Man Bites Dog (1992)

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

Writers:

Rémy Belvaux (story), Rémy Belvaux (screenplay)

Stars:

Benoît Poelvoorde, Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert, Nelly Pappaert

6 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	Nurse (as Edith Lemerdy)
Sylviane Godé	...	Rape Victim (Martine)
Zoltan Tobolik	...	Rape Victim's Husband
Valérie Parent	...	Valerie
Alexandra Fandango	...	Kalifa
Olivier Cotica	...	Benichou

Storyline

A camera crew follows a serial killer/thief around as he exercises his craft. He expounds on art, music, nature, society, and life as he offs mailmen, pensioners, and random people. Slowly he begins involving the camera crew in his activities, and they begin wondering if what they're doing is such a good idea, particularly when the killer kills a rival and the rival's brother sends a threatening letter.

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Plot Keywords:

dark comedy | mockumentary | black comedy | satire | nudity | 

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Taglines:

A Killer Comedy

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated NC-17 for strong graphic violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Due to budget problems, it took the filmmakers over a year to complete the film. The company ran out of money several times and shooting had to be postponed until more money could be raised. A lot of friends and family of the filmmakers contributed to the film, both behind and in front of the cameras.

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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!"

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Quotes

Ben: [after killing a black man] Here's our golden opportunity to see if that legend about their size is true. Rémy, pull his pants down. We'll know in a jiffy. Good Lord! He's really well hung. You can wrap it up now. It's disgusting. The kid's barely 18 and already hung like a polar bear.

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Alternate Versions

The uncut European version shows the child of the upper-class couple being killed.

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Connections

Referenced in Random Acts of Violence (2012)

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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 Reviews

good fake-doc

What makes this movie so interesting is not so much the dark and raw atmosphere. It's not the fact that it's gruesome and disgusting. It's that is brought in such a normal realistic way that one actually believes that this could be a normal documentary. It's a beautiful fake-doc that takes an absurd topic and takes it to an extreme level. At a certain point one asks himself: where can it lead from here? What could possibly be a satisfying ending to a story like this. The movie succeeds in bringing this satisfaction fully, and the viewers are left with good discussion material. What if this were true? What if I would take my camera and make a documentary about a murderer?

Details

Country:

Belgium

Language:

French

Release Date:

15 January 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Man Bites Dog

Filming Locations:

Mouscron, Belgium

Box Office

Budget:

BEF1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,176, 18 January 1993

Gross USA:

$205,569

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$205,569

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Artistes Anonymes

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 92 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1