The House That Jack Built

If you're no stranger to the work of Danish auteur and arch controversialist Lars von Trier (Antichrist, The Idiots), then you probably won't be surprised that The House That Jack Built is littered with sadistic violence and cruelty. This blackest of black comedies focuses on the five "incidents" that have defined Jack (Matt Dillon), a remorseless serial killer who's been plying his gruesome trade for years. Censor-baiting scenes involving violence and mutilation against women, children and a duck are part of the mix, though they aren't quite as shocking as you might imagine. If pitch-black humour is your cup of tea, then the film is even quite funny (such as when Jack returns to a murder scene in order to clean up). The problem, though, is that the 150-minute running time means the film really drags in places. Some sequences feel endless, especially when Jack engages in an ongoing discussion with another man called Verge (Bruno Ganz). Almost every scene is interesting in some way, but the end result will test your patience, and it will be too unpleasant for some audiences.