The Man Who Would Be King
Seen it?1975 | 129 min | Adventure, Drama
Friday Night FlickWhy it’s a Friday Night Flick
Critics loved it (97% on Rotten Tomatoes), it drew serious awards attention and it's still drawing plenty of interest. Make plans for this one.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for adventure fans. If you loved True Grit, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Exciting.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 9 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated PG: peril. Worth a look first if you have very young kids.
- Made in 1975: an older pace and style.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
Tired of life as soldiers, Peachy Carnehan and Danny Dravot travel to the isolated land of Kafiristan, where they are ultimately embraced by the people and revered as rulers. After a series of misunderstandings, the natives come to believe that Dravot is a god, but he and Carnehan can't keep up their deception forever.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
97% on Rotten Tomatoes, 91 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
7.5 out of 10
- AwardsStrong
Nominated for 4 Oscars and 1 Golden Globe.
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$11 million worldwide on a $8 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactStrong
About 238K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by John Huston
- Sean ConneryDaniel Dravot
- Michael CainePeachy Carnehan
- Christopher PlummerRudyard Kipling
- Saeed JaffreyBilly Fish
- Doghmi LarbiOotah
- Jack MayDistrict Commissioner
- Karroom Ben BouihKafu Selim
- Mohammad ShamsiBabu
- Albert MosesGhulam
- Paul AntrimMulvaney