The Man Who Would Be King

Columbia/Allied Artists. Director John Huston; Producer John Foreman; Screenplay John Huston, Gladys Hill; Camera Oswald Morris; Editor Russell Lloyd; Music Maurice Jarre; Art Director Alexander Trauner

Sean Connery
Michael Caine
Christopher Plummer
Saeed Jaffrey
Shakira Caine

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.

As Peachy Carnehan, a loudmouth braggart and former soldier in the Indian army, Caine joins forces with another veteran, Daniel Dravot (Sean Connery), to make their fortunes in a mountain land beyond Afghanistan. Connery, in the title role, gives a generally credible, but not very sympathetic, portrayal of the man thrust into potential greatness.

The most redeeming aspect of the film is the performance of Christopher Plummer as Rudyard Kipling, from whose classic story pic is a variation. Despite the small amount of footage he well deserves his star billing.

1975: Nominations: Best Adapted Screenplay, Costume Design, Art Direction, Editing

(Color) Widescreen. Available on VHS, DVD. Extract of a review from 1975. Running time: 129 MIN.

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