Monday, July 20, 2015

The Most Dangerous Game

A crazed Russian count (Leslie Banks) lives in almost total seclusion on a wooded island and, having tired from traditional gaming, patiently waits for shipwrecked visitors whom he can stalk and kill, his latest victim an apt adventurer (Joel McCrea). From the renowned and often filmed short story by Richard Connell and made by the same team who created King Kong (including producer Merian Cooper, director Ernest B. Schoedsack, and Fay Wray) on many of the same sets, The Most Dangerous Game is a well paced, scarily intense, top shelve B picture, containing fantastic interior and exterior staging, a great camp performance from Banks, and a perfect master shot.
*** 1/2 out of ****