Review of Funny Games (1997) by Daniel D — 27 Jan 2013

Rating: 4 stars-.

Arthouse Rating: 4 stars+.

Michael Hanekes Funny Games is a movie that fights violence in film, by putting extreme violence into a film. Maybe that's the only way to do it. Most regular audiences will be disturbed and shaken, if you've watched enough violent films in the past you'll sit through it while feeling agitated. It depends on the audience really, and while it's film that's incredibly self indulgent, it's sophisticated. Two sadists terrorize rich vacationers, for pleasure purposes. For entertainment value, which is the exact reason the viewers keep watching. And the villains in the film, they will call you out for it. Not always directly either. The acting by the four adults was authentic and true to itself, I honestly applaud the actors. The films pacing is some of the best ever, other than the concluding scene (which was intentionally offbeat), the film moves itself in an extraordinary tempo. Builds a load of tension coming in, and while predictable later on, still uses the filming techniques to keep the audience involved. While I do understand the underlying message, there's a difference between Tarantino violence and this, and I believe that must be understood too.