The Man Who Would Be King – 1975 – English – Adventures
The Man Who Would Be King – 1975 – English
Adventures film directed in 1975 by John Huston, and starring Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer, Saeed Jaffrey, Doghmi Larbi, Shakira Caine, Karroom Ben Bouih, Jack May, Mohammed Shamsi, Albert Moses, Paul Antrim, Graham Acres…
Synopsis: This adaptation of the famous short story by Rudyard Kipling tells the story of Daniel Dravot and Peachy Carnahan, two ex-soldiers in India when it was under British rule. They decide that the country is too small for them, so they head off to Kafiristan in order to become Kings in their own right. Kipling is seen as a character that was there at the beginning, and at the end of this glorious tale.
Review: The greatest “buddy film” of all time. What makes this so? First off, casting two real life friends, Sean Connery and Michael Caine. Second, all other “buddy films” are simply comedies. And while the Man Who Would Be King has some laughs in it, and Connery and Caine bounce off of each other almost as good as Abbott and Costello, the story itself is a drama. And what a drama it is. Two English soldiers set out to be the rulers of a country, but can anyone who was a grunt one day, and a king the next, become a King without getting an inflated ego? The answer is no and that becomes the ultimate test for these two friends. Terrific performances by Caine, Connery and even Christopher Plummer, who gives a brief, but good performance as Rudyard Kipling, the man who wrote the short story this film was based on. This film features perhaps the greatest ending to a movie ever made. You will never forget it, and you will wish that you had a friendship as strong as these two individuals.