The House That Jack Built

I just saw this film and I loved it! Will you love it? That depends a lot on how you feel about both filmmaker Lars von Trier and serial killers. Matt Dillon plays Jack, an engineer and prolific murderer with OCD, in provocative director von Trier’s latest film. Jack shares several formative kills with his co-narrator, the mostly unseen “Virgil.”  They are described as “incidents” or chapters of the story; a common technique with this director. Now, it’s hard to imagine a serial killer movie without animal torture, and I’m not gonna lie, there is some. If that’s a deal breaker for you, well, you aren’t going to like this. But, the movie is essentially a dark comedy, with bursts of Bowie’s “Fame” punctuating the situations. The film gets deep and heavier near the end, but you will welcome the wrap when it comes. It’s a long one, at 150 minutes, but it zipped by for me. I recommend it for fans of LvT and fucked up movies, in general. It is brutal and funny and disturbing, in parts. In my book, that’s a winning combination.

[R]