King Rat
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Movie Reviews of King Rat
Movie Review: very good adaption of the book
Summary: 5 Stars
The movie was put together very well...Took the main parts from an amazing book and did a fine job telling the story..
Segal and the rest of the actors did a great job in this black and white film...5 stars !
Movie Review: War Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this as a gift for my son. I have seen the movie good for the time period. If you like WWII movies then you will enjoy this one.Movie Review: Very good adaptation
Summary: 4 Stars
After reading the wonderful and moving novel by James Clavell, and finding out there was a film based on it, I was intrigued by how someone managed to adapt this complex story for the screen. At first, I thought that the challenge was so daunting that the movie must fall way short of the mark. Luckily, I was mistaken, and even though the film cannot convey the depth the novel has, the final result is more than satisfactory. We definitely get a clear feel for what life in Changi, the POW camp in Singapore where Clavell was detained during the war, meant.
Even though there are many characters involved in the story, it clearly focuses on two of them, and their relationship could almost serve as a study in sociology. One is an American, the King, who is a corporal that has the ability to facilitate commerce, which is prohibited by camp rules, and therefore makes a very nice living, especially when compared with everyone else. The other one is Peter Marlowe, a British Lieutenant, whose personality and moral codes clearly contrast with the King's. When they meet, this marks the start of an unusual friendship that will test Marlowe's character and convictions, since he will have to decide between compromising his morals in return for better living conditions for him and his friends, and sticking to his guns and keep on living miserably.
The visual representation of the story in terms of the appearance of the prisoners and the living environment certainly coincides with what I pictured when I was reading the book, and the fact that it is filmed in black and white helps align the mood. The performances of the cast are all at a high level, and you will see many actors here that you know from other later productions. The only shame is that the first edition of the novel did not include the portions that were added years later, dealing with the events that the families and loved ones of the prisoners, were facing. This was a great tool in understanding these men, and could have helped the movie too. Maybe if there is a remake...
Overall, this is a tough story, due to the brutality of the living conditions these men have to endure, but I recommend it wholeheartedly. However, I believe that even if you watch this movie, you should also read the novel, which provides one of the most rewarding experiences you can get from a book.
Movie Review: Here. Have Some Rat.
Summary: 4 Stars
What happens when a group of WW II soldiers are confined to the harsh island climate of Changi in Singapore? What can they do to survive this nearly death-like existence? Limited food. No medical supplies. Unbearable heat. Welcome to hell...for some. For others, though, this might be something of an opportunity.
Corporal King (George Segal's best role) has found his niche in this extremely un-paradise like location. He scams guards and Army officers alike, making his life more comfortable than those around him. But he also has compassion for some, and builds trust amongst them (even if they seriously outrank him).
But what will happen when the war ends and the divisiveness of officer and grunt reemerge? How will those who've suffered greater loss than King Rat view this lowly Corporal?
In one of James Clavell's best novels, KING RAT comes scurrying off the screen, rubbing its moral messages uncomfortably against the viewer. Should we like or dislike The King for what he does? Are the officers any better (they've been stealing food, after all)? Do multiple wrongs make a right? What IS right in a horrendous situation like this?
Unlike other war films of the era (1965), KING RAT explores the methods of men in squalid situations during war time. No explosions. No bullets whizzing by. Just soldiers dealing with the possibility of death and what each does in order to survive.
Movie Review: You are what you eat
Summary: 4 Stars
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.