Farewell to the King (1989)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

John Milius

Writers (WGA):

Pierre Schoendoerffer (book)
John Milius (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 March 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | War

Tagline:

In the midst of war, one man vanished into the jungle, and emerged as king.

Plot:

An American soldier who escapes the execution of his comrades by Japanese soldiers in Borneo during...

Plot Keywords:

Japanese | Soldier | British | WWII | Borneo

Cast

Nigel Havers	...	Capt. Fairbourne
Frank McRae	...	Sgt. Tenga
Gerry Lopez	...	Gwai
Nick Nolte	...	Learoyd
Marilyn Tokuda	...	Yoo
Choy Chang Wing	...	Lian
Aki Aleong	...	Col. Mitamura
Marius Weyers	...	Sgt. Conklin
William Wise	...	Dynamite Dave
Wayne Pygram	...	Bren Armstrong
Richard Morgan	...	Strech Lewis
Elan Oberon	...	Vivienne
James Fox	...	Col. Ferguson
Michael Nissman	...	Gen. Sutherland
John Bennett Perry	...	Gen. MacArthur

Runtime:

Argentina:115 min | UK:117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:16 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #28820) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Hawaii, USA

Company:

Cine Location Services

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Lian the Magnificent's lips don't match his words.

Quotes:

Learoyd: I could sell your heads to the Japs.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Dinosaur Island (1994)

a stirring and sentimental adventure in the grand tradition

This is one of the best films of the 80's yet it is criminally overlooked. Released in an era when Rambo was king, it seems many people just didn't get the film's messages of loyalty, redemption and personal integrity. In other words, it is a true adventure and not just a bang-bang action flick. The kind of movie we need to see more of. Nick Nolte has never been one of my favorite actors but he shines as the gruff King Learoyd. Learoyd is a man of action on the surface but he has been running from conflict his whole life. When he sees that the justice of our "real world" is perverted beyond hope, he retreats to the more honorable world of primitive, uncorrupted Borneo.Eventually, the real world intrudes in the form of World War 2. As The Botanist tells him, "you can no longer avoid history". Learoyd replies, "The world's so full of crap that you're bound to step in it someday. Is that what you call history?" Finally, Learoyd can no longer hide and the war hits him with its full fury. He is shattered by loss yet not unbeaten.He retains his integrity and transcends to non-violence. In one of the film's most emotional scenes, he accepts the surrender of the Japanese Colonel who has tormented him with grace and understanding, leading to the Colonel's own redemption. This is a gorgeous film. full of breathtaking scenery and well-conceived action. The performances are all top-notch, especially Nigel Havers as The Botanist. Why is Havers seen so little?He seems to be an actor of depth and talent. I also enjoyed the character of Tenga, who brought some welcome humor to the movie. Farewell to the King can be accused of being too sentimental and I can't disagree. There are worse things to have in a movie than sentiment, though. I hope this film achieves some of the recognition it is due. It is certainly John Milius' best.