The Man Who Would Be King

PG

Released Dec 17, 1975

2h 9m

Adventure

Action

List

97%

35 Reviews

Tomatometer

91%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Based on a short story by Rudyard Kipling, this adventure film follows the exploits of Peachy Carnehan (Michael Caine) and Danny Dravot (Sean Connery), English military officers stationed in India. Tired of life as soldiers, the two travel to the isolated land of Kafiristan, where they are ultimately embraced by the people and revered as rulers. After a series of misunderstandings, the natives come to believe that Dravot is a god, but he and Carnehan can't keep up their deception forever.

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Radne A

Loved it after decades. Only ever remembered the last scene until I finally watched it again. The storyline and the movie adaptation and the actors are brilliant

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/24

Full Review

alan g

Great movie. Sweeps you up in the action. Great chemistry between the leads. A lot of fun.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/22/24

Full Review

Satin B

Eventually got there for 2h3m, great cast, just a tad long-winded plus many ManY MANY scenes could have been left on the cutting room floor ⚠️

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/24

Full Review

Issy J

My Dad took me to watch this at the cinema on release way back then mid 70's. I was nearly 8 years old and what an impression it made on me. Real boys own stuff with a wonderful cast and exotic feel to the movie. Remains one of my all time favourites, if only to bask in the nostalgia and relive the memory of that first time seeing it with my Dad . He took me to see a reissue of Zulu that same year, another spectacular movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/31/24

Full Review

Alec B

Easily one of Huston's best movies. I tend to think the narrative sort of lulls you into thinking it is a certain kind of 19th century swashbuckling adventure, only to wind up as a cautionary tale.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/09/24

Full Review

Rami A

The Man Who Would Be King is not only an action, adventure film, but a fun film. It's one of the few films from the 70s that give that escapism vibe. Sean Connery, Michael Caine, and Christopher Plummer all steal the show with their performances.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/01/23

Full Review

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John Huston

Director

Sean Connery

Daniel Dravot

Michael Caine

Peachy Carnehan

Christopher Plummer

Rudyard Kipling

Saeed Jaffrey

Billy Fish

Karroum Ben Bouih

Kafu Selim

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Pauline Kael

New Yorker

The director's love of the material is palpable; it makes one smile.

Oct 25, 2023

Full Review

Geoff Brown

Sight & Sound

The result, as one might expect, is lively, totally assured, and certainly one of Huston's more bracing movies, though inevitably the story emerges much expanded, with different emphases.

Jan 28, 2020

Full Review

Jay Cocks

TIME Magazine

John Huston has been wanting to make this movie for more than 20 years. It was worth the wait.

Apr 20, 2010

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

Taken within its “closer to ‘Gunga Din’ than ‘Dances with Wolves'” context, “The Man Who Would be King” strikes one as a classic of the “They don’t make’em like that any more, and maybe there’s a reason” school.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 3, 2024

Full Review

Steve Warren

The Barb (Atlanta)

There is no point to The Man Who Would Be King-- it's just for fun, like the movie epics they used to make.

May 9, 2023

Full Review

David Dugas

United Press International

Huston finally has realized his ambition with the pretty much perfect teaming of Sean Connery and Michael Caine. Christopher Plummer is excellent as Kipling himself and it's a bloody good show.

Aug 3, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Based on a short story by Rudyard Kipling, this adventure film follows the exploits of Peachy Carnehan (Michael Caine) and Danny Dravot (Sean Connery), English military officers stationed in India. Tired of life as soldiers, the two travel to the isolated land of Kafiristan, where they are ultimately embraced by the people and revered as rulers. After a series of misunderstandings, the natives come to believe that Dravot is a god, but he and Carnehan can't keep up their deception forever.

Director: John Huston
Screenwriter: John Huston, Gladys Hill
Distributor: Allied Artists Pictures
Production Co: Allied Artists, Columbia Pictures Corporation, Devon/Persky-Bright
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 17, 1975, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 14, 2014
Runtime: 2h 9m

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