During his long career, James Best mostly played likable characters...such as with his guest spots on "The Andy Griffith Show". The worst character I remember him playing is the deputy on "The Dukes of Hazard"....but he sure wasn't evil. Well, imagine my surprise when I saw this nice-guy actor playing a violent sex offender in "Man on the Prowl"!

When the story begins, Doug (Best) is on a date with a pretty young lady and they're in a car he has borrowed. He suddenly becomes very grabby with the lady and when she resists, he savagely beats her to death! Very soon after this, he begins making ovations at a young married lady (Mala Powers) and he definitely puts out creepy vibes...and she is afraid to resist his overtures too much. Obviously he's grooming her to his next victim and you wonder if the police will catch up to Doug before this wife and mother is yet another murder victim. However, he's so out of control that there are bound to be other victims as well....as well as the rest of her family if he gets the chance.

"Man on the Prowl" is a relatively low budget film that gets it right, so to speak. In other words, it captures how antisocial, evil and just plain creepy such individuals can be. I used to work with quite a few as a therapist (which, by the way, is pretty ineffective with such sociopaths)...and the writers and Best did a good job of capturing this sort of person. They certainly don't sugar coat him nor his actions! He is menacing....and vicious. Overall, an incredibly well done film and I greatly respect the fact that the film was made without fancy locations nor a huge budget.

The film noir subgenre emerged in the 1940s and 1950s and is characterized by its dark, moody atmosphere, intricate plots, morally ambiguous characters, and distinctive visual style. These stories often depict crime, mystery, and psychological drama with a strong emphasis on shadows, contrasts, and visual storytelling techniques. The term "film noir" is French for "black film."

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The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

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Psycho/slasher/sex maniac stalks a young woman.

James Best and Mala Powers in Man on the Prowl (1957)

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Man on the Prowl

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