Punishment Park (1971)
Directed by Peter Watkins
In this fictional documentary, U.S. prisons are at capacity, and President Nixon declares a state of emergency. All new prisoners, most of whom are connected to the antiwar movement, are now given the choice of jail time or spending three days in Punishment Park, where they will be hunted for sport by federal authorities. The prisoners invariably choose the latter option, but learn that, between the desert heat and the brutal police officers, their chances of survival are slim.
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What critics compared Punishment Park to
Yet beginning with Richard Connell’s 1924 short story The Most Dangerous Game and RKO’s 1932 adaptation of the same name, from Battle Royale in Japan, Turkey Shoot in Australia and The 10th Victim in Italy right through to Peter Watkins’ docu-drama Punishment Park and the more recent blockbuster The Hunger Games franchise in the United States, the idea of humans hunting humans has a long, global history on screen.