MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Up 221 this week

The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

7.9
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.9/10 from 27,119 users  
Reviews: 144 user | 43 critic

Two British soldiers in India decide to resign from the Army and set themselves up as deities in Kafiristan--a land where no white man has set foot since Alexander.

Director:

Writers:

(screenplay), (screenplay), 1 more credit »
0Check in
0Share...

Related News

First Time Fest – Report #2
| Blogomatic3000
The 300 Greatest Films Ever Made (Part 14)
| Cinelinx

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 2369 titles created 4 months ago
 
a list of 10000 titles created 2 months ago
 
a list of 1269 titles created 6 months ago
 
a list of 1555 titles created 11 months ago
 
a list of 2057 titles created 10 Aug 2011
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

The Man Who Would Be King (1975) on IMDb 7.9/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of The Man Who Would Be King.
Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 4 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Action | Adventure
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.7/10 X  

Archeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the US government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis.

Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman
Action | Adventure
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

After arriving in India, Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone. He agrees, and stumbles upon a secret cult plotting a terrible plan in the catacombs of an ancient palace.

Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Jonathan Ke Quan
Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending USA ideals.

Director: Joe Johnston
Stars: Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving
Adventure | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

Lured by gold, two greedy peasants escort a man and woman across enemy lines. However, they do not realize that their companions are actually a princess and her general.

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara
Hero (2002)
Action | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

One man defeated three assassins who sought to murder the most powerful warlord in pre-unified China.

Director: Yimou Zhang
Stars: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung
Action | Adventure
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.3/10 X  

Famed archaeologist/adventurer Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones is called back into action when he becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls.

Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen
Goldfinger (1964)
Action | Adventure | Crime
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

Investigating a gold magnate's smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve.

Director: Guy Hamilton
Stars: Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Gert Fröbe
Ironclad (2011)
Action | Adventure
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.1/10 X  

In 13th-century England, a small group of Knights Templar fight to defend Rochester Castle against the tyrannical King John.

Director: Jonathan English
Stars: James Purefoy, Brian Cox, Paul Giamatti
Red River (1948)
Action | Adventure | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

Dunson is driving his cattle to Red River when his adopted son, Matthew, turns against him.

Directors: Howard Hawks, Arthur Rosson
Stars: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Joanne Dru
Action | Adventure
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.3/10 X  

When Dr. Henry Jones Sr. suddenly goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, eminent archaeologist Indiana Jones must follow in his father's footsteps and stop the Nazis.

Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott
Action | Adventure | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

In 1984, the USSR's best submarine captain in their newest sub violates orders and heads for the USA. Is he trying to defect, or to start a war?

Director: John McTiernan
Stars: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn
Action | Adventure | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

When Prince John and the Norman Lords begin oppressing the Saxon masses in King Richard's absence, a Saxon lord fights back as the outlaw leader of a rebel guerrilla army.

Directors: Michael Curtiz, William Keighley
Stars: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone
Edit

Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
...
...
...
Doghmi Larbi ...
Ootah
Jack May ...
District Commissioner
Karroom Ben Bouih ...
Kafu Selim
Mohammad Shamsi ...
Babu
...
Ghulam
Paul Antrim ...
Mulvaney
Graham Acres ...
Officer
The Blue Dancers of Goulamine ...
Dancers
Shakira Caine ...
Roxanne
Edit

Storyline

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. Written by Greg Bole <bole@life.bio.sunysb.edu>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

india | king | fall | soldier | rifle | See more »

Taglines:

Rudyard Kipling's epic of splendor, spectacle and high adventure at the top of a legendary world. See more »

Genres:

Action | Adventure

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

|

Language:

Release Date:

17 December 1975 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Rudyard Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Albert Whitlock completed the matte painting of the fortress in only six hours. See more »

Goofs

When Peachy and Danny travel with the caravan into the Khyber Pass, all of the camels are Arabian (aka dromedaries), rather than Asian (Bactrian) beasts. This is not an error. Despite their names, both species are present and available in their domestic form in eastern Afghanistan, where the Khyber Pass is, and have been for centuries before the events of the movie take place. See more »

Quotes

Daniel Dravot: [admiring Roxanne, while a worried Peachy looks on] Just looking, Peachy. There's such a thing as admiring beauty for its own sake.
Peachy Carnehan: [sharply] Being only human, one thing leads to another.
See more »

Connections

Featured in A Century of Cinema (1994) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

Great story, great acting and great fun
30 December 2002 | by See all my reviews

Danny and Peaches are two officers in the British army who find themselves at a loss when their services are no longer required in Asia. While blackmailing a local Raj, the pair are exposed by author Rudyard Kipling and brought before an officer. They are warned but released. Later the visit Kipling to get him to witness a contract for their latest plan – to become kings of a small country by training a village to conquer the rest of the villages and then leave months later with riches. The conquest begins in earnest, but when Danny's vigour in battle makes him appear to be a god to the villagers new dangers are introduced.

I have seen two interviews recently with the two leads (separately) and both time clips of this film were shown that made me think `I must watch that again'. Come Christmas and the repeats on all channels gave me the chance to see it. I had forgotten just how funny the film is and it really helps the film to be an enjoyable adventure to add to the dark edges. The plot is from a Kipling story so it is of a good stock and stands up well. The addition of humour is well pitched and really helps.

It is a great adventure story, with a cautionary twist in the tale and can be enjoyed on all levels. The directing is as good as you'd hope from Huston but what really made the film for me was the two leads on top form. Both Connery and Caine have a great chemistry and totally convince as the old school military types. They bring the roles to life and make them enjoyable and get us behind them effortlessly. Admittedly most of the support cast are only jabbering natives who aren't allowed characters with the odd exception. Plummer is good in a minor role but this is the Connery/Caine show all the way.

Overall this is a great story that is well told by director Huston. The film is made even better by the gentle camaraderie between Connery and Caine and the good vein of humour that underpins the strong story and quite downbeat climax to Caine's story.


25 of 34 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Are either Masons? dds740324
Despicable characters apache67
This is the movie that lost my faith in the Oscars empoascafabae
Similarities to APOCALYPSE NOW atiauo
question about missing scene Tavish_McDonell
the masonic aspects IRONRANGER116
Discuss The Man Who Would Be King (1975) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?