La Chasse du comte Zaroff

"Oh, very well. If you choose to play the leopard... I shall hunt you like a leopard," says Count Zaroff in an icy calm voice, mentally nodding under the sinister flame that flares in his eyes, and the incredibly exciting hunt can begin. The Most Dangerous Game is a great movie. The creators of King Kong did not deny themselves and (actually, even before the story of "the big ape") used the action-adventure-thriller premise like probably no one before them. In a year when visitors to Czechoslovak biographies were roaring with laughter at the comedies, the fanatical Count was organizing harsh hunts overseas for the unsuspecting surviving passengers of shipwrecked ships, shooting them with bows and rifles, loading their heads into alcohol or hanging them on the wall as trophies... In short, this was something unbelievable. Thanks to timeless direction, magic special effect helping to create the exotic island jungle setting, and Max Steiner's bombastic score, it's an adrenaline rush that still has energy after an incredible eighty years. Five pure stars.__P.S. And I want it on DVD, YouTube isn't enough. (06/01/2012)

In some respects it’s already a bit ridiculous (exaggerated acting, predictable development and somewhat obtuse characters), but formally, it’s a very spectacular and cleverly constructed adventure, where every introduced figure or motif has its key justification. The final chase through the inhospitable jungle is especially excellent, by dividing the action into two parallel storylines, repeating spatial frames or a meaningful summary of the earlier outlined motifs, it aspires to the title of the most successful and intense sequence of the early sound film era. A great warm-up for the creators of King Kong. (07/10/2016)

The Most Dangerous Game must not be treated as something that is really old and can no longer impress viewers today. On the contrary. I think that some of the scenes were shot in a way that the filmmakers would not be able to do today. Yes, today it would be more hectic and faster, but this effect would not be achieved. The film is not much of a horror, but I definitely consider it very good. (10/05/2018)