Rating of
3/4
Worth seeing... if you can make it to the end
newmans_own - wrote on 03/17/08
The film is made with no intent to be liked by anyone. In fact, anyone who says they love it should be ready for all sorts of strange looks from the others who’ve seen it. The family makes all the wrong decisions when attempting to escape, and Haneke relishes devilishly in what we expect from it. The film is alienating and accusatory in the same way it was before. Unfortunately, Haneke takes a slightly subtler approach to the film’s meaning and it loses some of its bite. It will still shock and offend many, even if it isn’t as wicked or biting as before.
Aside from a few entirely plausible cell phone-related additions to the film, it remains entirely the same. The main interest for viewers to revisit the film’s world is the performances, which are very strong. While Roth and Pitt suffer in comparison to their German-language counterparts, they still commit strong, manipulative and gut-wrenching performances. As Ann, Watts has never been better. Her desperation is emotional without ever being melodramatic. Ann walks a fine line between being sympathetic and being cold and unlikable but Watts maneuvers around it perfectly; a feat that Susanne Lothar was not always successful at in the original film.
FUNNY GAMES is essentially an American translation of the original Austrian film. It is a shocking and thrilling experience, daring you to stay and expecting you to leave before the film is over. Those going in having seen the original will know exactly what to expect and will put themselves in for another exercise in hopelessness. Unless they want to see the others squirm.
***/****
Full review at http://newmanscorner.blogspot.com
