KING RAT 195
make survival a constant strug gle for its 10,000 inmates. Yet U.S. Army Cpl.
King (George Segal), one of only a handful of Americans among mostly British
and Australian POWs, maintains his own health and even thrives. He does so
by running lucrative black market schemes, one of which is to breed rats and
sell them as food to his fellow prisoners, hence his nickname, “King Rat.” King
recruits Flight Lt. Peter Marlowe ( James Fox), an upper- class British RAF officer,
to act as his translator (Marlowe knows Malay and can barter with the corrupt
camp guards). Marlowe grows fond of King, admiring his ruthless opportunism
and cunning. King seems to re spect Marlowe, but it is unclear how he truly feels
about him. When Marlowe injures his arm, his new officer secures antibiotics in
order to keep Marlowe’s sickly limb from amputation. In contrast to Marlowe
the British Provost Marshal, Lt. Robin Grey (Tom Courtenay) considers King
aloathsome American renegade, immoral and conniving, and relentlessly tries
to engineer King’s downfall. But Grey has his own issues to resolve: one of his
officers is stealing from the food rations. The officer attempts to bribe Grey, but
he brings the issue to his superior, Col. George Smedley- Taylor ( John Mills).
Smedley- Taylor informs Grey that the officer in question has been discharged and
tells him to drop the allegations. An angry Grey accuses Smedley- Taylor of col-
lusion, but he can no longer find the altered scale weight that originally tipped
him off to the corruption. Grey suspects a cover-up, but now has no proof. In an
attempt to placate Grey, Smedley- Taylor offers him a promotion. The British offi-
cers are then informed that the Japa nese have surrendered and that the war is
over. The stunned prisoners are jubilant, save for Cpl. King, who has suddenly
lost his celebrity in the camp and now must face a return to “normal” life as a civil-
ian. As King is evacuated with his fellow American prisoners, Marlowe attempts
to solidify his friendship with King. However, the two part on uncertain, unhope-
ful terms.
Reception
Premiering on 27 October 1965, King Rat reached #1 at the box office in the sec-
ond weekend of its release, but the movie did not enjoy sustained commercial
momentum. Though bud get numbers for King Rat are unknown, the film made at
least $6.7 million in domestic ticket sales: only a modest success. Weaned on more
upbeat, patriotic POW movies (e.g., St a lag 17 and The Great Escape), the moviego-
ing public wasn’t ready for a film offering so much moral ambiguity. As for awards,
director Bryan Forbes received a BAFTA nomination, and the movie garnered two
Oscar nominations: one for Best Cinematography, Black- and- White (Burnett Guffey)
and Best Art Direction- Set Decoration (Robert Emmet Smith and Frank Tuttle).
Reviews were largely positive though many critics noted that the film was bleak
fare, not suitable for the faint of heart. Bosley Crowther termed King Rat a “grim
and lacerating picture” and declared that “anyone who can sit through it without
wincing is a better man than I am, Gunga Din” (Crowther, 1965). Since its initial
release King Rat’s critical reputation has risen dramatically, though it still remains
an undeservedly obscure cult movie.