Open Season (1974)

Waste of time

Such a frustrating disappointment

Overrated

Blistering performances.

Affable Ken (superbly played with chilling teddy bear charm by Peter Fonda), macho Greg (a terrific John Phillip Law), and nerdy, neurotic Art (a fine portrayal by Richard Lynch) are three Vietnam war veteran buddies who once a year let it all hang out for two weeks: they drink booze, have sex with whores, and mercilessly hunt people down in the woods like animals at their remote woodland retreat. The trio abduct married businessman Martin (solid Alberto de Mendoza) and his fetching mistress Nancy Stillman (lovely Cornelia Sharpe) and ruthlessly torment the couple prior to setting them loose for the big hunt. Director Peter Collinson, working from a harsh and twisted script by David D. Osborn and Liz Charles-Williams, relates the grim and gripping plot at a steady pace, maintains an appropriately hard, gritty, and mean-spirited tone throughout, builds a good deal of nerve-wracking suspense that culminates in an especially harrowing last third, and punctuates the sordid narrative with stark and startling moments of raw brutal violence. Moreover, this variant on that hoary old chestnut "The Most Dangerous Game" with elements of "Straw Dogs" and "Deliverance" tossed in for extra nasty measure makes a pertinent and provocative point on how war and military training turn men into lethal and predatory cold-blooded killers. Fonda, Law, and Lynch display a natural and convincing chemistry as our deadly threesome, with Fonda in particular a stand-out as a smooth-taking psychopath who hides his true savage nature behind a deceptively friendly veneer. William Holden acquits himself well in the small, yet pivotal role of the vengeful father of one of Ken's victims. Fernando Arribas' polished cinematography makes expert use of dewy soft focus, freeze frames, and the telescopic lens. The breathtakingly gorgeous sylvan scenery and Ruggero Cini's jaunty banjo score nicely contrast the otherwise bleak and nihilistic material. Well worth checking out.

Get some decent Americn actors on the cheap, film in the mountains outside of Madrid to cut expenses, play it for the U.S. market and you end up with this film. I think that is the main reason so many male reviewers on this site think this is a terrific film. Because of the European sleaze factor of one pretty single woman in a mountain cabin with men with guns. The plot has been explained by many others but (Spoiler alert) most missed the fact that Fonda had fathered a child years earlier when he and his "clean-cut" pals gang raped Holden's daughter and got away Scot-free. That's why Holden shows up at the end to exact revenge and to stop these guys. I just watched a tape of it and am selling it fast and cheap so it won't contaminate my library of films.

This film was different, but very good. The beginning was interesting, and Peter Fonda played really well, he made this film worth watching. Although he was a "bad guy", he had a certain hidden charm. I wish this film would come out on DVD, so I could buy it.

As has been pointed out 'Open Season's basic premise takes inspiration from Richard Connell's classic suspense story 'The Most Dangerous Game', first filmed back in the 30s with 'King Kong's Fay Wray, and continually used ever since. Many a trash classic has been indebted to it, not least of which the ultra-cheesy 'Turkey Shoot' (with Steve Railsback), and John Woo's 'Hard Target' starring Van Damme and Lance Henriksen. The reason it gets reused over and over? Because it bloody well works every time!'Open Season' isn't just another rip off in my opinion. The actual "game" only takes up a small segment of the movie, and the focus is more on the relationship between the three hunters and their guests. Some complain it's boring or two slow movie. Not me, I loved every minute of it. The main reason being the three leads are played by Peter Fonda, John Phillip Law and Richard Lynch, three cult film legends. Even one of these guys being in a movie is enough to get me viewing, but having all three is manna from heaven!Peter Fonda was going through his strange post-'Easy Rider' period where he was starring in lots of b-grade Drive In fare like 'Dirty Mary Crazy Larry', 'Race With The Devil' and 'Futureworld', and wearing orange shades a lot. John Phillip Law will never be forgotten for his roles in 60s camp classics 'Barbarella' and Mario Bava's 'Diabolik'. At this time he was about to reach his commercial peak playing Sinbad in 'The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad' before slowly descending into video hell. Richard Lynch had recently had a small but memorable role in the excellent Gene Hackman/Al Pacino road movie 'Scarecrow', but would go on to appear in Larry Cohen's 'God Told Me To', William Peter Blatty's cult classic 'The Ninth Configuration', and innumerable z-grade action, horror and sci fi flicks.Fonda, Law and Lynch play Ken, Greg and Art, three middle class family men and war buddies who go on their annual hunting trip. Along the way they meet a couple having an affair and "invite" them to be guests in their cabin on a small island. The couple think it's a kidnap attempt and are puzzled why no ransom is discussed. The guys attempt to show them a booze fuelled "good time" with mixed results. Eventually the holiday is over and the "guests" are free to leave. However there is a slight catch...Yup, you guessed it! What nobody realizes though is that they aren't alone on the island, and things may not go exactly to plan this year.Movies like 'Open Season' are what I live for! A 1970s exploitation classic ripe for rediscovery.