KING RAT 1965 This 1965 production from Bryan Forbes is quite frankly, one of the best P.O.W. camp films ever made. It stars, George Segal, James Fox, Tom Courtenay, Patrick O'Neal and John Mills.The film is set in Singapore's infamous Changi Prison camp during the waning months of World War Two. The Prison housed thousands of captured Commonwealth troops as well as a smattering of Americans. The prisoners are all slowly dying as they try to survive in the squalid conditions present inside the camp. That is all but Corporal King, (George Segal) who runs a thriving black market operation trading with the Japanese guards. This keeps Segal feed, and in the small luxuries most in the camp never see, eggs, cigarettes etc.The camp Provost Marshall, Tom Courtenay spends his days trying to catch Segal at his "against the rules" business. Courtenay is stymied at every turn by most everyone in the camp. This is because damn near everyone is on Segal's payroll. What few possessions the prisoners have, watches, rings and the like are all brought to Segal to move. Smart operator, Segal, takes a piece of the action off both ends during these "trades".Hustler Segal befriends British officer, James Fox because he needs a translator who can speak Malay. This would make his exchanges with the guards easier. Fox soon becomes a top man in Segal's outfit, which is mainly made up of American prisoners.Fox hurts his arm helping Segal make a big money exchange one night. The two barely get away with the deal because Provost Courtenay appears on the scene. Fox's injured arm soon becomes gangrenous and Fox looks like he might die. Segal makes a big trade to get the needed antibiotics to save Fox's arm. He does this because Fox is the only one who knows where the loot from the earlier deal is hidden. Fox recovers and believes Segal saved him because he is really his friend. This is not the case.Worked into the story, is an interesting bit where Provost Courtenay, uncovers a scam by several of the officers in charge of food supplies, who have been stealing. Courtney reports the men to his commanding officer, John Mills. Mills tells Courtenay to drop the matter. Courtenay is shocked to discover that Mills is also in on the theft of food.Segal's group soon comes up with an idea to raise rats under the hut. They will then sell the meat to the camp officers. They will tell the buyers it is really meat from the Malay Mouse Deer.This business is just up and running, when the Japanese Camp commandant informs the Chief British officers that the war is over. The Allied forces soon arrive with plenty of food, medicine and clothing. Segal soon finds he is no longer needed, and falls from his position as the un-official "King" of the camp.The film is based on the bestselling novel, KING RAT, by James Clavell. Clavell had himself been a prisoner in Changi POW camp. One of Clavell's most famous novels, SHOGUN, was made into a big time television mini-series in 1980. Clavell wrote the story or screenplays for, THE GREAT ESCAPE, THE Satan BUG, TO SIR WITH LOVE, 633 SQUADRON, THE FLY and the LAST VALLEY. Clavell also directed and produced with TO SIR WITH LOVE as his best film in that area.The film's director, Bryan Forbes, was also a triple threat as a writer, producer and director. Forbes directed this film as well as doing the screenplay from Clavell's novel. Some of Forbes other film work, would include, WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND, THE WRONG BOX and THE STEPFORD WIVES.Handling the director of photography duties is five time Oscar nominated, and two time winner, cinematographer Burnett Guffey. His two Oscar wins were for, BONNIE AND CLYDE and FROM HERE TO ETERNITY. Guffey was well known to film noir fans for his work on, THE SNIPER, MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS, NIGHT EDITOR, FRAMED, KNOCK ON ANY DOOR, CONVICTED, SCANDAL SHEET, PRIVATE HELL 36, NIGHTFALL, THE TIGHT SPOT, HUMAN DESIRE and THE HARDER THEY FALL.

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.

George Segal's character's uniform khaki blouse gives away his origins as a U.S. P.o.W. in a Japanese Prison Camp filled largely with British military personnel. His Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI), on his left sleeve, is clearly the patch of the pre-war U.S. Army's Philippine Division, a gold carabao head on a red field. This outfit, which was based on the Philippine island of Luzon at Forts William McKinley and Stotsenberg, was composed mostly of the native Philippine Scouts, although there were American troops in the all-white 31st Infantry Regiment (the "Polar Bears")and some of the Coast Artillery units on the Fortified Islands and among the service troops.Segal's character must have come out of one of those units. It is hard to say if he had indeed gone on the Bataan Death March, however, he seems to have been resourceful enough to survived that ordeal, the prison camps at Camp O'Donnell and Cabanatuan, and the Hell Ships.

My wife - who wasn't even born when King Rat was released - fell in love with George Segal as we watched this film last night. This film really does stand the test of time. Apart from Mr Segal there is wonderful naturalistic work from James Fox and Tom Courtney, fully rounded cameos from Denham Elliot, James Donald and John Mills but for me the treat was the performance of Patrick O'Neal as Max. This American actor was never again put to such use on screen. John Barry's music is spare and works to. It's moving, frightening and dryly amusing. Fans of the novel will not be disappointed in Bryan Forbes adaptation or his sharp, unfussy and unsentimental direction.