The House That Jack Built (2018) Movie Review

The House That Jack Built (2018) Review

Hello guys and welcome back to Movie Reviews #100%, the place where you can be nerdy about movies! So, for today, I have a review that was not on my time table but after I saw this movie, I was so infuriated with it that I just needed to do a review for this movie.

The director is Lars von Trier, a director that is known for his weird style of film making and the fact that his movies are very hard to understand and, more often than not, there is a hidden message or a hidden meaning in each of them. His style is not for everyone, he relies very much on close nudity, violence and ambiguous characters. His filmography contains, amongst others, ''Antichrist'', ''Melancholia'' and ''Nymphomaniac'' Vol. 1 and 2.

This not that different from the rest, in terms of style, atmosphere, characters, cinematography, length and, of course, difficult to understand. Requires multiple viewings but, I can assure you, I will not want to see this one again.

A bit of a synopsis for ya, just to know what I'm talking about: In five audacious episodes, failed architect and arch-sociopath Jack (Matt Dillon) recounts the elaborately orchestrated murders—each, as he views them, a towering work of art—that define his "career" as a serial killer.

OK, so basically you have a murdering lunatic that views his killings and murders as a work of art. By the way, if I understood it correctly, the main plot point of the movie is art because the main character views his murderous acts as works of art, some explanations of the main character compares his doings with moments from history and works of architectural art, sculpture, paintings and even cinema.

The movie is daring, provocative, it has some very subtle dark humor and it's a bit innovative in a particular sense. The thing that made a bit upset is the length of the movie, which could have been shorten with a bit less exposition and, also, the 5 incidents could have used a bit of a cut. If this movie would have been 2 hours, it would have been perfect because it does not need that extra 30 minutes. Also, the pacing is very slow and the movie feels a bit uneven in some parts.

And, again, the movie is very hard to follow, with all these metaphors and hidden meanings making you feel that you were watching this movie for forever. It takes it's time to get to the end, an end that did not pay off in my opinion. Performances were great, the stand off being, of course, Matt Dillon, who gives a very creepy performance.

Overall, von Trier fashioned a movie that gives a visually stunning, because the cinematography and visuals in this movie are amazing, visceral and personal inquiry into violence, art and the dual acts of creation and destruction. But, unfortunately, it's not for everyone, requires some patience to see it and it's definitely not one of von Trier's best. 7/10

OK guys, that is my review for this one. More reviews coming soon and maybe one for ''Green Book''. Until then, stay movie nerdy and keep on reviewing!