Monday 31st March

Funny Games US - (USA)

Director - Michael Haneke

Cast - Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt...

* * * * *

Michael Haneke’s shot for shot remake of his German language original is an expertly constructed and gruelling cinematic experience.

Its comments on the presentation of violence in film are still as important today as they were back in 1997. Haneke, as with all of his work, handles the material in a clinical and methodical manner and creates images and moments that have more meaning than the entire film catalogue of some directors. His films are not always easy to watch and Funny Games is certainly no exception. It touches on fundamental fears and forces the audience to become self-reflexive in their viewing.

Despite such high brow concerns; at its base level, Funny Games is a gripping thriller. With economy and intensity, it will quite literally churn up your insides and scare you relentlessly.
Fundamentally however, you have to give yourself over to this film. It has a distinctive style and tone that your typical Hollywood audience would not be accustomed to. This in turn makes the re-make problematic. Funny Games’ 'intended' audience will be reluctant at best to sit through what is categorically an art house picture. As pointed out harshly by plenty of critics, Haneke is unfortunately preaching to the converted. Yet his ambitions and aims should not be lazily dismissed.

If Funny Games opens the eyes of just a small number of people who have endorsed the adolescence and banality of ‘torture porn’ films for instance, it would be a worthwhile exercise.

Even on its own merits. Funny Games is a technically brilliant movie and worth seeing for that reason alone.