The Man Who Would Be King
1975 · Movie · PG · 129 min · ★ 7.5 · 94% critics
Two ex-soldiers leave their old life behind and head to the remote land of Kafiristan, where they’re welcomed by locals and treated like rulers. Misunderstandings grow into a belief that one of them is a god, but their act becomes harder to maintain as consequences pile up.
Based on The Man Who Would Be King
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Details
- Years
- 1975
- Release date
- 1975-12-03
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG
- Runtime
- 129 min
- Critic score
- 94/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.5/10 (710 votes)
- Box office
- $11,000,000
- Budget
- $8,500,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this swaggering buddy adventure with plenty of humor and escalating tension, especially if you like swashbuckling tales like The Treasure of the Sierra Madre or The African Queen; Not for you if you want culturally sensitive portrayals or fast, modern pacing.
Pros: Caine–Connery chemistry; big adventure energy; exotic setting | Cons: stereotypes of locals; tone can feel dated; plot logic sometimes strained
Themes
- journalist
- gold
- treasure
- robbery
- cheating
- coronation
- freemason
- con man
- british army
- british empire
- friends
- soldier
- +6 more
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Production Design · 1976 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Film Editing · 1976 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Costume Design · 1976 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · 1976 · nominated
- Golden Globe Award — Best Original Score · 1975 · nominated
Cast & crew
Sean Connery
as Daniel Dravot
Michael Caine
as Peachy Carnehan
Christopher Plummer
as Rudyard Kipling
Saeed Jaffrey
as Billy Fish
Doghmi Larbi
as Ootah
Jack May
as District Commissioner
- KB
Karroom Ben Bouih
as Kafu Selim
- MS
Mohammad Shamsi
as Babu
Albert Moses
as Ghulam
- PA
Paul Antrim
as Mulvaney
Directed by John Huston