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I saw this grainy black and white film sometime in 1967 one steamy evening in a tin hooch Army movie theatre at TSN airfield on the outskirts of Saigon. The movie was punctuated by the sounds of mortars on the perimeter and the occasional flash from an aerial flare. I never forgot it. It rang true there. So true that no-one could say a word after. We just got drunk -- as usual. I haven't talked to many others who saw this movie. It hit right in the middle of the rising tide of despair over Vietnam. And since it wasn't actually an anti-war movie, I think it went nowhere. I believe it's origin is a short novel, possibly autobiographical by J.B. Clavell, author of Tai Pan and other sagas set in the 19th C orient. No matter what George Segal has done since, I have known that he has the heart of a rat. His King was a natural ruler in a perverse state of nature -- and his fate the fate of all maverick rulers in the end. If you can find it and see it, it will take on the character of a lost dream.

"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.

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.

King Rat is the oddball among James Clavellfs novels, but in my opinion is the best story. The stage is a Japanese Prisoner of War camp where allied officers are forced to literally eat dirt. The horrors of these camps are well documented and in Forbes adaptation of the book little is left to our imagination. That is not to say this is a vividly violent film. It most certainly is not, nor does it need to be as the sheer look of these poor wretched creatures is vivid enough.

While the backdrop is a prison camp, this is not a war movie. It is a tale of humanity and suffering. It centres around one character played brilliantly by Segal, who when outside the barbed wire fences is an ordinary corporal, while inside he is king. He shows ingenuity in obtaining supplies and living well while those around him starve. Soon the high-ranking officers are calling his shots and hence the title King Rat. The movie shows how far man will go, how much pride he can eat and how much dignity he can lose to survive.

The final scene when the prisoners are liberated could have been stronger but you have to realize the date the film was made. Even so, the look of disappointment on Corporal Kingfs face contrasting with the delight of the freed prisoners is quite incredible. An excellent film, highly recommended.

I don't know exactly what I expected from "King Rat," but what I got definitely wasn't it, and I liked what I got much more than whatever it was I thought I was going to get.

I guess I thought "King Rat" was going to be something along the lines of "Stalag 17," a serious story in a serious setting, but with a buddy movie vibe and a lot of comedy thrown in. That is most certainly NOT what this movie is. "King Rat" is instead a bleak, haunting, and rather strange film about the simple act of survival in a Japanese prisoner camp during the last days of WWII. It's episodic in nature, detailing one grueling incident after another. It explores the degree to which imprisoned military men will impose a hierarchy one way or another, one that either does or doesn't always match the hierarchy of their military lives when free men. For example, at the top of the pecking order in this prison camp is George Segal, the eponymous king rat, who will stop at nothing to ensure his own comfort and who's an object of awe and even fear to those around him, even officers who outrank him. But then the war ends, the prisoners are set free, and everything goes back to the way it was. Where does that leave things like friendship, community, and just simple camaraderie, and where does that leave the conscience of men like King Rat, who exploited his brothers for all they were worth when times were tough.

The movie is tremendous, the performances are all uniformly fine, and director Bryan Forbes gives everything a naturalistic tone that makes the film feel like a product from a later date.

"King Rat" received Oscar nominations for its truly impressive art direction and cinematography, both in the black and white categories back in the days when distinctions were made between B&W and color films.

Grade: A

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.

Pretty much everything has been said in the other reviews. The only thing I can add is that the book SHOULD be read before watching the movie. I just watched the film on "AntennaTV". It ran for 3 hours(w/lots of commercials) and while it was a good adaptation of the book it didn't come close to the character/plot development needed to really appreciate the film. What struck me was the realization that if I hadn't read the book I would have been relatively clueless to a lot of what, and why, things were happening in the film. I don't fault the screenplay or the director. There was just so much going on that it would've been impossible to cover it in 130(?) minutes.

It's been 25 years since I first read the book and, since then, I've probably read it more times than any other book I own.

In short, read the book and then watch the film. You'll get sooooo much more out of it.

