Rating: 
Summary: They Died Because Of ME!
Review: I will be quite honest. When I watched the movie, I was not looking for a meaning lyind deep beneath the violence and cruelty. The first time I watched it, I was hoping that the family would escape and justice would be served cold to the villains (anti-heros?). But one by one they were picked off. My stomach churned throughout the film, and I was left emotionally drained and stupified in the end. No one survived. No happy ending. Now I realise the moral of the story was not "that sometimes there is no happy ending," but that in a strange way, I was responsible for the family's fate. I could have turned the channel at any moment and the suffering would all be over. But I didn't. And even after it was all over, I made sure I caught it again the next time it was on - knowing well that there would be no heroic ending and that the villains would happily end up in the welcoming arms of another helpless family. So watch this movie if you wish. You've been warned, and it is only YOUR fault if the entire family ends up dying right before your eyes.
Rating: 
Summary: frightening atmosphere, pure perfection
Review: Previous reviewers don't seem to understand why it isn't as action packed as Chainsaw Massacre or any other horror. But this wasn't because this film was edited badly, it was to set the scene, and to add realism which makes this film even more terrifying. It doesn't contain the typical elements of a horror film, but it does horrify, and if a film conveys an emotion [other than boredom or annoyance] it has succeeded it it's attempt. I admit this movie is not at all easy to watch, I rarely watch it all the way through. The slow pace creates an atmosphere more terrifying than Stanley Kubrick's 2001, and I hope to see more movies like this in the future. And just to top it off, it contain's some of Naked City's 'Torture Garden', aww how cute! :)
Rating:
Summary: Brutal Satire
Review: "Funny Games" is one of the scariest, darkest, most disturbing films I've ever managed to sit through (and I've seen "Troll 2"). What makes it remarkable is that it's not just an exercise in cinematic sickness, but a satire, one that gleefully and often shatters the fourth wall to show you the bag of tricks at its disposal. Somehow, though, instead of breaking the spell, the surreal and satiric moments add an intensely disturbing level of horror to the goings-on. The plot is simple - after a slow but oddly tension-filled opening (punctuated none-too-subtly by the sudden appearance of oppressive metal music over the credits), two yuppie killers invade the home of a family and systematically terrorize them. They have a secret, however - they seem to know they're in a movie. This movie, to be precise. And they know you're watching. When one of them turns to the camera, smiles, and winks - well, if that doesn't make you feel unclean, you're the wrong audience for this thing. Or maybe the right audience. The director, Haneke, is making a point here about the exploitation of violence and terror as entertainment. However, look at his past - and future - works, and you have to wonder how much of his anger is directed at himself. Haneke is ashamed and angry at his own fascination with brutality, which creates a spiral of satire and pain that makes for one of the rawest experiences you'll have watching a movie. As other viewers have pointed out, there's almost no on-screen violence. And when there is, well, Haneke pulls the rug out from under it. And yet "Funny Games" is remembered as one of the most violent films in recent years, which only goes to show that psychological violence is infinitely more damaging than a few rounds of squibs and a gallon or two of fake blood.
Rating:
Summary: Nightmarish
Review: I have seen a lot of bizarre cinema in my time, especially within the last year or so, but very few match "Funny Games." An Austrian film from director Michael Haneke, "Funny Games" is sure to leave an indelible mark on your memory long after you watch it. Unfortunately, this film lost a bit of its impact because I have the bad habit of reading reviews about films before I see them. "Funny Games" is the sort of experience best assimilated when you know absolutely nothing about it going in. If I ever watch this film again, and I cannot say I will because it is so grim and depressing, I must bring along a poor soul who knows nothing about what he/she will see. While I cannot recapture the experience of watching Haneke's wicked little film for the first time, I can gain some measure of satisfaction by viewing the expressions of horror and disgust flickering across the mug of an uninitiated victim. Man oh man! Just thinking about this movie again gives me shivers. "Funny Games" is about, well, decidedly unfunny games. You get the impression rather quickly that this movie is going to be a tad different: a family of three--mother Anna, father Georg, and their son--cruise down a highway headed for a nice vacation at their lakeside cabin. The three barely settle in when a strange young man appears at the screen door asking Anna if he can borrow some eggs. Seeing no problem with such a mundane request, mom lets the man in and proceeds to assist him. This guy is incredibly clumsy, constantly dropping eggs and asking for more. Then another chap shows up asking about his friend. The two verbally spar with Anna, quickly reducing her to a flustered mess anxious to see the two men leave. When Georg shows up to see what all the commotion is about, the games begin. One of these guys, in the course of the ensuing conversation, smashes Georg's knee in with a golf club. The unsettling feeling churning in the pit of our stomachs now assumes a greater urgency. Something is definitely wrong here, and the rest of the film proceeds to show us, in sickeningly slow and agonizing detail, exactly what that is. These two guys are definitely sociopaths, a condition that becomes markedly clear as they haul the family upstairs, force them to sit on a couch, and proceed to verbally and physically assault them. The "games" include forcing Anna to disrobe in front of her husband and child, asking numerous questions