Review of The Man Who Would Be King (1975) by Lanning : — 07 Jan 2008
You call it luck. I call it destiny. And, in the darkness of 20-20 hindsight, it could be called fate. Fatal. The fatal flaw. Hubris. Greed. The egotistical assumption of divine calling. Delusions of grandeur.
A never-ending laundry list of tragic flaws unfolding in the character of unthinking people and obtuse peoples. The rise and fall of Daniel Dravot; the rise and fall of the British Empire. Kipling and Huston tell the age-old tale of the quest to reach out, reach out and conquer someone.
It is an historically repetitive universal tale of tragic overreach which can rarely end happily. But the English author, my dear Rudyard Kipling, who was born and lived in India, in Vermont, and in England, points fingers not just at his own English countrymen.
The phrase "savages all" comes to mind. No people is perfect. Some are just more egregiously and overbearingly imperfect than others. 09/11/06 update: On this fifth anniversary of 9-11, Kipling's story is ringing some huge bells.
The abysmally ignorant and avaricious clawing of George Bush and his twistedly horrid group of dark-force jackass -- just say no to politics. Sorry. My apologies. I must remember to restrain this kind of venting.
So for a brilliant segue: The team of Connery and Caine is another beautifully energetic male pairing not to be missed. A great friendship/road movie despite the downside. If you've not seen this gem, flixster friends, you must do so as soon as the opportunity presents itself.
You will not be disappointed. Note: Michael Caine's real-life wife, Shakira Caine, who, kinkily enough, plays Sean Connery's love interest in this movie, adds a whole other level to the intrigue value of this movie.
This review of The Man Who Would Be King (1975) was written by Lanning : on 07 Jan 2008.
The Man Who Would Be King has generally received very positive reviews.
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