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. ****

IMHO most of James Clavells novels are pretty humdrum affairs but 'King Rat' really hits the top notch. To me it is one of the 20th centuries GREAT pieces of literature in Clavells masterful exploration of how various members of a society manage to live on the edge of survival.

However, to attempt to portray this in a feature film is like watching a formation air display on a pocket TV screen, or enjoying a steak by liquidising & sucking it up through a straw. It has no hope of doing the subject matter justice.

I can see so much valuable material left out and so many shortcuts that it can only fail. However, I realise that a feature film is a medium that reaches vastly more people than any other and this was a very good attempt. Very well cast, well acted and well directed.

Perhaps a mini-series? 'King Rat' is well overdue for a remake of some sort.

This WWII prison camp drama set in the steaming Burmese jungle is a metaphor for the horrors of World War II and features what is easily George Segal's best dramatic performance, an even better one by James Fox, and lean, taut direction from Bryan Forbes. It also offers many insights on the British class system and takes a very grimly pessimistic view of the human condition. There is some humor but it is darkly sardonic and somewhat sadistic in nature. Segal's con artist extrodinaire Sergeant King is the dark side of Segeant Bilko and he employs bitter cynicism as opposed to the wisecracking humor of Phil Silvers. It is based on a novel by James Clavell, and is a better film, if not more entertaining, than the author's "The Great Escape," which was released a couple of years prior to "Rat." With the exception of Segal, the British cast members greatly outshine their American counterparts. Tom Courtenay, the always wonderful Denholm Elliott, John Mills, Gerald Sim, Leonard Rossiter, and Alan Webb all contribute memorable characterizations, but by far the best is James Donald as the compassionate, humane camp doctor, practically reprising his role of eight years earlier in "Bridge on the Rver Kwai' also set in a Burmese prison camp.

Having heard of King Rat for years I recently watched it and found it wanting. The description of the movie reminds one of Stalag 17, yet King did not feel the animosity from the other P.O.Ws that Stilton did in 17. It also lacked the intrigue of 17.

Also the men in the camp appeared much older than a service man captured for possibly 4years.

The friendships didn't seem genuine enough for the betrayal in the end.

Regrettably, I ca not recommended this movie. Better off with Stalag 17, or Bridge onthe River Kwai

I had never heard of this movie. It came on late one night on cable and I watched it. I was very impressed. The performances in the movie are Oscar caliber. George Segal gave probably the best performance of his career. He plays an American stuck in a Japanese POW camp who manages to always make some dough on the side. He is manipulative and arrogant but his performance is credible and appealing. Also, the way the camp itself is projected as a miserable, fly-infested, hot and godawful hellhole is hard to forget.

James Fox also gives an outstanding performance as Segal's British counterpart who come under Segal's spell and begins to do alot of his dirty work for him. This is a movie you will not soon forget. Now, keep in mind that since this movie was made in 1965, it is tame in terms of its depiction of violence but that does not take away from its overall message. Great movie!

King Rat from Columbia Pictures, 1965, 134 minutes, and directed by Bryan Forbes is the kind of film that delivers its message well. The nominations it received for Art Direction, and Cinematography are deserved in the way they show war-time prison camp conditions.

As the title card at the beginning of the film reads it is a story of survival, not escape, and the film shows us how communities form around common needs as exemplified in the relationship between Corporal King and the other prisoners in a World War II Japanese camp.

James Clavell used many of his own experiences as a British soldier in a POW camp to write his novel on which the film is based. King Rat is a study of personal prisons that we all construct around ourselves with a Japanese prisoner camp as an overriding metaphor.

It feels like a typically British film in part for the way the script presents the character of King, the American who lives the American Capitalist dream by taking advantage of his fellow prisoners. George Segal in the title role turns in one of his best performances as the shallow, boastful American who profits from those around him.

I wish there was more of the actor playing the subtext in the role. The director underlines many moments of the actor mugging the camera, as compared to many of the English actors whose scenes seem to focus on text and character. This is an interesting biased view of the American philosophy of financial success.

