DVD Review: Funny Games

In Funny Games, much of the violence takes place off screen, but the film is still chilling. The film is so chilling in fact that even those that like it may have a hard time admitting it. It’s an exercise in mental torment as some home invaders torture a vacationing family.

George (Tim Roth), Ann (Naomi Watts) and their son Georgie (Devon Gearhart) are heading for their vacation home in a posh neighborhood. They pass their neighbors with some boys that the family has never seen before. They stop for a hello, but the neighbors are acting somewhat strangely.

The family thinks little of it as they continue to their vacation home. However, when the boys, Peter (Brady Corbet) and Paul (Michael Pitt), come over to borrow some eggs the descent into horror begins. Funny Games is a remake of the 1997 Austrian film by the same director. It’s a difficult film to sit through as we see several opportunities for the couple to escape their tormentors and yet they obey the immaculately dressed young men’s devious demands. I’m not familiar with the original film but it’s my understanding that this remake is pretty much a shot for shot remake. Over eleven years have passed though and what was shocking onscreen (mostly in art houses would be my guess) then is probably dulled by numerous torture porn films that have come across screens since then. Think of this one as an art house Hostel. The film also seems to be an indictment of the audience for such films since the torturous two talk directly to the audience (by way of talking to a character that happens to be in the same place as the camera). By the time the film credits roll you’ll probably feel as if you’ve been tortured yourself.

Perhaps I harken back to the golden age of cinema but I want to be entertained and this new spate of torture porn is really starting to get under my skin. As you might imagine, Funny Games was difficult to get through. I prefer my violence to be inflicted upon those that deserve infliction – I’m thinking “Dirty” Harry Callahan stomping on punks here. The family in Funny Games may be upper class and somewhat naïve but I’d not want to see anyone go through the hellish torture that happens to them. That being said, I really don’t want to see a movie about it either. I highly doubt you will either, so be warned. Funny Games is presented on a flipper disc, one side has an anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) version enhanced for 16x9 televisions and a fullscreen version on the other. There are no special features. Funny Games is neither game nor funny, so don’t be fooled by the rather deceptive title. If you want to watch nearly two hours of torture then you’ll want to rent this one (God help you) but otherwise you might want to rent a Shirley Temple movie.

Funny Games is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a July 28th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.

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Patrick L.Jun 12th, 2008 - 14:52:44

I am going to disagree with this review. I thought the movie was extremely good. It takes a bit to get into it, but the film can really get into your head with the lack of background music, all the violence taking place off camera so it seems worse than it is, and the way these two teenagers take over this entire family.

At first I didn’t think I was going to like the film, but it held my attention from start to finish and made me check my doors to make sure they were locked before I went to bed. This is a GREAT movie if you want a thriller that will make you more than uneasy!

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John T.Jun 18th, 2008 - 08:01:08

This movie is a piece of junk, and don't waste your time watching it. It is a waste of a 112 minutes.

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