The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

An adventure film based on the short story by Rudyard Kipling.

Laura’s Rating: 3/5 Stars

Plot: Two British ex-military officers set out to take over the remote land of Kafiristan. After mistaking one of them for a god, the native people revere their new leaders. Can the two men keep up the facade or will their empire ultimately crumble?

Opinion: A movie starring Michael Caine and Sean Connery? I was interested. Despite some good scenes, I didn’t love this movie. I don’t mind an older movie, but this one felt dated in a way that I didn’t love. The setting remains exotic and exciting, but the movie features out of date attitudes about foreign cultures. The women in the movie were simply treasures to be won and the whole thing felt very masculine in its storytelling. I think this movie is very much a product of its time that doesn’t function as well for modern audiences.

There’s some funny lines and good adventure scenes but The Man Who Would Be King was just okay in my opinion.