Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

gridoon2018 The first cinematic version of this famous story opens with a potent shipwreck / shark attack scene, though it's a little too obvious in setting up its theme ("How would you like to change places with the tiger?", someone asks hunter Joel McCrea). The exposition segment in the middle could have been shorter, and could have used less of Fay Wray's tipsy brother. But the final third is exciting and relentlessly paced. Leslie Banks must have studied Bela Lugosi's performance in "Dracula" the previous year; he is not a vampire, but he also wants blood. Fay Wray is so beautiful that you can't take your eyes off her. *** out of 4.

classicsoncall I don't know if this was the first movie adaptation of the 1924 short story by Richard Connell, (also called "The Hounds of Zaroff"), but it certainly was an effective one. I recall reading once that the sets used for the picture were also used simultaneously for filming the following year's "King Kong", so all the while as Rainsford (Joel McCrae) is being pursued through the jungle I'm expecting some sort of errant dinosaur to pop up. There was that one scene with the crocodile but Rainsford must have known it wouldn't bother him, he and Eve Trowbridge (Fay Wray) just walked right by it.I thought the picture could have done a better job of establishing Count Zaroff's (Leslie Banks) trophy room. It's too bad the longer preview version isn't available, the trivia notes for this movie indicate that scenes were removed for giving movie audiences the creeps back in the day. Of course anything goes today, so it would be neat if the discarded sequences managed to show up again.Early on, the Count establishes that the world is divided between two factions - the hunter and the hunted. It's an interesting concept to dwell on, as today it manifests among nations through the aggressive use of force. Not to get sidetracked, Zaroff pursues his quarry with deadly efficiency, but Rainsford is not one to give up easily. I thought the little traps he set for the Count were fairly clever, proving that the prey was every bit as cunning as the hunter.I had to chuckle a bit though near the end of the story as I thought about an earlier mention that the island was 'no bigger than a deer park'. As Rainsford and Eve made their way out of Fog Hollow and approached the giant rapids, I thought to myself that this was a pretty large deer park.There's somewhat of a 1961 remake of this story with a movie titled "Bloodlust" which has an unintended comic element that fortunately didn't manifest in this story. In "Bloodlust" there are four potential victims for the mad hunter and a much more detailed trophy cave for his victims. But the thing is, in any scene where the hunter is in conversation with his intended prey, they could have easily jumped him to end the story right then and there. In this version there's a lot more suspense and intrigue before Count Zaroff meets his defeat and quite literally goes to the dogs.

LeonLouisRicci Modern Audiences surely must recognize the Story. The Richard Connell Novel has been the Inspiration of many a Movie and TV Productions. This one was the First and is a Grand Guignol Treat. The Movie is Atmospheric and Creepy, Frightening and Action Packed. It is Compact in its barely One Hour Running Time and things don't let up for a Minute. It is a Legendary Film, because of its King Kong (1933) Auteurs. In Addition there is the Incredible, Maniacal Performance from the less well known Leslie Banks as Count Zaroff playing alongside Joel McCrea and Faye Wray. For a Finishing Touch of Grandeur there is the Max Steiner Score. In 1932 it was Virtually Unheard of to Write a Complete Movie Score and it adds another Welcome Dimension to this already Rich and Rewarding Film.There are a Number of Quotable Lines. When McCrea Returns to the Castle and Surprises Zaroff the Count says..."Well Mr. Rainsford you have beaten Me." He answers..."Not yet." It is also a Sexually Charged Script with much Pre-Code Emphasis that also included some Horrific Visuals and Violence.

MissSimonetta A sort of prelude to King Kong (1933), The Most Dangerous Game (1932) is one of the most exciting and memorable adventures of 1930s cinema. It contains everything people love about pre-code Hollywood with its no holds barred action and sexually charged atmosphere, and it looks forward to Kong with its exotic adventure.Joel McCrea and Fay Wray are absolutely gorgeous and admirable as the leads and Noble Johnson also does good with the small role of Ivan, Zaroff's mute henchman, but it is Leslie Banks as the disturbed Count Zaroff who remains with you after the credits roll. He excellently portrays the character's insanity and psychological/sexual obsessions. He's one of my favorite movie villains ever.Modern audiences will likely mock the jungle sets, but honestly that adds to the demented nightmarish feel of the movie. The whole thing is drenched with dread and violence, giving the film the feel of a horror movie. The chase scenes in the jungle are like something out of a bad dream; the frantic Max Steiner score and cinematography really amp up the tension.All in all, an excellent underrated film. A must see for lovers of 1930s Hollywood.