Before The Hunger Games, there was a 1965 Italian satire about televised state-sanctioned murder.

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In the year 2079, humanity avoids global war by turning homicide into a government-sponsored spectator sport. The 10th Victim, a stylish blend of pop art and social commentary, follows two elite contestants whose lethal game of cat-and-mouse is interrupted by an inconvenient, and potentially fatal, romantic attraction.

Directed by Elio Petri and released in 1965, The 10th Victim is a socio-political satire set in a future where violent impulses are channeled into 'The Big Hunt.' To prevent a fourth world war, the state mandates that citizens with aggressive tendencies participate in ten rounds of combat, alternating between hunter and victim. The winner of these televised duels gains immense wealth and the right to retire, turning state-sanctioned manslaughter into the world's most popular form of entertainment.

The film stars Marcello Mastroianni as Marcello Poletti, a veteran contestant, and Ursula Andress as Caroline Meredith, a hunter aiming for her tenth and final kill. While the original 1953 short story by Robert Sheckley featured a man hunting a woman, Petri’s adaptation flips the roles and introduces a comedic, romantic subplot. This shift was largely driven by producer Carlo Ponti, who mandated lighter elements against Petri’s original vision of a more pessimistic, science-fiction-heavy narrative. Filmed in Rome and New York City at the height of the pop art movement, the movie juxtaposes ancient architecture with futuristic, stylized aesthetics.

Though it performed below expectations in Italy, grossing just over 620 million lire, the film has since gained a cult following. It is widely recognized as a forerunner to modern media depicting televised death games, such as The Hunger Games and Battle Royale. Critics remain divided; while some contemporary reviewers found the satire 'excessive' and 'self-conscious,' others praised its visual flair. Today, it stands as a significant, if polarizing, piece of cinema that influenced later works, including the Austin Powers franchise, which famously borrowed from its distinct visual style.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• How a circle of expatriate women navigated the rise of fascism in 1930s Italy
• Bernardo Bertolucci’s La Luna: A polarizing collision of Freudian drama and operatic excess
• A cinematic scandal that ruined a Hollywood icon and birthed modern European film
• A 1949 Italian masterpiece used a clever linguistic pun to critique postwar cultural shifts.
• How Roberto Rossellini captured the moral collapse of a nation in post-war Berlin
• A massive 1999 box-office bomb that became a cult classic for its unique hero
• A Hollywood director turned his own Malibu home into a set for this 1986 film
• A peasant's harrowing journey through the shifting borders of World War II Europe
• Why did one director cast two different actresses to play the same character?
• How a 1962 Epic About Ancient Greece Became a Surprise Cold War Icon
• The 1964 French adventure that inspired Indiana Jones and conquered the global box office
• How Hollywood transformed the harrowing 2010 Chilean mining disaster into a cinematic spectacle

More in Films · More in Entertainment · Latest · A–Z · All topics