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Funny Games

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Funny Games

1997

1h 48m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

73%

Tomatometer

40 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

An idyllic lakeside vacation home is terrorized by Paul (Arno Frisch) and Peter (Frank Giering), a pair of deeply disturbed young men. When the fearful Anna (Susanne Lothar) is home alone, the two men drop by for a visit that quickly turns violent and terrifying. Husband Georg (Ulrich Mühe) comes to her rescue, but Paul and Peter take the family hostage and subject them to nightmarish abuse and humiliation. From time to time, Paul talks to the film's audience, making it complicit in the horror.

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Critics Consensus

Violent images and blunt audience provocation make up this nihilistic experiment from one of cinema's more difficult filmmakers.

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David Rooney

Variety

The film outstays its welcome and is more than a little too knowing in its manipulation of standard audience expectations for the genre.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Ed Gonzalez

Slant Magazine

Haneke's snooty admonishments are disturbing because they're never self-critical.

Rated: 2/4

May 3, 2006

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Brilliant, radical, provocative, it's a masterpiece that is at times barely watchable.

Jan 26, 2006

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Brian Bisesi

Horror Movie Club Podcast

While Funny Games takes us on an entirely unpleasant journey, it at least plays with form and forces us to question our role in the entire disturbing affair. Long takes and patient pacing force us to reckon with the horrors unfolding on the screen.

Rated: 3.5/5

May 15, 2024

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

Haneke's audacious home invasion film is as confronting as it is effective. This is a masterclass.

Rated: 4.5/5

Nov 3, 2023

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

It’s a disturbing thriller that I found to be smart and compelling but also brutally painful and sometimes emotionally unbearable.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 21, 2022

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rinu H

This movie startet a very new kind of horror. The inescapable situation of being exposed to the slowly increasing psychological violence of common people, without any way out. No need for ghosts, monsters, gods or evil-looking villains... all it takes is two young men in tennis outfits and the world becomes a different place.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/01/25

Full Review

Yash B

"Funny Games" is a strange movie but it is made with skill and kept me on the edge of my seat. I didn't know what direction it was heading at any time, and it left me confused at a few points too with some of the creative choices and fourth wall breaks. I think the movie is a disturbing watch, but it managed to make me uneasy without being too showy. I was impressed by how the movie is often really quiet and only implies horrifying actions offscreen. The movie got under my skin often and kept me uncomfortable with a bizarre mix of thrills and even dark humor. Overall, this is a fascinating movie that is intense and thought-provoking and is a truly unique experience.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/23/25

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Jacob B

A difficult watch. I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but it definitely got under my skin and lingered in my mind for a long time. As a fan of the director (especially his film “The White Ribbon”) I would definitely recommend it, but for the faint of heart or the impatient, I would say to look elsewhere.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/05/25

Full Review

Petros T

Boasting a committed cast and evocative photography, "Funny Games" has a way of being terrifying even before the actual terror begins and of being violent without actually depicting it. Despite certain not so believable moments (e.g. Anna not making an attempt to get help when she's outside towards the start), a less tight last act and unexploited fourth wall breaking, it's an overall really engaging, unsettling thriller, which may undermine Haneke's goal of commenting on violence in the media.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/25

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Jon Q

A movie designed to upset the audience. But I respect it for its originality.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/25/24

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‎ ‎

Funny Games is quite literally a parody of itself, and how the film industry portrays violence, torture, sadism and pornography in an acceptable, and even enjoyable way.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/23/24

Full Review

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Michael Haneke

Director

Susanne Lothar

Anna

Ulrich Mühe

Georg

Frank Giering

Peter

Arno Frisch

Paul

Stefan Clapczynski

Schorschi

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Synopsis

An idyllic lakeside vacation home is terrorized by Paul (Arno Frisch) and Peter (Frank Giering), a pair of deeply disturbed young men. When the fearful Anna (Susanne Lothar) is home alone, the two men drop by for a visit that quickly turns violent and terrifying. Husband Georg (Ulrich Mühe) comes to her rescue, but Paul and Peter take the family hostage and subject them to nightmarish abuse and humiliation. From time to time, Paul talks to the film's audience, making it complicit in the horror.

Director: Michael Haneke
Producer: Veit Heiduschka
Screenwriter: Michael Haneke
Production Co: Lucky Red, Wega Film
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: German
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 15, 2020
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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