice (as Robert Van Winkle)

      Performed by Vanilla Ice

      Courtesy of Capitol Records, LLC

      Contains a sample of "Under Pressure"

      Performed by Queen & David Bowie

      Courtesy of Hollywood Records, Inc. for USA & Canada and Courtesy of Island Records

      Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

    User reviews249

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    In defense
    This movie is a piece of art: shocking and disturbing, while at the same time funny as hell in a raw "should-I-be-laughing-or-should-I-be-ashamed" kind of way.

    It gives an insight in the very realistically portrayed life of Ben, a serial killer with an impressionable charisma.

    Most people who commented on this film either love it or hate it. The division seems mostly geographical though: most Americans can't seem to understand the tongue-in- cheekness of this movie.

    Probably it has to do with the fake-documentary nature of the movie, which is clearly western-european. Anyone who has ever seen American documentaries knows they have a different pace and way of treating images. Those who are used to belgian/french/ dutch/german documentaries will recognise the style of the so-called "intimate" documentaries.

    The pivotal point is the moment a relationship develops "beyond" the documentary relationship of the filmmakers and their subject (they take Ben's money to finish the movie).

    When watching this movie, try to imagine that this *could* be a real movie:

    documentaries about terrorists, drugdealers, and even mercenaries (the closest thing to an actual serial killer) have been made, and some of them were very close to their subject.

    It is *not* a "black comedy" in the classical sense of the word; more like a "Clockwork Orange" for the nineties. Where "A Clockwork Orange" bathed in the design of the seventies, this movie bathes in the "larger-than-life" invasiveness of modern-day reality-tv-style television. Anyone who has seen shows like "cops" or "Big Brother" will know what I'm talking about. It asks the big documentary question: in how far does the observed change the observer? It makes a statement, not about violence, but about the observer of violence. The way it is portrayed shows the art of the (very low-budget) crew: it grips your guts without fancy effects or gory protrayal of gore: it shows fear, despair and psychological emptyness, by showing emotions! This should be recommended viewing (and debating) to anyone making documentary films.
    helpful•102
    27
    • domicrayon
    • Apr 28, 2004

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 15, 1993 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Belgium
    • Language
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Man Bites Dog: It Happened in Your Neighborhood
    • Filming locations
      • Brussels, Brussels-Capital, Belgium
    • Production company
      • Les Artistes Anonymes
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • BEF 1,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $205,569
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $15,176
      • Jan 18, 1993
    • Gross worldwide
      • $205,569
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 35 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Benoît Poelvoorde in Man Bites Dog (1992)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Man Bites Dog (1992) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.