It would be great to have seen a greater arc of story with King's arrival at the camp and his ultimate rise in power. We don't know if he was always this successful, if he was a regular fighting soldier, if he was captured in battle, or if his ability at scamming was present when he came into the Army. These kinds of scenes would give the film more depth and impact.

Segal performed excellently in a small film entitled Born to Lose in which he played a drug addict, a perf right up there with Al Pacino's in Panic in Needle Park. In King Rat Segal plays the smug demeanor and cocksure attitude of Corporal King in a role that makes the best of the actor's off-handed delivery and character.

Some of the credit has to be given to James Fox and Tom Courtney in scenes that develop the plot and show character but do not clunk as they move forward. The American Segal contrasts well with the other actors and their techniques in the film, and this combines well with the theme and overall visual of the movie.

We always see King well-dressed, groomed, and clean and this is in clear contrast to the other men in the camp who are a rag-tag collection of half-dressed, unshaved group - a real collection of les miserables. King also transmits clarity of purpose by boastfully admitting that he gets what others need and sells it for a percentage.

The opening of the film makes a point of the difference between King and the other prisoners when the camp police man Grey summons him to turn out his pockets, and submit to questions about where he has gotten his money and valuables. The scene caps with an officer letting King go but cautioning him to consider his appearance, as if just looking successful in such a situation could be considered a crime.

The film at one level can be read as anti-American. King relates to virtually all English soldiers, in fact the film focuses on the concept of class and how money transcends the smudgy lines that separate officers from enlisted men and by extension the community leaders from those that rely on them for philosophy to live by.

In subtle scenes we learn how the hierarchy of the camp operates. Marlowe refuses money from King as payment for translating with a Japanese soldier in a deal to sell an expensive Omega watch. When King asks him to deliver 'wages' to Col. Smedley-Taylor (John Mills), Marlowe begins to see the truth of all men living in desperate situations. The scene is well structured because we as viewer understand with Marlowe the basic sense of commerce involved in such a relationship- we follow the money.

The film also allows us to dynamically interact with the plot by presenting us with problems to solve along with the characters in the tale. When Lieutenant Grey (Tom Courtenay) investigates the skewed weights used in rice rationing, we discover the crime at the same time that Grey does, and this lets us into the film to see the machinations of the Officers from the characters point of view.

Later when Grey presents his suggestion to Court Marshall those involved in the rice theft and Col. Taylor orders him to drop the case, we see the corruption at work in this community. This breech in the code of conduct in Grey's eyes begins from the top down and King and his honor of money is the heart of the issue.

At the basest level the film is about the male code of conduct and how this is interpreted by representative characters in the story. The individual code does allow the characters to escape to a mental state where they can coexist with others in this oppressive world they have been delivered to, and the film clearly makes a point of showing us the American values and how they support a character through difficult times.

Knowing what we do about the Military Industrial Complex that the Eisenhower period revealed to us, the film can be seen as a political commentary on how the American attitude toward war and its results damage international relationships, and by extension how this philosophy has expanded into the postmodern age to affect commerce among the nations of the world.

Despite the viciousness of the Nazi regime, British and American prisoners of war captured by the Germans in World War II were generally honourably treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention and given adequate food and accommodation. Those captured by the Japanese were not so lucky. They were often treated brutally, kept short of food and used as slave labour for their captors. This may explain the difference in tone between prisoner of war films set in Europe and those set in the Far East. The former, such as "The Wooden Horse", "The Colditz Story" and "The Great Escape" are generally optimistic in tone, part of the tradition of heroic, patriotic war films. The prisoners are often shown as idealistic patriots, eager to escape from captivity so that they can carry on the just struggle against Nazism.

In "King Rat", however, as in that other Asian POW drama "Bridge on the River Kwai", the tone is very different. There is no realistic possibility of escape, as there are no neutral countries nearby. Life for the prisoners is a dog-eat-dog struggle for survival, one that often involves compromises with one's principles and with the enemy. "Bridge on the River Kwai" is unusual for a Western film in that it gives a relatively sympathetic portrayal of an Axis soldier, the Japanese commandant Colonel Saito. In "King Rat" no Japanese characters play a major role; the emphasis is very much on relations between the Allied prisoners themselves. The shortages of food and other necessities mean that a black market has grown up in which the prisoners barter their possessions with the camp guards and local Malay villagers in exchange for extra supplies of food, clothing and luxuries.

