Monday, October 14, 2013

Movie of the Week – The Man Who Would Be King

This week’s movie: The Man Who Would Be King (1975).

This story of friendship follows Daniel Dravot and Peachy Carnehan, two British soldiers in India who decide to leave the army and embark on an adventure to Kafiristan. It is a land in which no white man has stepped since Alexander the Great. In such a land, these two common men could be kings, if not deities.

The film is written and directed by the great Hollywood filmmaker John Huston. He is also responsible for such wonderful films as The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Key Largo, and The African Queen. The Man Who Would Be King, however, is his last great film and the best of his later years (of note as well: he took a strong supporting role in Chinatown around the same time he made this). Huston worked with excellent composer Maurice Jarre (whose score for Lawrence of Arabia is one of cinema’s best), cinematographer Oswald Morris, and production designer Alexandre Trauner.

The cast is also fantastic. Sean Connery and Michael Caine star, and have great chemistry together. Christopher Plummer and Saeed Jaffrey feature in support.

Based on a story by Rudyard Kipling (the great British poet), The Man Who Would Be King is an exceptional buddy film. Connery and Caine work so well together, making the adventure they undertake an enjoyable cinematic experience with fun action and comedy. And, they are both strong actors as well, enabling the film to also play as a good drama. The film has become somewhat forgotten in time, but it is well worth looking up for fans of Connery, Caine, Huston, and/or adventure films.


Trailer: Here
Available on: Blu-ray and Video On-Demand

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