Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
Tired of life as soldiers, Peachy Carnehan and Danny Dravot travel to the isolated land of Kafiristan, where they are ultimately embraced by the people and revered as rulers. After a series of misunderstandings, the natives come to believe that Dravot is a god, but he and Carnehan can't keep up their deception forever.
John Huston's adaptation of Kipling's story is a rousing adventure anchored by one of cinema's great male partnerships. The plot is expertly constructed, building from picaresque comedy to genuine tragedy with remarkable momentum. Connery and Caine deliver career-best work, their chemistry making the friendship wholly believable and their eventual divergence deeply affecting. The ending is genuinely harrowing and memorable — one of the great tragic conclusions in adventure cinema. Cinematography is solid and handsome but not particularly distinctive for its era. Novelty is good but not exceptional; it perfects the classic adventure yarn form rather than reinventing it, though its tonal range from romp to tragedy gives it a singular quality.