The Incident

The cult film Funny Games by Michael Haneke did not make much of an impression on me at the time, due to the director's manipulation and artificially constructed story. The same can be said to some extent about a whole range of famous films dedicated to the phenomenon of violence, such as the British film A Clockwork Orange. However, The Incident does not suffer from this, as the story is fully believable and actually reflects real life. The duo of small-time crooks roam the city, leaving behind fear and gaining more courage because they encounter no resistance. In one of the subway cars at night, they momentarily become the unrestricted rulers over the other passengers. The Incident is civil, and cleverly thought out, and besides the violence itself, it particularly portrays the victims' reactions and clearly indicates that as long as the more decent person keeps retreating, every thug will continue advancing. Small concessions can gradually lead to great tragedies, and sometimes it just takes some risk and someone saying "enough!" It is a timeless film that is not fully appreciated because it is well-written and well-directed, meticulously thought out, and with a very powerful ending. The scene where a group of passengers, as if in a trance, slowly and hesitantly exits the subway car will stick with me for a long time. The film does not push too hard to achieve an emotional impact, the screenwriter does not need piles of corpses or mutilated victims for shock value, given that the humiliation and seemingly harmless insults are enough. Violence activates the worst human qualities even in the victims, and the people who step into the darkness from the night subway have plenty to think about. Overall impression: 95%. (30.12.2012)