Before his days as a director of such acclaimed worksasVoxLuxandThe Brutalist,Brady Corbetwas most known for his acting work, with one of his most notable roles being inMichael Haneke’s English-language remake ofFunny Games. A shot-for-shot remake of Haneke’s original 1997 Dutch film,Funny Gamesis an extremely violent and malicious piece. The film follows an affluent family who are held captive and tortured by two young, sadistic criminals played by Corbet andMichael Pitt. Corbet is at the heart of thestory as the villainous sidekickwho brutally tortures the unfortunate Farber family (Naomi Watts,Tim Roth,Devon Gearhart). As a young man with an innocent-looking face,the stark contrast between his gruesome actions and innocuous facademakes his performance all the more effective. If anything, this disparity is why he was such a perfect casting choice for the role.
There Is Nothing Funny About ‘Funny Games’
Not merely gratuitous with its pointless violence,Funny Gamesis a criticism of how, as a culture, we consume violence through our media, perpetuating an endless cycle. Even so, it is not an easy watch;more upsetting and gory than many horror films. A statement more than a story, the film doesn’t hold back inholding up a mirror to the violence we consume. Haneke’s point of view is clearly that we want to consume this violence, over and over again, no matter how shocking we find it.
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The 2007 American version isn’tjust an almost exact remakeof the original 1997 film — it also feels like a continuation. These criminals are going door to door with their acts of violence, just like the film is going from country to country, representing the perpetual nature of our consumption of violence.The film itself is a game — or an exercise — to try and give the audience what they think they want from horror and violent cinema.But, it turns the tables on the viewer to make us aware that we’re complicit in the cycle of violence, and observation is as much of a guilty act. The point and format of the film mean that Haneke could endlessly remakeFunny Games, and with each outing, without having to change one shot, build upon the film’s thesis.
Brady Corbet’s Innocent Facade Is Deceptive in His Ruthless Performance
AlongsideFunny Games, director Brady Corbet’s acting credits include some high-profile, highly acclaimed work. You may recognize him asJack Bauer’s pseudo-stepson from Season 5 of24, as the young Alan in the live-actionThunderbirds, or perhaps from hiswork alongsideJoseph Gordon-LevittinMysterious Skin.His previous work built up a likable, innocent, and sympathetic persona, which Haneke flips on its head by casting Corbet as the heartless tormentor inFunny Games.
Brady Corbet and his co-star Michael Pitt arecast as much for their looks as their acting talents. Blonde and blue-eyed, dressed in tennis whites and museum gloves, they are dressed as preppy, middle to upper-class young men. Seemingly polite at first, the two young men test the family’s hospitality before taking them hostage and subjecting them to a series of ritualistic and violent humiliations.Torture porn is a term that comes to mind, although it’s a bit crass to describe the film merely as that when it has an important message at its core.
In a scene where Corbet’s character Peter introduces himself to the family matriarch, Ann (Watts), it’s quitea foreboding and menacing turn. He starts off softly-spoken, polite, and a bit awkward as he asks to borrow eggs. As he drops the eggs and asks for more, he feigns ignorance, but his mannerisms become more shifty as each minute passes. An act as benign as borrowing eggs becomes an edge-of-your-seatmasterclass in tension building.
Haneke’s remake of his own workcontinues and expands his thesis on violence in the media. It cleverly puts the audience at the forefront to subvert our expectations.Casting the innocent-looking duo of Brady Corbet and Michael Pitt enhances their maliciousness, especially through their menacing performances. Ann initially sees Peter as a dumb, clumsy kid, but with Brady Corbet’s subtlety, theaudience immediately knows that it’s a ruse and Ann should beware. And so should the audience — whileFunny Gamesis a masterfully made film, it is not for the faint of heart.
Funny Gamesis available to rent on Apple TV in the U.S.
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Funny Games
