‘The House That Jack Built’ Theatrical Cut Film Review: Lars von Trier’s Serial Killer Saga’s a Pointless Bore

Now screening in an R-rated edit, this tale of a possible murderer remains devoid of feeling or interest

The House That Jack Built
IFC Films

Lars von Trier seems confused. On the one hand, one may argue that the director’s latest film, “The House That Jack Built,” is unrelentingly misogynistic: After all, of the five “incidents” Jack (Matt Dillon) describes to Virgil (Bruno Ganz), or “Verge” as Jack calls him, four are the torture and murders of women.

On the other hand, Jack — who might be a fictionalization of von Trier himself — is not very bright. Nor is he as “charming” the way some serial killers (HH Holmes, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, to name a few) have been described. Nor is he, nor the film for that matter, memorable in any way.

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