Review of Funny Games (1997) by Seth M — 05 Jul 2014

The atmosphere of tension makes this movie. Good acting by Lothar and Frisch, both fit their roles well. Though the real focus of the movie is Haneke's direction.

This is both the film's greatest positive and greatest negative. When his direction works, it works. Placing practically all of the violence off-screen was a stroke of genius. On the other hand, when he takes some excesses with the long take, it can really hurt the film. 2 minutes of nothing adds atmosphere, 5 minutes is just boring.

As tension filled as this film is, I don't know who to recommend it to. It probably won't be up the alley of a normal horror fan, as it is a bit too cerebral and "artsy." However, fans of "artsy" movies would probably find this film too gruesome. My suggestion would be just to watch this one if you are in the mood for something heavy and quite different, just remember to keep an open mind.