Funny Games (2007)

Directed by: Michael Hanake

Starring: Naomi Watts, Tim Roth

***

I would like to thank Michael Hanake for making this film not because its so good that it wa a pleasure watching but rather because his original was so good that I wanted to see it again but the subject matter didn't necessarily support that desire. I credited 1997's Funny Games as a perfect film to study but unfortunately its not one I was eager to revisit. Thanks to Hanake's decision to do an English-speaking shot for shot remake, I was able to trick my psyche into thinking I wasn't abusing it by watching such a tense film for a second time.

This is the first shot by shot remake I've ever seen and as one would expect, its not much better or worse than its original. Logic suggests that it should be just as good or bad but there are a few differences that make this version a much weaker one. Here is the trick in trying to review this movie however... Funny Games (and I imagine either version) is a film held together by suspense. Its a less than traditional form of suspense as it relies on unorthodox techniques to highten that suspense. Seeing a film for a second time of course is like placing a bet you know you're going to win. There's no tightening of the gut or biting of the finger nails. In Hanake's American version of this film, I was essentially watching his original for a second time, only I didn't have to pay as much attention because, a) I knew what was going to happen and b) I didn't have to read subtitles.

It was never my intention to be entertained while watching this movie but rather to understand Hanake's intentions for making it and to further study a his concept and execution. Looking back now, if I were in Hanake's position, I would not have made this film. I saw very little point in doing it but on the other hand, I am not really a member of America's mass audience. Upon becoming interested in Hanake's work, I set out to watch his original version of Funny Games, not the version with familiar faces and no subtitles as I imagine a much larger audience (one which he was trying to reach) would be looking for. So if his reason for making this movie is justified then how did he fare in making it? Unfortunately, there is a lot about this version that doesn't work the as well as the original. This begins with the performances. There was nothing extrordinary about the performances in the original but here, the two leads, Naomi Watts and Tim Roth, two very capable actors, often seemed to be simply reading the words off the page. Even when displaying emmense emotion, their tears only masked the weaknesses in their performances, rather than aided in the quality of them. I party blame Hanake for this as it was consistent with the lack of patience he seemed to have or perhaps, the lack of patience he knew his American audience would have.

I've admired Hanake's patience as a filmmaker to this point but in Funny Games, he seriously gives his audience considerably less credit. He still has the same long shots as the original but more happens within them. He doesn't create the stillness of shock and horror that he did so effectively in '97. This lack of patience makes me wonder if he exhausted his actors with 25 takes in order to get the real emotion he needed on take 26. This is part of the reason I believe that Watts and Roth weren't at the top of their game. I think that's its possible they weren't give the opportunity to really invest in what was happening to them. The film just felt much more rushed than it should have been. The mood and the tone of the original was absent. Often times it felt like I was watching the original dubbed over in English but the translations were too direct or obvious so there was no pacing to the film as a whole.

Michael Pitt was the highlight of the film. If you close your eyes and listen to him, you'd think you were watching a Leo DiCaprio film (its weird). Open your eyes and you get a much creepier, very effective casting choice. Pitt rivals the performance of Arno Frisch as Paul, or Beevus or Jerry (whichever name he goes with a given moment). This leads to another aspect of the film that was disappointing and again suggests Hanake had no confidence in his audience. In the original, Peter and Paul terrorize a family while giving each other different names. They very rarely use each others names and the change in those names is so subtle that its hardly noticed. Its consistent with the subtlety of the rest of the movie. In this version, the changing of their names is so, so obvious that its frustrating. Paul introduces the family to Peter, the says, "Tom don't be rude, shake their hand". This quick and obvious change hurts the tension of the scene. It doesn't confuse the audience in the appropriate way.

Overall, Funny Games is a decent film but its a far cry from the original masterpiece (that's right, I called it a masterpiece). I don't know if has anything to do with the concept and story being Americanized but if there is no other reason, that will suffice as an excuse. I'm not sure I'm glad Hanake made this movie, but I am glad that I had some kind of an excuse to further study his concept.