FUNNY GAMES is the Hollywood remake of the Austrian film about two psychotic young men who take a father, mother and son hostage and play sadistic games for entertainment.  The original was not a Hollywood type film and neither is the remake.  My friend that I took to the promo screening whispered to me during the film that this film is f***ed up.  But with horror flicks like HOSTEL and SAW doing well at the box-office, perhaps Americans are ready for an art-house sadistic horror film.  True – FUNNY GAMES is an extremely well made scary film – and beware, Austrian director Michael Haneke (who made both versions) is not the director one is used to.  His first movie was about a family committing mass suicide (THE SEVENTH CONTINENT) and his best films have been about disturbed persons (THE PIANO TEACHER and FUNNY GAMES).

The trailer of FUNNY GAMES advertises it as a horror comedy.  The first half has more humour, courtesy of the snide remarks of the killers, but once the film gets into full gear, Haneke ups the angst with violent and pain scenes.  If one analyses the film, this is not a torture movie as many would describe.  The hitting, killing and punching are done off screen (as in the old Hitchcock movies) and quick, but the screams and scenes of the victims writhing in pain are well extended.  With this respect, Haneke makes it torturously painful to sit through certain segments.

Most of the remake is true to the original.  One thing noticeably different is that the two young men (Brady Corbet and Michael Pitt) are beautiful, most likely gay (cross reference Hitchcock’s ROPE) compared to the one fat and one thin ones in the Austrian original.  As in both movies, the female, in this case Naomi Watts outshines the cast.  Tim Roth takes a backseat as the whimpering mess of the husband.  But FUNNY GAMES is a director’s film and Haneke excels.

One might question the raison d’etre for killers.  But it is not the intention of Haneke to provide such answers.  In fact in an interview for his last film CACHE, Haneke makes it clear that it is up to the audience and critics to interpret his work.

Haneke fills his film with stunning camerawork.  From the overhead shot at the start of the car driving to the cabin to the well thought up camera placement during the action scenes, Haneke’s film is tight and compelling, the best being the egg/kitchen scene.  The music ranges from Handel’s to disturbing screaming loud punk.  I wonder though as about the trees bearing red and orange foliage suggesting a fall season. Why would the families take off to the cottage to start on their boating at the close of summer?

Near the end, I was thinking that if the family wins the games i.e. escapes, the audience will not like the Hollywood ending.  On the other hand, if the family gets slaughtered the audience will be just as dissatisfied.  Haneke solution to the dilemma is with a surprising third possibility of an ending (I will not spoil it here).  FUNNY GAMES is an exceptional horror film yet not a film I would recommend anyone.