Funny Games is an Austrian psychological thriller directed by Michael Haneke. Been meaning to check this out for a while. Finally watched it last night and, fortunately, it didn't disappoint. In fact, I thought it was downright excellent.

Funny Games is about an Austrian family of three, a mother, father, and son, staying at a lake house for the summer. Soon after they get there, two men enter their home claiming to know the neighbors who have sent them to borrow some eggs. The wife obliges giving one man four eggs, which he breaks almost immediately. The wife gives him more eggs, which he also breaks. At this point, the wife is aware that something is off and calls the two men out on it. Things soon escalate to violence and eventually the two men are holding the family hostage, forcing them to play cruel games of psychological torture, such as a grim rendition of "cold, warm" and a rather unsavory bet that the viewer is actually asked to have an active part in.

I think what made Funny Games so great was the two men. They are just so far removed from your typical movie psycho and don't even look sinister. I mean, one guy is wearing white short shorts and golfing gloves for Pete's sake! The way they speak is also different. They are both calm, articulate, and, despite the fact that they are holding a family hostage, civil. This also plays into why the film is so incredibly suspenseful. I haven't seen a movie in a long time where the villains are this unpredictable. You really don't know what they're going to do next. I mean, one minute, they're smashing the father's knee cap with a golf club, the next, they're tending to his wound and helping him onto a couch. Later on, one man tells the life story of the other, who sobs uncontrollably all the while, then it turns out the whole story is a lie and the other man is calm, collected, and even smiling, once again. These two are just downright creepy. There are also a lot of instances where the film appears to be going in a familiar direction but then does a 180 back to the bizzare.

There is some violence in the film but the majority of it takes place offscreen. I felt, in this film, the whole less is more thing didn't really work. Not in the traditional sense anyway. Simply hearing someone scream and having no idea what's being done to them is more frustrating than disturbing but at the same time, it's awful to listen to. I think this approach to violence worked for this film but for another, it would probably not.

One thing that really stuck out in Funny Games and made the film unique was how self-aware it was. Now I've used self aware to describe movies before but this one is literally self-aware. There are several instances where one character actually turns to the screen and addresses the viewer directly. They even mention "plausible plot development" at one point, which I'm sure you screenwriters would get a kick out of. I thought this was great as it really calls for the involvement of the viewer while watching the film. There's also a bizzare twist involving a remote control that plays into the self aware aspect of the film.

Oh yeah, and great acting, from both victim and perpetrator.

All in all, an excellent film. Fans of psychological thrillers and oddball David Lynch type stuff should check this out right away.

EDIT: Turns out there's a remake of this one in the works scheduled for a 2007 release. According to IMDB, Haneke himself is returning to write and direct with Naomi Watts set to star. Bah!

I've had this on DVD since about '98 or so.  I've watched it several times and it never fails to give me the chills.

The remote control bit could have blown up in Haneke's face, but it worked, and it worked wonderfully.  Right when you feel a glimmer of hope...BAM!  Not so fast!

The one thing I didn't like about it was the ham-handed, forced "message".  I don't mind message films if they're done properly, but I don't like being slapped in the face by a pretentious director.  I'm watching the movie, I'm enjoying this cat-and-mouse game the home invaders are playing and I'm rapt with the victims' anguish...but don't use your characters to tell me I'm a sicko for enjoying what I'm seeing.  It's a good way to lose your audience, and have the audience root against you.

Otherwise, this is just one of those films that you'll love or hate, particularly for the remote control scene.  I happen to be one of those who love it...though again, I think the message is too forced at times.