Funny Games U.S.

Funny Games U.S. (Rated R)

Running time: 1 hr 51 mins

Cast:

Naomi Watts
Michael Pitt
Tim Roth
Brady Corbet
Devon Gearheart

Critical consensus (www.rottentomatoes.com):

**1/2 out of *****

My consensus:

****1/2 out of *****

The premise: Two psychotic young men take a family hostage in their cabin.

My review: Funny Games U.S. is one of the best films of 2008. It's a brilliant movie because it's daring and wildly different that anything you've seen. It is a psychological torture-thriller. I use the word torture lightly, because this film has no 'gross-out' moments, very minimal blood or gore, its soley mind torture. Two young men terrorize a vacationing family in their cottage. Simple story. This movie is not for the faint of heart however, it is very tense and these two young men are truly insane. They remain calm and collected the whole film, laughing and joking as the family is terrified for their lives. The sick part about it, is that we laugh at these psycho's the entire time they are on screen. Does that make us capable of being these young men since we find them and how they are torturing amusing? I don't know. I do know that both young men are played eerily and incredibly by Michael Pitt (Bully, Murder By Numbers) and Brady Corbet (Thirteen) and they are on par with "No Country for Old Men" creepster Javier Bardem, as being some of the best film villians in recent memory. Pitt delivers one of the best performances of the year. Naomi Watts is also excellent here, in some of her finest work that I've seen. Tim Roth, who doesn't have a whole lot of speaking time, still is very good here at relaying his characters fear for himself and his family. Funny Games is a very unique suspense film, it is unlike most films you will see in this genre, and I love that it dared to be original. I won't go into grave detail, but some of the characters brake the 'fourth-wall' of film; meaning that some characters are fully aware they are characters in a movie and in a scene or two, physically speak to the audience of the film. A very bold move by the director, but it pays off I though. I urge anyone to see this movie...anyone who can stomach it I should say.

My advice: See it!

*This film is now on DVD.