Funny Games [Blu-ray]

Stale, because the only thing which is original (as far as I'm aware) is the film makers approach to berate and patronise his audience with utter contempt, (at times directly through characters talking/lecturing to the camera), with the suggestion that portrayals of violence in popular culture, amount to some kind of alternative contemporary pornography, for which we should all be thoroughly ashamed of ourselves. To paraphrase Monty Python's Life of Brian, "you're not the messiah, you're a very naughty boy (or girl), therefore I, Michael Haneke, am going to give you a jolly good spanking". Okay, so I may have made that last bit up, but if only it were as stimulating as a good spanking (or a Monty Python film); sadly, it is an interminably dull lecture, which tries so hard to be something different, to avoid the clichés typical to the genre, that it effectively results in adopting them. There is often a modicum of truth in clichés and sometimes the harder one tries to avoid them, the closer and more obvious they become.

Hypocritical, because the artifice through which the film operates - broadly speaking, a horror film with a belaboured social commentary - is itself comprised of the content for which the film maker is so contemptuously berating and patronising his audience i.e. employing portrayals of torture, violence and nihilistic aspersions. I have no problem with portrayals of torture, violence and nihilistic aspersions, this does not necessitate the condoning or glorification of such content, rather it indicates that we are mature and interested people, exploring darker aspects of humanity, in a theoretical rather than a practical context. American Psycho, both novel and film, are prime examples of successful attempts at engaging in such concerns, achieving their aims whilst successfully telling an involving story, so I wholeheartedly recommend either of those over Funny Games.

Pretentious, because the film is delivered with such an air of authority and philosophical baggage, so as to suggest that it is incontrovertibly justified in its crass and broad assumptions as to the nature of humanity. If Haneke really wants to address issues such as violence as entertainment, desensitisation in youth culture, nihilism in middle-upper classes, etc. then surely it would be better to make a film that asks such questions, rather than dictating a doctrine and denouncing the audience in a heavy-handed and patronising manner. In this sense, Funny Games is like having a fist rammed down your throat followed by a disdainfully pitying pat on the head for not understanding why you've been subjected to such abuse. Were he to nudge rather than push his ideas, however based or baseless they may be, he would at least encourage the viewer to engage with the film. Though I'm not a fan of Benny's Video (a poor man's Kevin Khatchadourian), it was a far better attempt by Haneke at provoking contemplative thought and at least tried to convey an honest, if somewhat unbelievable scenario, rather than a self-important and self-righteous one.

The underlying irony, is that in Haneke's attempts at telling us we are desensitised to the world, he is actually making films that are so tedious and uninteresting, as to be actively desensitising us to whatever horrors might be happening on screen. I was watching a family being held and tortured for two hours, and I was bored. That's not due to lack of compassion, intellectual or emotional complexity (at least I hope not), or bad acting...but it is down to bad film making. He might as well make Funny Games again, for it's next ten year anniversary in 2017, this time in Esperanto. If you're going to make a redundant and artificial film, you might as well make it in a redundant and artificial language. At least then it will find the audience it deserves.

I came across this movie a few months ago and sat down to watch it with my partner, not knowing what to expect other than it was some kind of psychological thriller. It fits the description well, however this was in no way a positive viewing experience, or an easy one!
The director has succeeded in creating a very thought provoking film here, and the actors all put in excellent performances. There was a particular scene between one of the protagonists and the young son which was heartbreaking to watch.
In some parts the film moves a little slow however, and there is an infuriating scene later in the film involving a remote control, that will have you yelling at the TV. I won't spoil the ending but it certainly came as a shock to me, and the film left me personally feeling really quite deflated, and exasperated to an extent.
I actually found this film more disturbing than some of the "torture porn" films it has been compared to, like Saw and Hostel. There is a very small amount of gore in this film and most of the scares and uncomfortable scenes are purely psychological. Some of the scenes are drawn out excessively long, so the director gives you plenty of time to take in and have a think about what's going on, and ask what would YOU do if you were in that situation? There was also a few moments when I thought, Aww no.. that's a bit harsh!! but this film is relentless in what the poor family are subjected to, and anyone with a heart would find it difficult to watch (I would hope!)
If you're a big fan of suspense or horror then this may be of interest to you. It is a very dark film, and certainly not something I could sit through again. On a whole though, I think the film has succeeded in what it set out to do, and is very well made, so 3 stars.

This film has some good points such as the superb, creepy depictions of the two Psychopathic youths, and the acting of Naomi Watts. The first half of the film is quite well done, but it is the latter half which really lets the film down. This is a shame as it could have potentially been a horror-thriller masterpiece.

The problem is, the film would have you believe that it completely breaks away from horror cliche's, and in a way it does, but at the same time a bunch of cliche's remain! One example: In horror films the "victims" always endanger themselves by making rash, unrealistic descisions when faced with danger (such as slasher films), and in addition combined with the fact that an entire chain of extremely-unlikely situations have come together to seal their fate (such as Final Destination) makes this film seem somewhat unbeleivable and unrealistic.

The family also never make a single solid attempt to fight back, even though they know their lives are in danger. This further subtracts from the realism factor. I mean, if someone was threatening your child with a golf club would you be too scared to fight back? No.

There is also a ridiculous "Where's The Romote Control!" scene that occurs just as you think the victims have gained the upper hand. The scene FURTHER takes away any sense of realism. I found this scene childish, patronising and unnecesary. The film "Click" starring Adam Sandler sadly springs to mind here.

The ending, which I won't spoil, is morbid and one-dimensional. I waited patiently hoping that somewhere there would be an intelligent plot-twist near the end, or at least the introduction of something new, but it wasn't to be. The film is so one-dimentional that rather than beleiving the film to be an intelligent thriller, comes across as being written by a 12 year old. Very shallow.

I don't know exactly what the message behind this film is. My interpretation is that it was making a statement that the upper middle-classes are so privelaged they can get away with murder (in this case quite literally). American Psycho portrays a similar message, but is far, far superior.

The acting is superb (especially the psychopaths), and the film leaves you feeling depressed, but that is it. A perfect film for those wishing to jump off a tall building, but useless for me. Mediocre at best.