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Eric Huffstutler | Richmond, VA United States | 09/15/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am getting tired of people writing lengthy movie synopsis and critiques and saying nothing about the DVD they watched - "if" they watch it. We come to places like Amazon to BUY DVDs and not rent movies. Some titles have multiple releases and trying to find the best can be a challenge and that is where a Review about the DVD is more important than one about the movie itself. Movie reviews can be read at places like IMDb.

I had to rate the film to post this message and having seen and own it on the Alpha version DVD (which is a bargain and excellent quality compared to Criterion), I gave it 4 stars.
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Hunter and hunted

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 08/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What if hunting for sport was taken to its extreme? What if the "civilized" hunt was turned into a lethal game?

That's the chilling premise of "The Most Dangerous Game," an adaptation of Richard Connell's story about a madman who hunts other men for sport on a remote island. It's a taut, tightly-written movie with some wonderfully shocking moments, and a sense of suspense that doesn't let up until the final seconds.

A ship is wrecked on a reef, and her crew and passengers eaten by sharks. Only big-game hunter Bob Rainsford (Joel McCrea) makes it to the shore of a jungle island, where he is welcomed into the palatial home of the bizarre Count Zaroff, who has several guests waiting for a boat back to civilization. Except according to another "guest" Eve (Fay Wray), his guests have a nasty habit of vanishing.

Bob and Eve find out why, when they break into Zaroff's trophy room... and find other humans on display as trophies. Now that they've found out his secret, Zaroff decides to have Bob as his next prey, with Eve accompanying him. If Bob can get away by sunset, they'll both go free. If not...

Surprisingly, "The Most Dangerous Game" was only made because of another movie -- the original "King Kong." The monkey movie shot during the day, and then the sets and actors were used on "Most Dangerous Game" during the night. It certainly accounts for the lush jungle sets and island setting.

That's where the resemblance ends. "Most Dangerous Game" is a more psychological, suspenseful movie, taking a look at what happens when "killer fun" is extended to human beings. It's a bit on the short side -- just over an hour -- but it's stripped of all extra scenes or dialogue. This is raw filmmaking.

While the first half is about the suspense, the second half is what pays off -- a desperate chase through overgrown jungles and misty swamps, trying to outrun Zaroff. It's all the more frightening because they're on a tiny island. The chase climaxes with a shocking fight on a clifftop with a savage hunting dog, but directors Irving Pichel and Ernest B. Schoedsack have a few tricks up their sleeves.

McCrea and Wray do very nice jobs as the clean-cut American stud, and the English rose who seems to be a lot smarter than he is (why is she the only one who notices that the whole setup is strange?). But Satanic-looking Leslie Banks is the scene stealer. The fact that he is barking mad is underscored by his reasonable, pleasant attitude -- Banks is nothing short of brilliant here.

This short, intense movie is a brilliant piece of work, and may be eve more relevant now than it was in 1932. Thrilling, dark and suspenseful."

Very nicely colorized

Jeremy D. Weinstein | Walnut Creek, CA USA | 01/06/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This fun movie was made with the King Kong actors and sets while King Kong was being shot. This DVD version is so nicely colorized that in some respects it looks better than do contemporaneous color features. This is a commercial adventure story- it isn't a work of film noir or German expressionism where the "art" is desecrated by colorization; as Harryhausen says it would have been filmed in color if they had the budget. So although I haven't seen all the versions (since writing Amazon reviews notwithstanding, I do have a life), I do recommend this one."

Classic adventure

M. R. Wayling | 12/23/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A Classic Adventure Movie, now enhanced in Color, and it looks very good, if you like the original King Kong, you will enjoy this."