Review of The Man Who Would Be King (1975) by Freddie F — 02 Apr 2010

How this movie has slipped so far under the radar is beyond me. I can understand it being an obscure gem in subsequent years following it's release, but how does it now, when there is a massive Sean Connery fan-base, still manage to be a barely spoken of movie?

"The Man Who Would Be King" stars the aforementioned Sean Connery as well as Michael Caine in an Oscar-worthy performance as two men who set out to train a group of uncivilized people to fight in an attempt of becoming their king. The movie is all about them and their personalities and the way they live through everything. Caine can be both striking, impressive and hilarious with his acting and he is just one of the several reasons the film is an absolute treat.

Without spoiling anything the movie shows the downfalls of human nature including greed and the lust for power. The movie never overplays them or becomes cliched, and in that lies the movie's beauty, it's subtlety is purely majestic. Once characters begin to change for the worst they aren't portrayed as awful villains in an unrealistic, and typical Hollywood style, but rather as a person who has lost their way and needs to be snapped out of their daze. The characters are human and they feel like real people, their actions always justified and not just to move the plot along.

The locations are striking and visually impacting. The cinematography is an important tool in feeling the hugeness of the world and the insignificance of the individual living in it by comparison. The soundtrack is often good enough to raise goosebumps, especially in the film's climactic and touching final sequence, but other times is just enough to give the viewer a sense of foreboding dread.

If you find yourself piecing the film together in your head and predicting what will happen in the finale then you have unlocked the glory of the film. It follows a realistic pattern that unfolds naturally following conventions where it makes sense and discarding them where it benefits the storytelling. All the time the viewer is totally enamored by Caine and Connery's performances, both of them completely in tune with their characters. Due partly to the screenplay and partly to the actors we don't feel like they are acting in a movie but rather telling a story as human people. When the ending rolls around we feel like we have lived the movie, and it makes it all the more.

The sheer scope of it is spectacular as well. The locations, the extras, the temples and monuments we see are all breathtaking. This is one movie that transcends the boundaries of entertainment and becomes an adventure. It holds a candle to "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" as the greatest adventure film ever, and that says a lot.

Ignore the fact that it is never spoken of and seek out this movie. "The Man Who Would Be King" tells a story that hits close to home because it is so rooted in human nature and emotion. A masterpiece.