John Huston: A Man Who Was King

Rating: 10/10 (6 March 2007)

It took John Huston more than 20 years to bring one of his favorite stories, "The Man Who Would Be King," to the big screen. Originally, he had Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable in mind for the lead roles. Sean Connery and Michael Caine would end up in the roles. Overall, it was worth the wait.
Based on Rudyard Kipling's short story, "The Man Who Would Be King" is a tale set in the 1880s at the height of the British empire's rule in India. Daniel Dravot and Peachy Carnehan (Connery and Caine respectfully) are two soldiers turned con men who decide to conquer Kafiristan, a remote section of Afghanistan. Once there, the two men plan to train the natives into an army, become rulers, and steal the country's treasure left behind by Alexander the Great. However, due to a misunderstanding, Daniel is crowned king and is seen as a possible god and descent of Alexander. Peachy wants to stick with the plan, but Daniel soon becomes consumed by his new power.
In a decade that evolved around the 'New Hollywood,' Huston was one of the very few filmmakers from the Studiio-era to be able to continue his craftsmanship and turn out some fine stories. In a way, "The Man Who Would Be King" is a big screen epic presented on a smaller scale. Despite all the breathtaking scenery and fine set pieces, it ultimately is a character driven story about two friends staying together until the end.
The performances of Connery and Caine rank among the best work from their distinguished careers. Christopher Plummer also gives a fine performance as Kipling himself. Huston, who always seemed to adapt other's materials successfully, achieved one of his most personal projects into fine perfection. With beautiful locations and a wonderful musical score by Maurice Jarre, "The Man Who Would Be King" is not only one of Huston's best, but is also one of the best films to come out from the 70s that still had a certain feel of stories that had a feel of a time long gone when film audiences were able to enjoy films that had everything. Adventure, comedy, drama, suspense, and so forth. I guess you could say 'They don't make them like they use to' after viewing this film from one of the great film mavericks of all time.