King Rat

This film, the best of 1965, was tough and disturbing and seriously under-rated. Great performances and a haunting soundtrack. George Segal, one of the best actors of the 60's and 70's creates an insidious yet charming character who runs things in the camp. James Fox (excellent actor who quit for many years on some kind of spiritual journey) is superb as is Tom Courtney and even Patrick O'Neal (who has never been impressive in any other film I can think of) delivers a punch as Max the stooge.

Bryan Forbes created a somber world of dog eat dog that should have been up for a host of awards. Throw in John Mills, James Donald and other familiar faces and you have a near-classic. A 9 out of 10. Best performance George Segal. Well worth your time.

I saw this movie again recently and had forgotten how great it was. It shows how people behave towards each other when the thin veil of civil society is torn away.In a brilliant performance, George Segal plays the wheeler-dealer 'King Rat, a cynical hustler whose only real interest is himself. His counterparts in the Japanese POW camp are the British officers who seem to maintain the rules and courtesies of civilized life. As the movie, unfolds, though, we see the senior officers using their position to steal food from the lower ranks. Even the British provost marshal, or camp policeman (another great performance by Tom Courtenay), is shown to be a weak character, vengeful and sanctimonious, who must believe in retribution to bolster his fragile ego.

'King Rat's' one true friend in the camp is played by James Fox. But the Segal character can't really be a friend to anyone. One of the prices of cynicism is emotional shallowness. In the end Segal tells his best friend - 'You worked for me, I paid you a few bucks, that's all there was between us.' The film makes it clear that the action applies to the wider world. Unlike the other prisoners, the Segal character is neither shocked nor excited by liberation. To him, the everyday world is as pitiless as the POW camp.

It has always bothered me that King Rat is so underrated. On one list of top the thousand films in history, it gets no mention. I think it's because George Segal's character, Corporal King wasn't a totally likable person. He is not the standard Hollywood hero. But he is a hero of mine. Were I in that prison camp, I guarantee you, I would have been Corporal King's best friend. One thing I learned in life was how to survive, and everyone around Corporal King survived. The movie misses a very important point that was in James Clavell's novel on which it is based. In case the war turned bad for the Japanese and they started taking revenge on the prisoners, King had planned an escape route. Not just for himself, for everyone close to him. Put that in the film and you've got a major American hero. The movie is totally cliché free. One never knows where it is going or how it is going to end. Winning the war, you see, will not guarantee the safety of the prisoners. How it ends is perfectly logical in retrospect, but difficult to predict. It is a near perfect motion picture.

"King Rat" is certainly NOT a fun nor enjoyable movie to watch. Now I am not saying it's bad nor should you avoid it...just understand that the film depicts a Japanese POW camp...and there's no way you could make that fun to watch.

The setting is a POW camp near Singapore. There's absolutely no place for the mostly British as well as a few American prisoners to run to and the Japanese keep rather lax security because of this. The prisoners also are dying rapidly due to starvation, no medications and the hellish conditions. However, in the midst of this, Corporal King (George Segal) manages to thrive. This is because he is a schemer and a survivor...operating a black market operation to get food and whatever he really needs. One of the other prisoners, Lt. Grey (Tom Courtenay), is just the opposite. Grey LOVES rules, power and playing a little god in the camp...and he wants to keep order, discipline and King under his control. To Grey, getting King to follow the rules and give up his black market activities seems to be his greatest aim. As for King, he pretty much ignores Grey and does what he does best...survives. And, if that means selling rat meat or eating dog, well, he'll do it in order to live.

As the description would indicate, the film is often rather grim. It's also an interesting character study of several of the inmates...not just Grey and King. Well acted, well made and well worth seeing...provided you can stand watching it. Now this is NOT one of the very worst war films...it's not nearly as bad as "Saving Private Ryan", "Burmese Harp" nor "Fires on the Plain"...but it still is tough. One of Segal's best.

Many unforgettable films are to be found in the annals of World War II. Avid movie goers know which ones they are. Among my favorites are 'The Great Escape, The Blue Max, Cross of Iron, and of course, Sink The Bismark," But occasionally, a film is made which deviates from the superficial and ventures into the realm of the incredible. That is the essence of "King Rat." Here viewers are exposed to the harsh realities of what it takes to survive in a hell hole, like a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp. Our hero, one, Cpl. King (George Segal) dwells amid hundreds of starving British and a few American P.O.W.s. However, unlike the rest, who are seen as listless, emaciated and dying , King is for the most part, healthy and appears none the worse for wear. One individual who daily wants to know why King, walks about nearly impervious to the obvious conditions is Lt. Robin Grey (Tom Courtenay, convincing in this role). It is his job as Camp Provost Marshal, to maintain order in a camp where smuggling, trading with the enemy and outright theft is common place. Knowing King is secretly dealing with the enemy, Robin daily waits for him to make a mistake. This will be difficult as King relies on the fact, everyone, regardless of rank seeks to stay alive by whatever means. Aiding King is Peter Marlowe (James Fox) who despite his higher rank readily joins King's other 'employees' such as Tex, (Todd Armstrong), Top Sgt. Max (Patrick O'Neal, Lt. G.D. Larkin, (Denholm Elliott), and Col. George Smedley-Taylor (John Mills). But it is the camp Doctor (James Donald) who asks the pertinent question of King. "What is your secret Cpl? Medically, it should be worth a fortune." Throughout this stark and tragic Black and White film, one is equally curious, until we discover King's dark secret. Once we know it, the anger is dissipated by the fact, the war will eventually be over. Then Cpl. King will be called upon to reveal it. A superior movie with top notch acting by every actor. ****