THE 10TH VICTIM

THE 10TH VICTIM: Generations from now several facts about the 20th century will still be debated. Who was more influential, Ghandi or Mother Theresa? Which group left a bigger impact on rock ‘n roll, The Beatles or The Stones? And exactly which film was responsible for inventing the bikini machine gun, Austin Powers or The 10th Victim? Well, you can check that one off the list. As Blue-Underground’s reissue of this little seen Italian import proves, director Elio Petri’s sci-fi satire beat Mike Myers to the punch by a good 30 years. Ursula Andress wears the lethal swimwear this time around as a participant in a worldwide competition called “The Big Hunt” in which combatants take turn playing the Hunter and the Victim with a cash prize of (wait for it) “One Meee-lion Dollars!” Marcello Mastroianni is her intended target, whom she woos with her signature technique. But when romantic feelings start to surface, both parties begin to question if the big prize is really worth it. Many of the film’s more outlandish ideas have been co-opted by later works, namely Death Race 2000 and The Running Man, but few have retained its clever dark humor. One Hunter, standing proudly over the body of his latest Victim, is confronted by a cop who says “Is that your car parked illegally over there? I’m gonna have to write you a ticket.” Far afield from what was typically coming out of Italy in 1965, The 10th Victim is innovate and remarkable stuff for its time. Extras include a theatrical trailer and talent bios.