Overview
Two soldiers seek glory and power in a land untouched by civilization, but their ambition leads to unforeseen consequences.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- witty
- brassy
- exuberant
- classic adventure night
- family movie night with older children
What critics said
Critics broadly regard John Huston's adaptation as a thrilling, witty, literate, and faithful classic adventure enriched by strong characterizations and its meditation on ambition and colonialism.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Rudyard Kipling appears at the beginning and end as the figure connected to Daniel Dravot and Peachy Carnehan's story.
The pair exploit their military experience and local belief to make themselves rulers of Kafiristan, while the film reflects on British colonial excess.
Connery and Caine play ex-soldiers whose con-man partnership drives the journey, comic exchanges, and escalating ambitions.
The expedition from colonial India into Kafiristan unfolds through expansive Hindu Kush landscapes, armies, and coronation imagery.
Films like The Man Who Would Be King, and why
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
swashbuckling adventure, colonial-era setting, charismatic male partnership, and meditation on greed and ambition
The African Queen
classic adventure spectacle, vivid performances, comic bravado, and friendship tested by ambition
Lawrence of Arabia
period adventure, imperial setting, morally complicated heroism, and expansive landscape photography
The Four Feathers
literary adaptation combining witty dialogue, exotic travel, masculine camaraderie, and tragic ambition
Movie Details
- Director
- John Huston
- Release Date
- 1975-12-03
- Runtime
- 129 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (740)
Cast
- Sean Connery
- Michael Caine
- Christopher Plummer
- Saeed Jaffrey
- Doghmi Larbi
- Jack May
- Karroom Ben Bouih
- Mohammad Shamsi
- Albert Moses
- Paul Antrim
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Man Who Would Be King about?
- Two swaggering ex-soldiers turn a colonial con into a mountain kingdom, only to discover that borrowed divinity cannot contain human ambition.
- What is The Man Who Would Be King like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Man Who Would Be King as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Man Who Would Be King violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Man Who Would Be King as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Man Who Would Be King?
- Critics broadly regard John Huston's adaptation as a thrilling, witty, literate, and faithful classic adventure enriched by strong characterizations and its meditation on ambition and colonialism.
- Which films are like The Man Who Would Be King?
- Films with a similar feel include The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The African Queen, Lawrence of Arabia, and The Four Feathers.
- How long is The Man Who Would Be King?
- The Man Who Would Be King runs 129 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Man Who Would Be King?
- In United States, The Man Who Would Be King is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