The "King Rat" of the title is an American prisoner, Corporal King. Despite his lowly rank, his surname is an appropriate one; his skill in exploiting the black market has made him the "king" of the camp. The "rat" part of the title may refer to a scheme he hatches for breeding rats as a food source, but it may also refer to his lack of moral scruples. The other major characters are two British prisoners, Flight Lieutenant Peter Marlowe and Lieutenant Robin Grey. Marlowe, a young RAF officer, is befriended by King, who is impressed by the younger man's command of the Malay language, and becomes King's official interpreter in his business dealings. Grey is only a junior officer, but wields considerable power because of his position as Provost-Marshal, in charge of enforcing military discipline in the camp. He develops an obsession with King, whom he is determined to see punished for his black marketeering.

The film can be seen as an exploration of the theme of capitalism versus socialism, with the former coming out on top. (Perhaps unsurprisingly, given that this was an American film made during the Cold War era). King is a selfish individual, without a single altruistic bone in his body, yet his pursuit of self-interest has the effect of making life more bearable for his fellow-prisoners. Grey, a man of left-wing socialist views, is outwardly idealistic and a believer in fairness and equality, but he is also petty and vindictive with a bureaucratic obsession with enforcing rules (even rules imposed by the enemy) for their own sake. Without the extra supplies provided by the black market, the inmates would be forced to exist ("live" is not really the appropriate word) at near-starvation levels.

The film is not, however, just a political parable. It is also a human drama about the stresses facing men in captivity, and there are some memorable performances. The role of King was turned down by Steve McQueen, who had starred in "The Great Escape", and by Paul Newman, who was later to star in another great drama about men in captivity, "Cool Hand Luke". In the event it went to George Segal, who turns in a fine performance as the amoral yet resourceful King, as do James Fox as the naïve, impressionable Marlowe and Tom Courtenay as Gray. There are also good contributions from various distinguished British actors such as John Mills, Denholm Elliott and Leonard Rossiter.

The film was directed by Bryan Forbes, who was also responsible for that great British classic, "Whistle Down the Wind". I would not rate "King Rat" quite as highly, but despite the very different subject-matter of the two films both are distinguished by a similarly stark black-and-white photography. "King Rat" was deservedly nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Cinematography, Black-and-White". This is, of course, an award which is no longer given; the decline in the number of black-and-white films being made has meant that since 1967 there has only been a single "Best Cinematography" award. Nevertheless, films like "Whistle Down the Wind" and "King Rat" remind us of how powerful monochrome could be as a dramatic medium. 8/10

This film is superb. I saw it many years ago on late night TV and recently bought it on DVD from the US as it has been deleted in the UK. Most of the people I talk to about films have never seen it for some reason. Compared to many WW2 films made in the 60s this film still stands up today and doesn't seem that dated. The acting and characterisations are excellent and the film contains plenty of social commentary. Segal is brilliant as the American "entrepreneur" and Courtenay makes me cringe as the over zealous British Provost.

I always watch this film hand in hand with another favourite of mine - The Ipcress File. Both highly atmospheric films shot in the same austere manner with doom-laden music scores and highlighting the erosion of Britain's class structure.

George Segal died recently, so I decided to watch Bryan Forbes's Academy Award-nominated adaptation of James Clavell's "King Rat", in which Segal played a POW in a Japanese camp in Malaya (now Singapore).

In addition to Segal's strong performance as the protagonist, the movie looks at the harsh conditions in the POW camp; it's a safe bet that the treatment of the prisoners there flouted the Geneva Conventions. As the movie notes at the beginning, this is not a story of escape, but of survival. And believe me, when things are this rough, you'll do just about anything to survive!

