La decima vittima

According to film lore, actor Marcello Mastroianni was so impressed with a short-story by science-fiction author Robert Sheckley that he sent it to director Elio Petri. The result was a groundbreaking Italian film that alternately shocked and amused audiences of 1965--and which, like the 1976 NETWORK, proved prophetic re the rise of "reality television." Set in a future imagined in terms of minimalist 1960s fashion and design movements, THE 10TH VICTIM (LA DECIMA VITTIMA) presents us with a world that has sublimated the human race's hunger for violence into a game known as "The Big Hunt." Register as a member and you become predator and prey, with each player seeking to survive while killing ten others in order to win fame, fortune, and national acclaim.

American Caroline Meredith (Ursla Andress) is particularly celebrated and--after dispatching her ninth victim via her boobytrapped bra--is eager to win the grand prize by taking out her tenth: Italian Marcello Polletti (Marcello Mastroianni.) But an advertiser promises her even bigger bucks if she can turn it into a television ad for his product, creating a situation in which Caroline cannot simply kill Marcello at will: she must do it at a particular place and time where the cameras will be rolling.

In order to accomplish this, Caroline decides to seduce Marcello with both her body and the lure of cash--which he badly needs--for a television interview. Marcello is no fool, and even as Caroline plans to blow his head off for benefit of television he's signing his own advertising deal to accomplish her death by crocodile. But there's a further complication: even as they attempt to maneuver each other into death, they also unwillingly fall in love.

THE 10TH VICTIM was extremely celebrated in 1965; today, however, it reads as slightly thin. We've become used to the idea of people who are willing to do just about anything on television, and the idea of murder by game show isn't nearly so far-fetched as it used to be. The film scores, however, in its specific ideas, which range from exploding boots to a government that occasionally switches out your apartment's furniture whether you like it or not. The DVD transfer is quite nice, but bonuses are limited to cast notes and the theatrical trailer. Recommended, but mainly for fans of 1960s futurism who haven't lost their sense of humor! GFT, Amazon Reviewer

I normally don't feel compelled to write reviews for films, especially when similar views have already been presented. However, after seeing a blatantly off-base review under the title of "hopeless" for "The 10th Victim", I had to make up for it. That reviewer is obviously incapable of appreciating a film like this because it's not easily pigeonholed. It's a fun, exciting comedy, drama, and farce rolled into one... I really liked the interactions between Andress (who looks absolutely stunning in this film) and Mastroianni. An interesting concept that is well executed... after viewing it for the first time, I knew it would remain an all-time favorite of mine for life... I am thrilled that this is finally seeing the light of day on DVD (after a way-outdated VHS version that even had a photo of Andress from ten years later on the cover, instead of a proper still from the movie). I'm buying this on DVD the second it's released...

Lest I forget... the soundtrack of this film is simply amazing... Not a large amount of original music, but what a score it is... by the Italian master Piero Piccioni. Listen and love...

Coming at the tail-end of one of the most provocative eras of film, European new wave, and featuring Italian cinema's premiere leading man of the time, Mr. Mastroianni, The 10th Victim exciting movie, given its year of release. The concept, that a group of over-bored members of a somewhat Utopian society spend their time hunting and being the hunted in the then-futuristic 1990's, works well, while the Italian backdrop is, as usual, a treat. While at times aping better Italian filmmakers of the time such as Fellini, the movie chugs along into a somewhat twisted relationship between hunter and hunted - the female component of this equation being played by Ursula Andress, yow!. Themes of a desensitized society, anonymity, and a thrill-seeking populace would re-emerge around the early 90's in America with cult obsessions over serial killers, a groundswell of violent video games/movies/television,and the formation of underground social cliques and groups such as gen x and "grunge" culture, whose attitudes towards sex/society/money/politics differed radically from the norm. The Tenth Victim may not have been on the spot prediction-wise, but its themes were accurate to the future scape it was attempting to create.

In the near future, violence is controlled in societies avoiding wars. Killing is allowed to violent individuals in a game called Big Hunt where the participants are alternatively Hunter or Victim. The winner of each round is awarded with a prize and the survivor after ten rounds, wins one million dollar award (in 1965).

When the American huntress Caroline Meredith (Ursula Andress) completes her ninth round, she comes to Rome to kill her tenth victim. She negotiates with the sponsor Ming Tea Company to kill his victim in front of the cameras. The cynical Marcello Poletti (Marcello Mastroianni) is her target and has just succeeded in his marriage annulment with Lidia (Luce Bonifassy) but has not disclosed to his lover Olga (Elsa Martinelli). Marcello suspects that Caroline is his hunter, but is not sure; further he falls in love with her and he is reluctant to kill her.

"La decima vittima" is a funny and entertaining comedy with a silly but cult story. The sexy Ursula Andress is in the top of her beauty and shows a perfect chemistry with Marcello Mastroianni. In the end, the viewer has 92 minutes of fun. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Décima Vítima" (The Tenth Victim")

Note: On 31 January 2023, I saw this film again.

In the future an organization sets up a game show that show people hunting each other. Two people are chosen: the Hunter and the Victim. Anything goes as the Victim flees for the designated time period. Marcello Mastorianni plays the most successful killer and then his number comes up as a victim. The hunters and victims have know knowledge of one another and Marcello must always be on guard. The hunter after him is the beautiful Ursula Andress, always dressed in knock-out fashions. Marcello's as cool as ever, always dressed in black, wearing sunglasses. The production design is fantastic. The colourful comic book architecture is the height of retro cool. For fan of Italian '60s pop art science fiction, this is one to check out.