You'll either love Funny Games, take a good look at yourself and with a rye smile accept Haneke's playful exploitation of the audience....or you'll hate it!
I talked about "Funny Games" for some time after and have thought about it a lot. On the contrary, the person I watched it with dismissed it as 'smug rubbish'.
The "Funny Games" are played on you as the viewer. Why? Because according to Haneke what you imagine to be going on off camera is probably worse that what is actually happening. Don't get me wrong, it's not easy viewing but at the same time a lot of the violence is suggested as opposed to executed in full 'warts and all' fashion.
I won't go into the detail as that's already been done, but "Funny Games" is more of a work of psychology than a film. It's tense, uncomfortable, at times hard to watch...but the question Haneke poses is one of whether we, as a blood baying audience, actually want to see more.
You're best off watching the film, then the interview extra with Haneke to make your mind up. "Funny Games" is not a classic by any means, but it will evoke questions and probably debate if watching it with others.
I admired the quirky concept, it's challenges, the way I questionned myself afterwards, the way the characters look directly into the camera and involve you in their decisions. Others will hate it; or do they 'hate' it because they have been sucked into to Haneke's games and don't like the questions posed of them? That is very much the idea.
Clever stuff; definitely one to watch in my opinion(and probably argue about after!)