The 10th Victim

"I think this 1965 Italian satirical sci-fi film is the first to do the “human hunting as reality TV” plot which would later be used by films like The Running Man, Battle Royale and The Hunger Games. The action elements are lacking here but the satire is fun. Marcello Mastroianni (8 1/2) plays one of the main competitors and he seems to be fatalistically welcoming his upcoming death. His wife and his mistress are both emptying his bank accounts and driving him nuts. His side hustle as a sun cult leader has fallen on hard times because the neo-realists (which is funny if you look at his other credits) show up and pelt him w/ garbage at his sermons. Ursula Andress plays the woman hunting him down. Her character, in particular, was a huge influence on the Austin Powers franchise. There are a lot of fun ideas here, even if many of them aren’t totally fleshed out. It’s worth the watch if you’re looking for something different and don’t mind subtitles. 3.5/5 stars."