Funny Games: Review By T.Clark

While I have not seen the original Funny Games, I can take confort in the fact that I don't have to, seeing as how Michael Heneke's remake is a shot by shot do-over for the U.S. public. I respect this, seeing as how Heneke had the decency to allow Americans the chance to spectacle at his work of art that does not garner the attention it should. Some say that this film is boring and the plotline offers little remembrance, but I say otherwise, and here's why:

Story:

While the plot is nothing new to the genre, the presentation and execution of it is. Heneke dares look at the horror genre in a new and intelligent way, a way that changes how violence in the cinema is portrayed and looked at in the cinema. In the process, he creates a disturbing and intelligent work of art that is overlooked and wrongly bashed. Heneke's intention from the get-go is to release a deconstruction of gory violence to prove that the gore quotient is unnecessary when you have intelligent dialogue and expert craftsmanship.

Funny Games tells the story of two bored, but especially polite, young psychopaths, Paul(Michael Pitt) and Peter(Brady Corbet), who invade a family's home to take them hostage and play torturing games with them.

The film's absence of a musical score keeps the story in a real life setting, adding to the effect that this could actually happen. Heneke's intentions are well executed to get his point across. The only reason to not give this film 5 stars is the fact that at certain moments throughout the film, Paul speaks to the audience directly, and, in one scene, he pulls a "rewind" moment on an entire scene with a remote control, destroying all sense of realism-but only for those short moments. The film is so well crafted that you quickly switch back to "real mode."

The overall reason for why this is happening to this family is this: the killers are bored. But Heneke makes this known while still delivering fake reasons for why they are like they are. However, you soon know that they are lying, and that they're just crazy and bored, which serves as a sense of terror to the audience, knowing that these boys are going to kill them-simply because they were bored. It's the ultimate psycho, and Heneke captures just how crazy they are though smart dialogue, which he also wrote.

Acting:

This cast delivers on all levels. The acting ability of each of them is clearly shown and they seem to give it their all. The film is better because of that. Each delivers memorable and real performances.

Naomi Watts plays Ann. Her performance is nothing short of astonishing from the very start, as is Tim Roth's as husband George, and Devon Gearhart as their son, Georgie. They all act truly terrified by the horrible situation that's occured and you feel for each one of them right up to the very end.

As for the killers, Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet are both amazingly sinister and at the same time, unbelievably intelligent, turning their murderous characters into more than just psychotic killers, but smart planners. Both performances are overlooked and definitely deserve more attention.

Directing:

The real reason why this film is nearly masterful is Heneke, who clearly had a vision, and constructed it with perfect accuracy to his original film.

The camera shots are all meticulously shot and each scene serves its purpose. There is no on screen violence, and I can't stress that enough. The most we see is blood splattering on the wall and a body on the ground, but even the face is covered. Heneke's depiction of the violence should be a turning point for the genre. Sadly, filmmakers, like Rob Zombie, still feel the need to depict every gory and bone-crunching scene. This film allows the audience to imagine what is happening, and it's still terrifying.

Haneke's style of shooting is also unique and does the film justice. At no point to we lose our relatability and emotional connection to the characters, as Heneke, well, doesn't take the camera off them. For example, in the aftermath of a violent outburst, a character is left dead, and the others are filmed closely, with no cuts, for at least five minutes.

Visuals:

The visuals are top notch and couldn't be better. The blood is realistic and the whole hourse setting keeps you in the real zone. There's not much to say about the visuals, since no effects were used, which cements the movie's reality based presentation.

The Verdict:

+ An expertly crafted work of art

+ Smart script that tries to redefine a genre

? What was with the rewind scene?