Customer Reviews

King Rat

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, Corporal King did not actually eat rats - he sold that particular delicacy to the officers.

Based on the excellent book by James Clavell, this is a great story of life in a Japanese-run prison camp in Singapore.

George Segal plays corporal King, who is the big wheeler-dealer of the camp, buying and selling various items such as watches, ripping off anyone he can, but also handsomely paying off his cronies.

He develops a friendship of sorts with one particular British prisoner, and later helps keep his arm from being amputated.

Upon being liberated (led by none other than "Family Feud" host Richard Dawson), King realizes that he will be going back to being the low rung on the ladder (as a corporal), and shares none of the other prisoner's joy of freedom.

There are quite a few great performances, particularly from George Segal (the man who once french-kissed his dog on the Johnny Carson show).

Of course, as is usually the case, the book is much better, but this is still a darn good movie.

I do not understand why this movie isn't better known and more respected. It is an excellent film, as are several of Bryan Forbes' British films, all of which I recommend. When I first saw this film, I was almost outraged that I'd never heard anything about it, and I see I'm in good company. Why is Stalag 17 considered a classic of American cinema while King Rat (a much better and more complex film, in my opinion) languishes in semi-obscurity? I've never seen any significant criticism on it, which is particularly unusual for a war film (and, in some sense, anti-war film.) At least they've finally put it on DVD, and the transfer here is excellent, even if there aren't really any extras. Interestingly, the company that produced this DVD seems to be pushing George Segal's presence as the selling point of King Rat, and the back of the box doesn't even mention James Fox's character(!) (Perhaps the macho POW film audience would be put off by the relationship between Segal's and Fox's characters? I don't know.) Segal's performance is indeed great, but it isn't the only reason to watch this film, which is excellent in every major respect: technically, dramatically, and thematically. (I'm usually nearly in tears by the end, too-- I don't know whether that's true for everyone, though.) One more thing: I have not read the novel, but you should bear in mind that they ARE separate works of art, even if the film is adapted, and therefore needn't be judged against each other. I think King Rat succeeds marvellously in its own right.

There have been many great war movies and most people would surely agree that movies such as Patton, Platoon, Saving Private Ryan, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Paths of Glory should be included, but sad to say I have never seen "King Rat" on any greatest list (either war related or just generic great movies). Oh, but it should be! On the face of it, "King Rat" is the story of an American corporal (George Segal) imprisoned in a Japanese POW camp. He may be a corporal in actual rank, but he is the Commander-in-Chief of the entire camp when it comes to surviving. He is the instigator and beneficiary of every scheme immaginable to survive as best he can. He not only has to persevere against the Japanese, but also the other allied prisoners in the camp with him who consider him no better than the Japanese. I will not go into all of the schemes that he concocts for his personal survival and comfort, but there is one in which he is offhandedly (or so it seems) preparing lunch for himself and a fellow prisoner, that has to be seen "and heard" to be believed. I have probably 1,000 movies in my collection and have seen many more than that, which simply means that I have been exposed to hundreds and hundreds of memorable scenes: 2001: bone thrown into the air, Butch Cassidy: jumping off the cliff, Dr. Strangelove: riding the bomb, Doctor Zhivago: collapsing on the tracks with Lara almost in reach, and of course Psycho: the shower, but I defy anyone to watch the egg scene in "King Rat" and not be profoundly moved. It affects me deeply just thinking about it.

I didn't realize that the author actually lived this movie, but
should have. The acting, in my opinion, is what makes this a moving
experience, with no performances that I would consider "light weight". My personal favorite is Fox here; a touch of class in a real hell hole. These men for the most part are each heroic in maintaining their manhood and dignity. The film is stark alright, but is endowed with a cinematography that is an asset all around. Segal may have anticlimactically gone out as a corporal, but is the
"king". This is one of the few flicks that I can honestly say haven't become numbed by Hollywood after repeated viewings.

There are many mysteries of the universe that I have yet to unravel. One of the most puzzling is the lack of recognition usually given to King Rat. I consider this film among the top twenty of all time. Alas, few people are even aware of its existence. The Director Bryan Forbes should have least received an Academy Award nomination. George Segal is brilliant as the amoral prisoner of war camp manipulator who is indifferent to the suffering of his fellow comrades. He is charmingly personable, highly intelligent, and utterly selfish. A mere corporal in rank, the King Rat often tells officers what to do. We view the day to day lives of these allied military combatants interned by the Japanese during World War II. Avoiding starvation is a daily challenge. Retaining one's moral decency and sanity is near impossible. The captured soldiers perceive little reason to exhibit physical courage, and are seemingly content to wait out the end of the war. They are many miles behind enemy lines, and escape seems pointless.

King Rat is difficult to watch. This is not a message film. Novelist James Clavel's purpose is not to particularly provide any deep existential insights pertaining to life and death. There are instances of compassion and altruistic warmth, but these men at least subconsciously realize that the death of a buddy increases the chances of their own survival. They will then have more food to eat and clothes to put on their backs.

