The Most Dangerous Game

1932 "They saw the heads of hunted men in Zaroff's trophy room!"
7.1| 1h3m| PG-13| en
Details

When legendary hunter Bob Rainsford is shipwrecked on the perilous reefs surrounding a mysterious island, he finds himself the guest of the reclusive and eccentric Count Zaroff. While he is very gracious at first, Zaroff eventually forces Rainsford and two other shipwreck survivors, brother and sister Eve and Martin Towbridge, to participate in a sadistic game of cat and mouse in which they are the prey and he is the hunter.

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

Stream on any device, 30-day free trial Watch Now

Trailers & Clips

Reviews

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...
Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
Stephan Hammond It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
Sean Lamberger Shipwrecked by an unseen reef, having lost every one of his shipmates and travel companions, a world-renowned hunter turns up on the doorstep of a strangely luxurious estate and is welcomed by its perplexing, eccentric, eastern European owner. Chances are, you already know the rest of the story. This old film has been parodied and name-dropped so many times, it's virtually ubiquitous. Already knowing the twist, it seems pantomimed from the start, and I couldn't help wondering if it was really so telegraphed or if I merely knew what to look for. The production itself is cut-rate, obviously reusing set pieces throughout the jungle, but those shortcuts seem almost quaint given its age. It's technically uncertain, too. One particularly daring long zoom, from the top of a staircase to a lingering close-up, is clunky and awkward enough to draw a laugh, but also admirably ambitious for the period. Rough, bumbling cuts and edits litter the screen, barely covering for (or, in some cases, causing) a flubbed line or weird cadence from the actors. The plot is scrappy and short, though, straight to the point with little ballying about, and the penultimate chase through the jungle works amazingly well. More of a short story than an epic feature, it's a good way to burn an hour and appreciate how far the format has come.
Antonius Block What a deliciously creepy and suspenseful film this is. We know what's coming, but that doesn't stop us from feeling real tension that builds into a crescendo with an extended hunt sequence in the second half of the film. Leslie Banks is fantastic as the intellectual and cruel Count Zaroff, and Joel McCrea and Fay Wray play their parts well. The film is hokey in places (such as a rather comical fighting/wrestling scene), but that adds to its camp value, as did recognizing some set elements from 'King Kong'. I found it easy to overlook the sillier things because the story itself is so strong – well ahead of its time, and re-used in countless movies and TV shows over the decades. A small example of that is the ending, which may remind modern viewers of 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'.Early on we're given some food for thought with this line: "I was thinking of the inconsistency of civilization. The beast of the jungle, killing just for his existence, is called savage. The man, killing just for sport, is called civilized. It's a bit inconsistent, isn't it?" We get action in the form of a shipwreck and shark attack. We get eeriness and sadism in the Count, as well as a pre-Code ominous hint of intended rape ("Kill! Then love."), and that's all before an exciting game of "outdoor chess". There's a lot to like in this action-packed and fun film.
Idiot-Deluxe To be fair and accurate about it, you could say that The Most Dangerous Game is a fairly dated film of modest suspense, but still vital enough for at least some modern viewers to be entertained; as this 1932 black and white thriller does have a lot to like - especially if you're a fan of horror film's of that era. Because The Most Dangerous Game absolutely drips with that distinctive, atmospheric vibe, that all the best vintage horror films revel in, achieved by combination of great looking sets, atmospheric matte paintings, ample amounts of fog, an effective music score and most importantly a great cast of actors, particularly well cast are the bad guys - Count Zaroff and his henchmen. Veteran British stage-actor Leslie Banks in the role of the mad Count Zaroff is, by far, the most interesting and evil of the films cast of players; dressed all in black, with a black beard and stash, dark, intense, penetrating eyes and a large scar (that was real) along the side of his face, plus he spoke with a most distinctive and sophisticated voice (that very often verges on theatrical), Banks really fit the bill as the mad count. Also starring Joel McCrea, Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong (Wray and Armstrong would both play a leading hand in KING KONG immediately after this film wrapped up, in fact some of this films budget was transferred to Kong's budget - making it the true super-production that it is) as unfortunate shipwreck victims, who take temporary refuge at the counts castle, where they are essentially living on borrowed time, because the mad count has a deadly game of cat and mouse in store for them on his treacherous island retreat. Speaking again of the great atmosphere of this film, which it oozes nearly non-stop, most especially whenever the counts castle is shown, be it a scene of an interior set or matte painting of it from a distance, partially obscured by fog, hills and trees. Like many hunters Zaroff employ's dogs to aid him in hunting down his quarry and they further add to his menace and at the same time quicken the pace of the film (if memory serves me right, I'd say the count has no fewer than 15 Great Danes at the ready), he summons them by tooting this great sounding horn, as it bays in the distance. The horns sounds out two distinct notes, that which the great Max Steiner cleverly implemented into the film's score - to great effect (those two notes are in fact the first thing you hear when watching this classic film, which start up it's nifty, but modest, opening credits sequence).No plot-rundown's here, the good guy (Joel McCrea) naturally wins and makes off with the fair damsel in distress (Fay Wray) and.............. The End.While The Most Dangerous Game does excel in several area's, it certainly could have been even better, if it had a longer run time (only 62 minutes) and more action (you could partially blame it on the king, King Kong that is). Though quite dated by most standards, the film still stands as one of the best action films of the early 30's, offering a unique glimpse into that era. Remember "talkies" had only been around for 5 years when this film was released and the notion of using a full-length musical score was still catching on, this was probably one of the first sound films to have that luxury; one of the legendary Max Steiner's earliest efforts (Max Steiner 1888-1971, scored well over 200 films during his 35 year career, mostly for Warner Brothers).There have been a number of movie adaptions of The Most Dangerous Game made over the years, but this one was the first and remains the best - by far.Great to watch late at night, which seems to help further thicken it's already palpable sense atmosphere and gloom.
AaronCapenBanner Leslie Banks stars as Count Zaroff, who is a mad hunter living on an isolated island. He likes to hunt any human being unfortunate enough to come ashore, and even has a trophy room where he displays his gruesome kills. A new quarry comes ashore when luxury cruise ship survivor Bob Rainesford(played by Joel McCrea) is at first welcomed, where he meets fellow castaways Eve(played by Fay Wray) and her brother Martin(played by Robert Armstrong), but will soon be shocked to find themselves in a life and death struggle with Zaroff in his jungle lair. Surprisingly potent film holds up well today. Plot may be obvious but acting and direction is solid, making this an effective, thought-provoking adventure.