I'd wager that World War II is the most focused-on topic in cinema, whether in the US, UK, Germany, Russia or Japan. Even so, I still recommend this movie. It's one of the grittiest looks at life in a POW camp. The rest of the cast includes Tom Courtenay (Pasha in "Doctor Zhivago"), James Fox (Mr. Salt in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"), Denholm Elliott (Marcus Brody in the Indiana Jones movies), Leonard Rossiter (Smyslov in "2001: A Space Odyssey") and Joe Turkel (Lloyd in "The Shining").

I have not read the book but I cannot believe an Australian-born author would ignore the Australians who did and did not survive Changi. I have played golf with some of them and not one had a kind word for the Yanks. During WWII in Melbourne and Brisbane the Marines killed more Afro-Americans than Japanese. Every Friday night there were killings. Americans know little of their own history and believe almost anything Hollywood portrays; especially snide BS about the British. The film does show, in parts, the truth about american servicemen; they are unbelievably naive. British Commonwealth troops have a saying for tellers of tall tails: "Go and tell it to the Marines". US Marines will believe anything which is why so many of them claim to be Christian. Soldiers from almost any country train their soldiers to higher standard than they do the Marines. I was once accosted by three Marines in a Hong Kong bar. Their Sgt Major had to intervene because, despite me being almost 70 at the time, they were getting a pasting. They tried to sell me their religious BS and I explained the bible was a load of nonsense. I was able to quote several passages and they could not recite one. Their interlectual failures led to violence. Pretty much the same in Vietnam and the Gulf. The biggest challenges to survival being trigger-happy Marines and the USAF.

I saw "King Rat" on television shortly before going to Vietnam. A few months later I was reading the James Clavell novel while serving on DaNang Air Base with air force communications intelligence. It struck me that this book and this movie, which was "researched" by James Clavell when he was a POW in a camp near Singapore during World War II, have the real feel of what it is to be surrounded by enemy forces one almost never sees while being kept isolated on a hot, humid, dusty encampment It's an environment that brings out the best and the worst in mankind. The novel, the movie, and my own war zone experience also point out that adapting to a war zone and mastering the skills that enable one to survive and even prosper there do not necessarily mean that the individual will subsequently be adaptable to "civilization" when he returns to it. The novel, the movie, and my own experiences also raise the questions that are raised in "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" (and even in "Rambo" for that matter): Which is more of a challenge and which is the "real" life: adapting to the war zone as a youth or the expectations by "civilization" that you readjust to life back in "the world" as if nothing had happened?

An intensely directed and compelling look inside a POW camp, the film raises many interesting ideas and there are plenty of gripping dramatic moments as well as a number of thrilling and exciting bits too. George Segal is brilliant as a charismatic corporal who is respected by his superior officers, and James Fox as a lieutenant who befriends him is superb, giving off a highly realistic performance. There are unfortunately too many characters to get to know all the important ones very well, but one can still see that they are not all that they seem to be. The characters that are examined are explored well. Forbes' use of close-ups, freeze frames and angled shots induces a magnificent visual feel, and the music choices are excellent. The final few minutes are rather sluggish and the episodic structure of the film at times prevents flow, but generally there is little to complain about here. It is another black and white masterpiece from the hands of Bryan Forbes.

Classic POW drama,set in a Allied camp in the dying days of Japanese ww2, George Segal, Stars as the cool as a breeze corporal,who has a firm grip on the camp's black market,Patrick O'Neal is his right hand man, James fox, plays an innocent British officer who falls under Segals influence,Tom Courtenay,is the camp's Marshall provost who is determined to put an end to Segal's wheeling dealing,

This Classic film, has a wealth of British talent involved, sir john mills, Denholm Elliott, john standing, as well as Leonard Rossiter and James Donald, who previously starred in another James Clavell adaptation 'the great escape' Bryan Forbes directs this classic,it's certainly earn's its place in the top 100 War films,Probably one of the finest of its kind, john Barry,Contributes A stark music score,

George Segal steals the show. A terrific screenplay combined with excellent casting and direction. A must see film.