A number of the fine actors who fill out the cast include Patrick O'Neal, James Fox, John Mills, and Tom Courtenay. I consider King Rat to be a better film than the far more famous "Bridge on the River Kwai." Will you also agree with my assessment? Perhaps not, but I do think that it's a safe bet you will find King Rat to be worthy of your time and interest.

King Rat appeared around the same time as "The Train". While both attempt an unsentimentalized view of war and it's heroes, "The Train" (an excellent film) is ultimately an action piece about victory. "King Rat" on the other hand, is about survival.

Over the last twenty-five years I've read the book twice and seen the movie at least five times. I don't care what the differences are anymore - both book and film are exceptional works. Different, but definitely equal. Experiencing either will be a harrowing, heart-breaking, but ultimately rewarding experience.

Set in Changi prison camp (and based on Clavel's real-life experiences there) King Rat is the story of a young British officer (James Fox) who finds himself working for the camp hustler (George Segal). Together they are harassed by camp Provost Martial Tom Courtney determined to catch Segal (Corporal King) breaking regulations.

The adaptation and direction by Bryan Forbes (who had to make allowances for the conservative sensibilities of a sixties audience) is simply amazing: King Rat is about the heat, disease, suffering, and madness. These aren't the stiff-upper-lip-discipline-or-die men of "Bridge On The River Kwai". The soldiers in King Rat are wretched, pathetic, and despairing. There is no sentimentality here, neither in front of, or behind the camera. Forbes' lens is unflinching -- it's the audience who has to look away.

The cast alone makes this film worthwhile: George Segal (for the uninitiated, Segal was once a rising star), Tom Courtenay, James Fox, Patrick O'Neal, Denholm Elliot, James Donald, Tod Armstrong, John Mills, Gerald Sim, and Leonard Rossiter to name a few. They are all at their best. There are no disappointments here. In fact, I think it is the cast that makes me prefer the film to the book. Tom Courtney is much better at realizing his character than Clavel can write him. While Clavel (who lived this harrowing experience) may have known these people, it's the cast who have personalized and personified them. And so, while Forbes may have cut significant material from the book, I think the soul of the work is stronger. This is most apparent in the last line of dialog: in the book it is delivered by Tom Courtney's character, but in the film it is given to James Fox.

But what is most amazing is that, after thirty-five years and the likes of "Patton", "Full Metal Jacket", "Platoon", "The Odd Angry Shot", and "Saving Private Ryan", "King Rat" still holds it's own. IF you are a connoisseur of films (war or otherwise) this is a must see.

A great study in human nature. Something new to be had with each viewing. Wish it was on dvd.

Survival. This film of POW's in Singapore's Changi prison is about survival. Mostly British POW's, there is one hustler among them, an American Corporal named King. He is the King Rat...the black marketeer, the guy "on the ball", trading with the Malay & Japanese guards, and always working schemes. He is pursued by the POW Provost Marshals , envied and resented by other POW's, even as they employ his services as a go-between for themselves.

A naive young British Officer, Marlowe, meets the King and is drawn into his world, first as a translator (he speaks Malay), and slowly becomes Corporal King's only true friend. He comes to admire King's undaunted will to survive and his ingenuity and courage. In the episode of the watch sale, King gives Marlowe a lesson in how things really work that is an eye-opener to him and us.

Beautifully played by a very young James Fox as Marlowe, and an equally young George Segal as Corporal King, the movie is harrowing and yet often very funny. King's schemes and maneuvers, while illegal as camp rules, keep everyone engaged and some of the episodes are rife with gallows humor (as in the special "stew" feast and the "delicacy" reserved for sale to officers only).

The rest of the cast is fine with John Mills, Patrick O'Neal, James Donalds and Tom Courtney standouts. The direction by Bryan Forbes is excellent, capturing the terrible conditions of the camp and the insipient insanity and despair of the prisoners.

James Clavell was in Changi prison, and he knew a man like Corporal King. The book may have been somewhat different, but the movie captures the essence of Clavell's experience and his admiration for the man's guts and spirit and unwillingness to surrender and be defeated by Changi. A terrific, unsentimental film. 4-1/2 stars.

yes,this is a perfect war classic,but i think that James Clavell Book is much more better,but please..see this movie if you can or BETTER YET READ THE BOOK!

This film, with another underrated actor, George Segal, is about a POW who finds his niche as a master black marketeer in a prison camp. His desire to be the "King" eclipses his empathy for the other soldiers dying around him and who he has the connections to help. On the other hand, the camp MP, Tom Courtenay, is so caught up in catching the "King" that he is unable to comprehend the fear and suffering that may drive men to make the choices King has made. In the center stands King's British friend, played by Bryan Forbes, a cultured officer who maintains his honor and morality, seemingly, because his "position" gives him no reason to jepordize either. The film is a commentary on what can happen to morality and honor when faced with hardship and death. It is also about class differences and what can happen to men (the "King" and the camp MP) who are on the outside looking in. See it if you can