In Grisly, Sadistic 'The House That Jack Built,' Lars von Trier Deconstructs Himself
This uber-violent film about a remorseless serial killer (Matt Dillon) requires an iron stomach, but it's a "thoughtful, honest onscreen meditation on morality and personal culpability."
Lars von Trier has danced with the devil for most of his directing career, making films that embrace the worst in human nature. But in The House That Jack Built, the devil finally becomes him. This is a serial-killer movie that's also a personal confessional, centered on a man who fancies himself an artist but can't seem (or doesn't want) to understand the difference between creation and destruction. It's a real piece of work, and it's often genuinely upsetting, but von Trier's taboo-bursting noisemaker is as brilliant as it is ghoulish.
The killer, Jack, is an American, played by Matt Dillon in a chilling, Anthony Perkins-esque performance that will make
