The Naked Prey
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Glamorous leading man turned idiosyncratic auteur Cornel Wilde created in the 1960s and ’70s a handful of gritty, violent explorations of the nature of man, none more memorable than The Naked Prey. In the early nineteenth century, after an ivory-hunting safari offends a group of South African hunters, the colonialists are captured and hideously tortured. A lone marksman (Wilde) is released, without clothes or weapons, to be hunted for sport, and he begins a harrowing journey through savanna and jungle back to a primitive state. Distinguished by vivid widescreen camera work and unflinchingly ferocious action sequences, The Naked Prey is both a propulsive, stripped-to-the-bone narrative and a meditation on the concept of civilization. (Criterion)
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The popular concept of the human hunt in the not often seen setting of the African savannah. It’s clear that Cornel Wilde made the film almost by himself, but given how brisk and smart the result is, he can’t be blamed for his creative narcissism. The film hits the spot mainly thanks to its strong protagonists, the simple plot and the emphasis on the physical connection to the surrounding dangerous landscape. The pace wavers a little in the last act, but the narration delivers likeable human insight and impresses with a final gesture that highlights the natural respect and the order of the cruel but just traditions of the natives. 75%
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