Funny Games U.S. (Michael Haneke, 2007)

The arch title of Haneke's remake of his own film from ten years before instantly raises the suggestion that we'll get the same package, only sweetened at the finale to keep the U.S. consumer happy. George Sluizer's bastardisation of The Vanishing, in other words, except pre-stamped with a warning that we are about to be served up shit.
But that would be too hackishly utilitarian for Haneke's idiosyncratic approach. Instead we get exactly the same film, shot by shot, right down to the screaming soundtrack, just with American duplicates of the original Austrians, including the house, the lake and boating neighbours. The dawning realisation that nothing is different is both a relief, since the original was at least an uncompromisingly gripping piece, and also a form of torture of the returning viewer by the director, much like the abuse inflicted on the captive family by their psychopathic visitors.

6/10