pregnant with ominous meanings, and continually making subtle threats against the family members. As much as the two thugs torment the family, director Haneke plays a few games with his audience as well. At several points throughout the film, one of the thugs turns to face the camera and makes various comments about what is going on or what the two are about to do. If you have even an iota of sympathy for the victims here, and you will, Haneke's techniques instill a deep sense of dread about what is going on. You want to watch onscreen violence for entertainment? Well, "Funny Games" makes sure you participate to the fullest in the horrors unfolding against Georg, Anna, and their son. Moreover, Haneke insists we know our role here. If we want to watch violence, we are at the complete mercy of those onscreen. Want to see the family pull it out in the end and free themselves from these two goons? O.K., there you go...but wait a minute! Haneke refuses to play by the rules! There are rules in these types of movies, right? Wrong. Remember, we wanted to see some excruciating onscreen violence. We get a taste of cathartic revenge before "Funny Games" decides to mix it up a little in order to carry the game all the way to its nasty conclusion. Yes, the movie cheats in many ways to devastating effect. "Funny Games" is just downright disturbing. The violence is definitely not the over the top type of stuff, but what we do get coldly and boldly breaks taboos. In place of the typical "a few slashes and they are dead" violence seen in nearly every horror film, Haneke's horrific scenes carry deep psychological connotations. At one point in the film the thugs suddenly leave after committing a terrible act of violence against Anna and Georg's son. We find ourselves hoping that this signals the end of the nightmare, but such an easy out is not in the cards. Besides, a sudden conclusion wouldn't give us our dose of violence. Actually, repeated attempts to get out of this mess only create more problems for Anna and Georg. It is at this point, after the two goons leave and Anna attempts to seek help, that I saw a few problems with the movie. I found it difficult to believe that Anna couldn't find help, as there are many people at the lake who know the family. Sure, it is nighttime. Sure, I buy the idea that the cell phone doesn't work properly. But I don't buy all of these coincidences together. Of course, Anna's sense of desperation that she cannot find anyone to help her and Georg is simply another aspect of Haneke's heartless manipulation of the audience, but STILL. Throw us a rope somewhere! The DVD version of "Funny Games" is sparse in the extras department. All the dialogue is in German, obviously, so the subtitles are greatly appreciated. The widescreen picture transfer is nice, but the only other extra we get here is a trailer. Oh well, the movie's downbeat, claustrophobic atmosphere should overcome the lack of any commentaries or behind the scenes stuff. Watch out for "Funny Games." It's got a nasty streak a mile wide.
Rating:
Summary: A Great if Almost Unwatchable Film
Review: An affluent young couple, Anna (Susanne Lothar) and Georg (Ulrich Muhe), drive in their shiny four wheel drive car to their beautiful house by the beautiful mountain lake with their young boy Schorschi (Stefan Clapczynki), towing their shiny sailing boat and listening to cds of their favourite classical music. When they arrive, it seems the neighbours have visitors, a couple of young men, Peter (Frank Giering) and Paul (Arno Frisch). Then, while Georg and Schorschi are off working on getting the boat ready, Peter comes calling. He would very much like to borrow some eggs. Anna lets him into the kitchen and gives him some. But he drops them and asks that she gives him more. She does and he heads off but he is, he says, intimated by the dog and drops the eggs once again. Now Paul too shows up. They would really like some more eggs please. And there is something not quite right about these young men: something menacing in their manner. And why are they both wearing white gloves? Now Anna just wants them to leave. Georg returns and she demands he throw them out. A little confused and reluctant, he tries to do so. Whereupon they smash his knee up with his golf club. Next thing we know they have killed the dog and are calmly explaining to the family that within 12 hours they will all be 'kaput'. Meanwhile they will play 'funny games'... It's hard to evaluate this film but one thing is straightforward. Its execution is simply brilliant. Haneke's direction is stunningly clever and inventive. While the film is almost unwatchably horrible, we see almost no violence. Terrible violence indeed occurs but for the worst of it the camera is always pointed elsewhere. However this is done in such a way that this only seems to enhance the horror. A sense of almost unbearable tension is brilliantly established and maintained. And the acting is altogether exceptional. In particular this is true of Susanne Lothar who turns in a truly astonishing performance. And there are few films where we find more terrifyingly menacing performances than Giering and Frisch deliver here. Forget Perkins' Bates and Hopkins' Lecter. Both seem pretty harmless compared to these guys. The difficulty is in trying to make any kind of sense of what we are seeing. What on earth, we wonder as the film unfolds, is Haneke playing at putting this stuff on film at all? What we are shown is so indescribably horrible that we are left wondering what excuse there could be for making such a film. Is it just sick and nasty, like the killers it depicts. Or is there some serious purpose and, if so, what might it be? I think we can say that there is. We're used to films about violence and we like them. We like them for complex reasons. A central one is articulated in the classic explanation of why we like detective stories. Such stories remind us that we live in a dangerous world, our personal safety rendered fragile by the presence of murderous dispositions in some of those we share a world with. It shouldn't be fun to be reminded of that but such stories also offer crucial reassurance. They show us