The house is dark. A dead boy lies in the corner of a war torn room with a man lying on the floor, a splint on his leg. A beautiful blonde haired woman walks into the room in her bra and underwear and helps the man up, both wondering when THEY will come back. No, this isn’t the latest Tarantino movie, this is Funny Games, a new breed of torture porn in which the scenes you watch aren’t gruesome like Saw or creepy like Hostel, they are psychologically terrifying.
As we watch Paul and Peter, two strangely captivating yet mentally insane well mannered young men, torture the Farber family we can’t help but wonder if this is the direction the “torture-porn” industry is going. The violence is little but the idea of these two villains coming to kill you is so much scarier than the idea of Jigsaw coming to kill you. The movies strengths lay in the talent of new comers Brandy Corbet and Michael Pitt. The two are able to take insanity to a whole new level and the idea that they look like upright citizens is more terrifying that most things you’ll see out in the way of horror this year.
The strangest part of the movie though is the hilarity of it. In the movie at moments the camera pans in on Michael Pitts face and he talks to the audience. The moments are nice touches that separate this movie from others in the industry.
Similar to Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men these two are bad guys who don’t run but walk. They don’t curse because they don’t need to. We know as well as the victims know what Paul and Peter are capable of. That said, there comes a point at the end of the movie that something so outrageous happens that you wonder how fair these “funny games” really are. Also Tim Roth is completely wasted here and really just moans for the entire movie.
The film does end on an excellent note that leaves you shivering in your seat but also contemplating the rest of the movie and what else happens. It’s not the movie I was hoping it would be but it does put the “torture-porn” industry in a better position. Grade – B+
No comments:
Post a Comment