Plot: Based on the Kipling short story, two British India ex-soldiers set out to make themselves Kings of "Kafiristan".
Kipling, Caine, Connery, and Epic Adventure, all in a critically acclaimed movie. This should have been Woo Hoo -Great movie! Instead, I felt sorta "meh" about everything except the last 30 minutes. I'm not sure why.
Partly, its the slow start - it takes "Peachy" & "Danny" 20 minutes to start off for Kafiristan. Partly its the mediocre script. And the dull action scenes. All the battles consist of "our Lads" shooting down clay-pigeon Natives. The Kafirs don't put up much of a fight. They mostly mill about in a big crowd and get shot down. Yawn. And Kafiristan society isn't that interesting. The Kipling story is a "Tall Tale" and Kafiristan needed to be an Epic place, full of magic and mystery. Instead Huston shows them -in semi-realistic fashion - as a bunch of poor, backward characters. (Why they would have a room full of Gold is inexplicable). Where was David Lean when you needed him?
Finally there's the casting. As an American, I had a hard time deciphering Caine's cockney accent and Connery isn't really a "lovable Rogue"
A Note on Casting
According to his Biography, Huston originally wanted Bogart/Gable as the leads, but both men died before he could start filming. In the 60s, Huston wished for Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton. In the 70s, he finally got the movie financed & approached Paul Newman and Redford. Newman turned him down - and suggested Caine/Connery. Thank goodness, since Newman/Redford would've been an absolute disaster.
Summary: I'm definitively in the minority, but I couldn't warm up to this adventurous tale of British India. I'd rather watch Gunga Din. Too bad.
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