Richard Connell’s 1924 short story “The Most Dangerous Game” has inspired many adaptations. Yet, none have come close to capturing that premise as a certain episode of a long-running television did back in the late 70s, one that featured Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, because if you were to imagine a “Most Dangerous Game” you’d be hard-pressed to come up with something more dangerous than the Incredible Hulk.
The plot of this episode is fairly basic, David ‘Bennet’ (Bill Bixby) is invited by millionaire Michael Sutton (Bradford Dillman) to play a game of chess on his private island, unfortunately for David, the man turns out not to be so much a chess enthusiast as he is a hunter of “The Most Dangerous Game” and he has chosen David as his prey du jour. The two cross paths in an airport terminal, David’s plane to Miami is delayed by weather while Sutton’s private jet stops here for quick repairs. To pass the time the two sit down for a friendly game of chess, which our hero wins, but when David’s flight is cancelled Sutton offers to put him up at his private island, to which his jet would later fly David to Miami the following morning. He reluctantly accepts this invitation and soon finds himself being given a tour of a hunter’s paradise. If only David had known what was to follow he would have thrown the game.
“Mister Sutton, when I toss a chess board in anger, you better run.”
During the evening, Banner and Sutton eat a fine dinner of rattlesnakes, drink wine, and partake in a game of chess. Well, the game doesn’t quite get past the opening move as Sutton has drugged the wine and Banner passes out, only to awaken the next day in an open grave. Surrounded by graves of other “participants” David learns that Sutton had grown bored of hunting animals and has found that “man” adds a more intellectual challenge to the hunt so he lures unsuspecting guests to his little hunting preserve for a little man versus man action, of course, what Sutton doesn’t know is that David Bennet is actually David Banner, The Incredible Hulk (Lou Ferrigno). While David is able to avoid a net snare he does stumble into a pit trap and it is the sting of a passing scorpion that unleashes the raging monster within. I love the fact that falling into a pit wasn’t enough to trigger the transformation, that it took an extra “fuck you” from the fates and a nasty little scorpion to get David to Hulk-Out.
“Hulk not like stinging little bastards, also scorpions.”
Unlike a normal person, Sutton doesn’t react with pants-pissing fear at the sight of this raging green monster, instead, he considers this new antagonist to be an even better sport than some random dude who beat him at chess. Thinking back, I don’t quite understand Sutton’s audition process. You’d think he’d want to face off against former Green Berets or at least other big game hunters like himself, but this actually works in the episode’s favour. Sutton isn’t some world-class foe like Kraven the Hunter, he’s a petty jerk who only picked David as prey because he beat him at chess and no one would notice him missing. This makes Sutton not only a memorable foe but one with a more complex motivation, at least more than what we see in many shows of this type, and it’s his character flaws that make him quite interesting. That Sutton doesn’t give up after his first encounter with the Hulk, where the big guy drops a tree on him, shows that he has some modicum of courage.
Or he’s more psychotic than previously assumed.
From this point on it becomes a cat-and-mouse game between Banner and his psychotic stalker – our hero must solve puzzles and avoid traps much in the way Jigsaw would later orchestrate in the Saw movies – but what makes this adaptation of “The Most Dangerous Game” so good isn’t the fact that the villain got more than he bargained for in this particular game but that he is actually excited about taking on such a fearsome opponent as the Hulk, decrying to the sky “I saw that beast you turned into David, unbelievable! What was it, how do you do it? It was magnificent, David, Magnificent! Make it come back?” He is so far gone with his desire to take down this “ultimate prey” that when he eventually corners Banner, he doesn’t deliver the coup de grâce, instead, he proceeds to beat Banner with a bullwhip in an attempt to bring forth the beast.
I guess you can’t argue with success.
Stray Observations:
• Two days before this episode aired, an episode of Charlie’s Angels titled “Angel Hunt” was broadcast and featured the Angels being tricked into coming to an island where they were also hunted by a madman.
• Three years earlier Bill Bixby starred in the pilot for Fantasy Island, which also featured a take on “The Most Dangerous Game,” though Bixby wasn’t in that particular segment.
• The Hulk certainly isn’t a novice when it comes to being hunted, in season four’s “Bring Me the Head of the Hulk” a mercenary determined to kill The Hulk sets up the perfect trap in order to locate him.
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The Hulk’s “Gentle Giant” nature is highlighted in this episode when he
rescues a pair of baby birds when their nest is dislodged by one of
Sutton’s tripwire traps.
The Hulk is a friend to all animals.
Directed by Frank Orsatti and co-written by Richard Christian Matheson and Tom Szollosi “Snare” is one of the top ten episodes to come out of the five-year run of The Incredible Hulk and if there is any criticism to level at this episode it’s that the producers were hampered by the show’s budget and formula – you only get two Hulk transformations per episode and the Hulk can not directly harm anyone and certainly not kill them – and this limitation definitely lessened the impact of a crazed hunter versus the Hulk. More bizarre is the fact that not only doesn’t the Hulk simply rip this asshat’s head off – Sutton dies due to accidentally stabbing himself with a poisoned tip arrow and then falling off a cliff to the lake below – and the Hulk actually goes down to retrieve the body.
Was the Hulk planning to try CPR?
Needless to say, Bill Bixby gives a great performance as a man who has become resigned to the fact that his life sucks and that he will constantly be pulled into these types of situations – from hijacked planes to vengeful ghosts he meets all kinds of problems – but what makes “Snare” such as standout episode is guest-star Bradford Dillman as the demented hunter obsessed with catching the ultimate prey, his performance is nothing short of Emmy worthy and makes every moment of his screen time a true joy to behold. Overall, this episode was a very fun take on “The Most Dangerous Game” and while I would have loved to have seen a more physical altercation between Sutton and the Hulk that doesn’t take away from “Snare” being an excellent entry in the series.
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