| "You can bet ya life on as it‘s going to be one hell of a deadly game!” |
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Funny Games
DVD/APPROX. 108 MINS/2007/USA MA15+
DVD/APPROX. 108 MINS/2007/USA MA15+
7.5
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If you’ve ever seen Micheal Haneke’s 1997 Austrian film of the same name, a brutal condemnation of the bourgeoisie and everything that remains
dear to them, you’re probably wondering why the director opted to do this shot-for-shot remake that basically follows the same script, word for
word.
He must’ve been either so conceited, or so unbelievably satisfied with the original that he didn’t see fit to alter anything at all, but since Naomi
Watts bankrolled the film’s $US 15 million budget, and has a penchant for tackling difficult roles, it’s unsurprising that this remake was green lit at
all. Watts - whose been given more clout these days - and her producers, probably felt that American elitists might benefit from being shocked to
the very core, because really, that’s the sole purpose of this film, and Haneke, a director who’s renowned for putting his characters through the
wringer, has never achieved anything so vindictive in the history of cinema.
A quiet weekend goes awfully wrong when George and Anna head out of town to their idyllic house by the lake. Accompanied with their only son,
Georgie, and their dog, they come into contact with two seemingly harmless young men, Peter and Paul. It’s not long after they first meet that
Peter and Paul have the entire family under wraps, putting them through a number of sadistic and punishing games before doing the absolutely
unspeakable.
If you’ve never seen Haneke’s original film, you’re going to be utterly destroyed when you see this English speaking version, because even this is
so incredibly disturbing. It’s not that this is an overtly violent film because it isn’t. In fact, all of the murders are committed off screen, but this is
where the film’s power lies, because all of the violence is so brutal and meticulously implied that it leaves a more lasting effect on the viewer,
because what a person can’t actually see, he/she makes whole in their imagination. It’s a masterstroke of pure genius!
It’s interesting how both Peter and Paul are named after the Biblical apostles, and they’re both dressed immaculately in white attire. It’s as if they
are phantoms incarnate, invading these people’s lives, and while they cast such ferocious atrocities upon this family, they’re also liberating them as
well, essentially doing them an enormous favour by rectifying their lives, robbing them of everything that is unnecessary.
Haneke’s use of the eggs is also a powerful metaphor. The carnage essentially begins when Peter confronts Anna (Watts) about borrowing four
eggs, to which he drops on two separate occasions. The eggs, smashed on the kitchen floor, are representative of the upper class; they’re a
fragile, almost fraudulent species who are just like the rest of us, but in Haneke’s films, are much more capable of being broken and destroyed. It’s
this outward facade that Haneke is most interested in, and he’ll do anything in order to humiliate a given class of people.
While Watts’ and Roth’s performances are both strong, given the difficulty of the subject matter, it’s Michael Pitt’s performance that remains
troubling. His boyish charm and good looks work well to a certain degree, but the character of Paul needed more than just the nonchalance of a
young man resigned to his own implacable fate. There are moments when he is uncertain about what his character is doing, but maybe that’s
because his character is not merely a human being. Nevertheless, these moments of hesitation provide just enough instability within a villainous
duo that should’ve been much more resolute.
At the end of the day, and although many might dismiss this as a somewhat lazy, arrogant remake of a brilliant Austrian film, directed by an equally
brilliant director, this American version packs the same punch as the original. I’d definitely recommend seeing the original first, but if you’re content
with this version of events, then you won’t be disappointed, but be prepared, this is a shocking, malicious film that will leave you reeling with
disbelief.
dear to them, you’re probably wondering why the director opted to do this shot-for-shot remake that basically follows the same script, word for
word.
He must’ve been either so conceited, or so unbelievably satisfied with the original that he didn’t see fit to alter anything at all, but since Naomi
Watts bankrolled the film’s $US 15 million budget, and has a penchant for tackling difficult roles, it’s unsurprising that this remake was green lit at
all. Watts - whose been given more clout these days - and her producers, probably felt that American elitists might benefit from being shocked to
the very core, because really, that’s the sole purpose of this film, and Haneke, a director who’s renowned for putting his characters through the
wringer, has never achieved anything so vindictive in the history of cinema.
A quiet weekend goes awfully wrong when George and Anna head out of town to their idyllic house by the lake. Accompanied with their only son,
Georgie, and their dog, they come into contact with two seemingly harmless young men, Peter and Paul. It’s not long after they first meet that
Peter and Paul have the entire family under wraps, putting them through a number of sadistic and punishing games before doing the absolutely
unspeakable.
If you’ve never seen Haneke’s original film, you’re going to be utterly destroyed when you see this English speaking version, because even this is
so incredibly disturbing. It’s not that this is an overtly violent film because it isn’t. In fact, all of the murders are committed off screen, but this is
where the film’s power lies, because all of the violence is so brutal and meticulously implied that it leaves a more lasting effect on the viewer,
because what a person can’t actually see, he/she makes whole in their imagination. It’s a masterstroke of pure genius!
It’s interesting how both Peter and Paul are named after the Biblical apostles, and they’re both dressed immaculately in white attire. It’s as if they
are phantoms incarnate, invading these people’s lives, and while they cast such ferocious atrocities upon this family, they’re also liberating them as
well, essentially doing them an enormous favour by rectifying their lives, robbing them of everything that is unnecessary.
Haneke’s use of the eggs is also a powerful metaphor. The carnage essentially begins when Peter confronts Anna (Watts) about borrowing four
eggs, to which he drops on two separate occasions. The eggs, smashed on the kitchen floor, are representative of the upper class; they’re a
fragile, almost fraudulent species who are just like the rest of us, but in Haneke’s films, are much more capable of being broken and destroyed. It’s
this outward facade that Haneke is most interested in, and he’ll do anything in order to humiliate a given class of people.
While Watts’ and Roth’s performances are both strong, given the difficulty of the subject matter, it’s Michael Pitt’s performance that remains
troubling. His boyish charm and good looks work well to a certain degree, but the character of Paul needed more than just the nonchalance of a
young man resigned to his own implacable fate. There are moments when he is uncertain about what his character is doing, but maybe that’s
because his character is not merely a human being. Nevertheless, these moments of hesitation provide just enough instability within a villainous
duo that should’ve been much more resolute.
At the end of the day, and although many might dismiss this as a somewhat lazy, arrogant remake of a brilliant Austrian film, directed by an equally
brilliant director, this American version packs the same punch as the original. I’d definitely recommend seeing the original first, but if you’re content
with this version of events, then you won’t be disappointed, but be prepared, this is a shocking, malicious film that will leave you reeling with
disbelief.
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