Gerald Wright's Movie Coverage
FUNNY GAMES MOVIE REVIEW
Directed by: Michael Haneke
Running time: 108 minutes
Release date: March 14, 2008
Genre: Horror, Drama and Thriller
Distributor: Warner Independent Pictures
MPAA Rating: R
With the film Funny Games director/writer Michael Haneke remakes his 1997 Austrian horror film of the same title. For the 2008 remake he includes the stellar cast of Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet and Devon Gearhart. Funny Games offers an unconventional take on the thriller genre, especially for a theatrically released American film.
The film begins as an affluent family consisting of George (Tim Roth), Ann (Naomi Watts), their son Georgie (Devon Gearheart) and dog arrive to their summer lake home. Before turning into their long driveway, they greet their next-door neighbors Fred and Eve (Boyd Gaines and Linda Moran) and schedule a golf game for the next day. Fred and Eve seemed to be entertaining guests Paul (Michael Pitt) and Peter (Brady Corbet) and introduce them as friends of the family. Little do George, Ann and Georgie know, these two young men are sadistic sociopaths, who take families hostage and sadistically torture and murder them with violent games.
The most appealing horror tales are those propelled by their characters and which build gradual tension- for example, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980) and Stephen King's Misery (1990). With Funny Games, Director Michael Haneke takes a different approach by intentionally not giving a real sense of reason for the torture and murder by Paul and Peter. Paul mentions in one scene of this film that his actions do not follow the standards of movie plot development. These words are echoed in the theme that Haneke carries to audience. This is the unconventional style that leaves the audience without the conclusion of knowing the men's origins or motives.
Paul is the leader of the pair. Peter follows instructions as he is not so bright and easily led. Michael Pitt portrays a sinister character with a clever means of manipulating his victims and the audience. Paul and Peter constantly debate about the thin line between reality and fiction. Paul strongly believes that fiction is the same as reality and Peter dismisses the thought. With this twisted terminology the pair are compatible.
They young men impose themselves on the family's courtesy by showing up unannounced at Ann's kitchen door asking for eggs for next door neighbors Fred and Eve. Once inside the home of George, Ann and Georgie, they forced the family to participate in various sadistic games in order to stay alive. Tim Roth as George, Naomi Watts as Ann and Devon Gearheart as their son Georgie give brilliant performances as victims of mayhem. The mood is set for the audience to root for them to escape their captors, while playing their roles most convincingly.
Although Michael Haneke's direction is straightforward and his unconventional choices in the film are certainly forceful, I had mixed feelings about Funny Games. I don't think I'm quite ready for a horror film without a backstory. Fear, anxiety and hope were the revolving mixture of emotions I experienced while watching this experimental horror film.
FILM RATING (C+)
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