Storytelling At Its Best

Rating: 9/10 (3 October 2018)

This is the perfect movie. It's based on a story by a master: Rudyard Kipling. It has action and adventure, set in an exotic location, and it has an unbeatable cast.
According to the stories I heard, director John Huston wanted to make this movie for many years. Apparently he first considered Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy and, later, Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole. I also heard that he also approached Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
Eventually, he selected Michael Caine and Sean Connery, and, after seeing the movie, it was well worth the wait. Caine and Connery are terrific together as, respectively, the main characters Peachy Carnehan and Daniel Dravot. In addition, Christopher Plummer plays Kipling and Saeed Jaffrey is Gurkha soldier Billy Fish, who helps Peachy and Danny once they reach their destination. After seeing the movie, it's hard to imagine anyone else in those roles.
Of course, a good movie requires an appropriate score and it's amply provided by Maurice Jarre, whose previous credits included "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Professionals". It's hard to top someone like that.
I first heard of "The Man Who Would Be King" soon after it was released and I saw the ads for it in newspapers and on television. Everyone I knew who saw it had high praise for it. I finally got to see it while I was an undergrad when the on-campus student cinema showed it in 1977. It lived up to its reputation and I went home knowing that I had just seen a wonderful film.
This is one movie that has improved with time. Not only have I come to regard it as a classic, it's become one of my personal favourites and I look forward to adding it to my collection. It's excellent entertainment from beginning to end.