Review of Funny Games (1997) by Matthew B — 07 Jan 2011

To call this film "disconcerting" would be a considerable understatement. It is probably one of the most disquieting, haunting experiences the modern moviegoer could expect. The performances are flawless; Ulrich Mühe (now principally of The Lives of Others fame), Susanne Lothar, and Stefan Clapczynski are pitch-perfect as the besieged family, and Arno Frisch (infuriatingly supercilious) and Frank Giering (bovine and childishly creepy) are both on-par.

What is most alarming about this film is the craving for retributive violence it creates in the viewer, very much like Peckpinah's Straw Dogs. However, while the latter film leaves one beaming in blood-soaked vindication and magnificently filmed carnage, Haneke's film leaves one with much more than a sour taste in one's mouth - a need to revaluate the need for violence in modern art and cinema.