Funny Games (1997)

Director:

Michael Haneke

Writer:

Michael Haneke (writer)

Release Date:

11 March 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Ein Alptraum.

Plot:

Two psychotic young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.

Plot Keywords:

Vacation | Game | Violence | Dog | Lake

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Susanne Lothar	...	Anna
Ulrich Mühe	...	Georg
Arno Frisch	...	Paul
Frank Giering	...	Peter
Stefan Clapczynski	...	Schorschi
Doris Kunstmann	...	Gerda
Christoph Bantzer	...	Fred
Wolfgang Glück	...	Robert
Susanne Meneghel	...	Gerdas Schwester
Monika Zallinger	...	Eva

Also Known As:

Ölümcül oyunlar (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Brincadeiras Perigosas (Portugal) [pt]
Funny Games (Finland) [fi]
Funny Games (Poland) [pl]
Funny Games (France) [fr]
Funny Games: juegos divertidos (Spain) [es]
Horas de terror (Argentina) (video title) [es]
Paraxena paihnidia (Greece) [el]
Violência Gratuita (Brazil) [pt]

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

Austria

Language:

German | French | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Hungary:18 | Italy:T | Brazil:16 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 (with warning) | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:III | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/18 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:18 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:Unrated | Singapore:PG (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Atelier Rosenhügel, Vienna, Austria

Company:

Austrian Film Institute

Trivia:

Paul says the line "We're not up to feature film length yet" at exactly the 95-minute mark of the movie.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Anna and Georg are driving in their car, a reflection of a microphone between the front seats can be seen on the window.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[subtitled version]
Anna: Björling... Suliotis?
Georg: Almost. Björling is easy.

Movie Connections:

References "Tom and Jerry" (1965)

Soundtrack:

Cara Salva

Excellent Examination of Media-Violence

I wasn't going to comment on this until i read some of the other comments on this page. No, I'm not going to criticise any of them, they are well motivated, and everyone has got a right to an opinion. I just want a potential viewer to see more than one point of view on the movie.

The movie is about media-violence, why it exists and why we should think deeper about it. The two sociopaths in this movie are representing the viewer, as are the victims. "Why are you doing this to yourselves?", the torturers constantly ask. Why are they entertaining themselves by killing and torturing people? Why we are watching it, is the real question.

This doesn't just go for this movie, as a matter of fact it goes for almost everything, the movie shows that you can find vicious violence everywhere, in PG-13 action movies, in kids cartoons, and people constantly watch it, maybe not even noticing it. Not only does the movie show the sickness and perversity of this, but also it has the impact on the viewer that violence should have. It's masterfully directed throughout, the actors are good, I think I'd be sobbing and blobbering most of the time too, if I was in the same situation. As for the torturers, they're cold as ice, representing the modern TV-consumer, numbed by the senseless amount of violence they are presented with.

The claiming that the scenario is implausible is simply irrelevant, because this movie works mainly on a deeper level, everything is just symbolic, and the plot isn't the essence here, it's the message. As for the unrealistically feelingless sociopaths, I don't think anyone watches James Bond or Lethal Weapon with a pack of handkerchiefs because so many people get killed. No, we sit and enjoy it just like the sociopaths in the movie. That realisation is the most scary thing in the movie. I don't understand how people can say this movie is sick, it's actually very humanistic, it's just a bit more difficult than your standard GOOD vs. EVIL-crap.