Farewell to the King

"In the midst of war, one man vanished into the jungle, and emerged as king."

1989 1h 57m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 80

WarAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An American soldier who escapes the execution of his comrades by Japanese soldiers in Borneo during WWII becomes the leader of a personal empire among the headhunters in this war story told in the style of Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling. The American is reluctant to rejoin the fight against the Japanese on the urging of a British commando team but conducts a war of vengeance when the Japanese attack his adopted people.

“In the midst of war, one man vanished into the jungle, and emerged as king.”

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Cast

Nick Nolte
Learoyd
Nigel Havers
Capt. Fairbourne
Marilyn Tokuda
Yoo
Frank McRae
Sgt. Tenga
Gerry Lopez
Gwai
James Fox
Col. Ferguson
Marius Weyers
Sgt. Conklin
John Bennett Perry
Gen. MacArthur

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Milius
Writers: John Milius
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 15% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

37 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Milius, shot by Dean Semler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Basil Poledouris. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Anne V. Coates shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Nick Nolte and Nigel Havers and Marilyn Tokuda carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "In the midst of war, one man vanished into the jungle, and emerged as king.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Milius directs. Dean Semler behind the camera. Basil Poledouris scores. Anne V. Coates cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 15% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
237 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by John Milius, shot by Dean Semler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Basil Poledouris. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Anne V. Coates shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Nick Nolte and Nigel Havers and Marilyn Tokuda carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "In the midst of war, one man vanished into the jungle, and emerged as king.".
9IMDB entry: tt0097334 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 80 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 11 themes, including "guerrilla warfare", "paradise", "island", "shipwreck".