Bouvier des Flandres

There is a trove of criticisms of life in Korea embedded in this film, which was the first from director Bong Joon-ho:

• The bribery of professors needed to get a positon at a university.
• The corruption and the use of cheap materials in the construction boom of the late 1980's.
• How the dogs of the affluent live better than many people.
• How worthless a graduate degree in the humanities is.
• How no one in Korea follows the rules.
• How clouds of billowing insecticide are sprayed in a public area for "pest control."
• How at great risk to herself, a bank teller is lauded for taking on an armed robber, rather than rewarded for just doing her job.
• A homeless guy living in a basement who is happy to go to prison, where he'll get regular meals.
• A woman begging for money on public transportation with her small child strapped to her back.
• A woman let go from her job of eleven years because she's gotten pregnant.

I love some of things he was aiming for, many of which are clear precursors to his later films, but unfortunately, the messages here are wrapped up in a story that's pretty lackluster. A man in a loveless marriage is trying to get a job as a professor and takes out some of his frustrations on the dogs in his apartment complex whose barking irritates him. A janitor in the complex secretly kidnaps dogs to stew them up and eat them. A couple of young women see one of the dogs killed and try to do something about it. It's all kind of blah, which maybe was also part of the point, but it didn't make for compelling viewing to me, particularly as the pace was on the slow side.

Bong Joon Ho's first feature is a pseudo satirical black comedy centred on a sad lecturer who decides to take drastic action on a barking dog that's mildly annoying him as he wallows in his own self pity. Needless to say, 'Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000)' is unconcerned with giving us sympathetic characters to root for. Instead, it presents everyone amorally, regardless of their actions. This isn't a bad thing, but it means that you have to be willing to accept - and, in some ways, see past - each major character's flaws in order to remain invested in their journeys. For me, that isn't an issue. I can see how it would hamper some people's enjoyment of the piece, though, especially if they're expecting something more traditional. Another thing that will likely put people off is the movie's unflinching depictions of animal abuse; basically, dog lovers beware. The thing never feels especially cruel but it's certainly rather shocking when it comes to its treatment of its canine characters. It's perhaps important to state, as the flick does in its opening titles, that no animals were harmed during the production. Still, there's a known rule that when a character kills a dog, the audience will start to hate them; that's why such an act is usually reserved for villains (and not often seen, either). This picture asks you to root for a protagonist who has partaken in such behaviour. That's going to be a major put-off for a lot of people. However, having said all that, I ultimately like the movie quite a bit. It's an unconventional and unpredictable mix of genres with several surprisingly exciting set-pieces. It's engaging all the way through, although it does slow down considerably for its extended denouement. It's often quite funny in its own sort of way, too. It's a rock-solid start for a director who consistently presents genre-bending, audience-challenging fare. 7/10

It's possible that this dark comedy will slip from my memory before too long, but as I write this just having viewed the film (on home video), I have to say it made for an excellent viewing experience. It's rare to see a comedy in this day and age with such an offbeat sense of humor, let alone one that keeps viewers guessing so much as to where the plot will head next. There's also a lot of care put into the cinematography and editing of this film, adding some extra layers of satisfaction from a cinephilic perspective; this is one comedy that doesn't insult the viewer's intelligence, and need never be regarded as a guilty pleasure.

Specifically, the way this issue pinpoints its moment in time regarding Korean culture's evolving relationship with dogs is constantly mined for humor, but also provides moments of real insight and touching emotion.

I watched this film on the strength of director Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder, an excellent thriller with a deep mordant streak. If this previous film had to be nailed down to a genre, I'd call it a dark comedy -- albeit an extremely idiosyncratic one -- but there are effective splashes of the thriller and horror genres throughout, not to mention some nicely done surrealistic touches. All in all, these two films make me sorely regret missing Bong Joon-ho's "Host" at this year's Toronto film fest; I've added his name to my short list of Korean directors (the others being Park Chan-wook, Hong Sang-soo, and Kim Ki-duk) to follow closely.

and that would have been a real shame. This movie was thoroughly enjoyable. I think this would make an excellent introduction to Korean cinema because it was MY introduction to korean cinema and I didn't find it inaccessible in any way.

It was not as gruesome or hard to stomach as I was expecting, nor was it really as dark as mentioned above. If you could sit through Fargo, you could certainly sit through and really enjoy this film.

To say it does not have many jokes misses the point, because some of the situations that characters find themselves are quite hilarious--especially the chase scenes. The acting and directing are excellent. If you get a chance to catch "Barking Dogs Never Bite" don't miss it.

I only found about this movie through the director Bong Jun Ho, who I think is a legend for producing Salineui Chuak. Anyways my hopes were high for this movie.

This was the debut film for the director Bong and the camera-work and music scores are kind of crude for a recent Korean film. That's not a bad thing since it brings more vibrancy and tension of the situation, especially in the chase scenes.

Some people might find themselves disturbed by the scenes with the dogs, but there isn't much in it, just the fact that they're not treated like your ordinary pet. Try to put yourself into a Korean's point of view where a dog isn't any different from chicken.

The comedy element cannot be missed out too. The situations are so hilarious and fresh, it felt as if my new eye opened. What's amazing is that these situations look realistic and it's believable.

Some marks were deducted because even though the scenes were original and executed well, the director failed to put them all together to have some sort of meaning. It's really weird how my favourite scenes are the ones that could've been cut (like the toilet paper scene and the ghost story in the basement)