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The Man Who Would Be King

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United Kingdom, United States · 1975
Rated PG · 2h 9m
Director John Huston
Starring Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer, Saeed Jaffrey
Genre Adventure, Drama

A swashbuckling adventure story about two British explorers who take over primitive Kafiristan as "godlike" rulers, meeting a tragic end through their desire for a native girl. Based on a short story by Rudyard Kipling, director John Huston fills the film with romance and fantasy and fun.

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What are critics saying?

50

Variety by

Whether it was the intention of John Huston or not, the tale of action and adventure is a too-broad comedy, mostly due to the poor performance of Michael Caine.

100

Salon by Charles Taylor

The triumph of the movie isn't just Huston's realization of a longtime dream to bring the Kipling story to the screen but the way he both honors classical movie tradition and brings it forward into a new era.

88

Philadelphia Inquirer by Desmond Ryan

The way that power and wealth corrupt the spirit is a recurring theme in Huston's work, and it is served up here in a hugely entertaining fashion. [17 Mar 1995, p.11]

80

Empire by Ian Nathan

Huston revels in he opportunity for old-fashioned splendour, granting the film the sunset glow of Lawrence Of Arabia and the swashbuckling cadence worthy of the Errol Flynn days. It’s the artful mix of Kipling’s own writing, flights of fantasy with a political core.

100

Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert

John Huston's The Man Who Would Be King is swashbuckling adventure, pure and simple, from the hand of a master. It's unabashed and thrilling and fun.

90

The New York Times by Vincent Canby

The movie, which was shot in Morocco, looks lovely and remote (how did we ever once settle for those black-and-white Hollywood hills?) and has just enough romantic nonsense in it to enchant the child in each of us.

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