a world where evil is defeated. Where there is always a good, wise policeman relentlessly and inexorably seeking justice, catching the bad guys and putting the moral order back neatly into place. In other kinds of violence film other kinds of people save us. Tough guys played by Bruce Willis or Sean Connery save the day and beat the baddies off. Or sometimes it is the ordinary decent folk themselves find, under pressure, resources enough in themselves to win out against the bad guys. Sometimes too, the bad guys, or some of them turn out not so bad. Humanity breaks through and they discover there are moral boundaries they can't cross. We see both these latter consolations, for example, in David Fincher's recent, far more mainstream, home invasion thriller 'Panic Room'. Here there are none of these. There are no good guys with the resources to restore the civilized order. The baddies are utterly pitiless. There is nowhere to go except degradation and death. There are moments of resourcefulness on the part of the victims but we are just being teased. No one is going to wake up in the safe hands of kind doctors and the police. The audience's expectations from a thriller of this kind are repeatedly teased, manipulated and subverted. Whatever else we say about this movie, it doesn't glamorize violence. So many violent movies give us the poetry and the ballet of violence: choreographed aestheticized combat, sometimes in slow motion. Haneke moves to the opposite extreme. This is the ordinary reality of violence, hateful and ugly. (If you find this film offensive and obscene but think "Kill Bill" is cool you aren't thinking very well.) And, most terrible tease of all, in the midst of its unrelenting depiction of evil and cruelty it also shows us tenderness. Most notably in an extraordinary moment where the desperate Georg and Anna, temporarily left alone by Peter and Paul who have done so much to degrade and destroy them share a fleeting moment of tenderness as Anna reassures Georg that she blames him for none of what has happened. There is, then, I suspect, enough here by way of intelligent purpose here to justify the ordeal that Haneke subjects the audience to. But it's certainly not for everyone. Here's a suggestion if you're unsure. Some people loved a movie like 'Se7en', say, for its brilliantly exercised, darkly intelligent meditation on evil. Some people hated it, thinking it so dark there could be no conceivable pleasure in watching it and so no point in watching it for if movies are not to entertain us what are they for? If you find yourself in the latter category, avoid this film like the plague. It's not for you and you'll hate every second of it. But if you find yourself in the former category, maybe give it a try. It's altogether harrowing but quite extraordinary and you won't forget it in a hurry.
Rating:
Summary: Totally unpredicatable, truly HORROR-ific, adults only film
Review: This film definitely breaks the conventions of horror and suspense flicks, forcing the viewer to question ideas about films and reality and even about reality itself. While focusing on a family tortured by sadistic criminals, it actually compells the viewer to become part of the film experience, shaking up any preconceptions about what will happen next, slowly unfolding the layers of horror. Be forewarned - the violence in this one is extremely graphic and goes beyond what I've seen in this type of film. I would say more but to do so would reveal the plot. I'd suggest not letting children see this one. It is that intense, that violent and bloody and that realistically disturbing. Call me an extremist but I wouldn't even let the teens in my family watch this one. While Funny Games is definitely an original film in many ways and you may find yourself unable to take your eyes from the screen, you may not enjoy the experience of watching this movie and may wish you hadn't seen it. I found it uncomfortable, even painfully so, to watch this movie (and am not eager to repeat the experience EVER again). Having said that, if you are a fan of horror and suspense films and you are a film buff, you may find that seeing this is a worthwhile, if uncomfortable, experience. While watching this one, I had to keep reminding myself, "It isn't real, it is only a movie..."
Rating:
Summary: Creepy and Worth Keeping
Review: Like the serial killer/thriller stuff? Like to be entertained by psycho's? FG is for you! It's a mind trip to the hilt in line with insanity and a complete abandonment of the value of life. There's nothing funny about these games. It's a blood curdler! It's a 5-star gem. Your flesh will crawl because it is a true testimony to how vulnerable and trusting we can be...only to be stabbed in the back by our own generosity. Stop laughing and get serious with FG. This one is a fine-tuned melodic masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Psychological Thriller
Review: An extradionary film that manages to be terrifying and full of tension without one single scene of actual violence. All of the physical violence occurs offscreen. The viewer is forced to watch in suspense as two madmen "play" with a captive family and see the horrific results of these acts. Chilling film of strangers randomly terrorizing a family. Even having subtitles couldn't break the tension. Just an amazing piece of film making.
Rating:
Summary: Chilling in its simplicity
Review: This movie disturbed me. American suspense writers should watch this film. Blood and gore don't scare, a good story does. A great addition to your DVD collection if you can handle a story about the darker side of the human psyche.
Rating:
Summary: not just violent
Review: I saw this movie a little while ago and it really makes a mark on you, it doesn't horrify you with blood and gore so much as it horrifies you with the feeling that the killers are out to kill you, the speaking to the audience made me feel like they were giving you the same common courtesy they gave the family. All in all I liked this film and i would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind seeing the terrible demise of a happy family.
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