Product Details

• Actors: Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Mhe, Arno Frisch, Frank Giering, Stefan Clapczynski
• Directors: Michael Haneke
• Writers: Michael Haneke
• Producers: Veit Heiduschka
• Format: Color, Letterboxed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: German (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: All Regions
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated

It is impossible to have a neutral opinion about the Austrianthriller Funny Games–a movie so relentless in its ability to shock that itgained pariah status on the film festival circuit in 1997. In the warpedtradition of A Clockwork Orange, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, and BlueVelvet, this is a film–directed with electrifying audacity by Munich-bornMichael Haneke–that addresses the controversy of screen violence by makingthe viewer as guilty as the Leopold and Loeb-like killers who terrorize ayoung family of three during their summer vacation. They arrive as friendlyneighbors, seducing the family with phony congeniality, but soon Funny Gamesreveals its devious strategy, turning savage and appalling… and completelycaptivating for those who can endure the terror. There’s actually lessviolence than you’d see in a typical American horror flick such as Scream, butHaneke’s forceful staging effectively fulfills his agenda of viewercomplicity; we vividly experience this doomed family’s fate and feel helplessto save them. So helpless, in fact, that Haneke dares to offer a hint ofrespite by giving a victim the upper hand, only to “replay” the same scenewith the darkest of outcomes. Funny Games is guaranteed to outrage someviewers with its manipulative schemes, but there’s no denying the film’svisceral impact, generated by Haneke’s expert handling of a superior cast.Don’t even think of allowing anyone under age17 to watch this film; allothers should proceed with caution. –Jeff Shannon