Funny Games (2008)

REVIEW
Michael Haneke has basically remade his original Austrian movie shot-for-shot (unlike Gus Van Sant's Psycho, however, this one is made with the same precision and energy), hoping to torture a brand new American audience. It's expertly crafted and supremely manipulative, following two polite boys (Brady Corbett and Michael Pitt) as they seemingly randomly torture, maim and kill the three members of an upper-class family (Naomi Watts, Tim Roth and Devon Gearhart)... and their little dog too. But Haneke is more interested in the reaction of the audience, as he plays with our expectations, even going so far as to address us directly. After creating the deeply complex Caché, such a face-value experiment seems like a major step back. It's the type of film that resists criticism. If you enjoy the movie, then it obviously didn't work for you; if you hated it, then Haneke is a genius and accomplished exactly what he wanted. So I'll stay out of the fray, give it the same rating as we gave the original, and leave it to every audience member to write his/her own review. Engaging Haneke on this film is truly a losing game.