King Rat

Set in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp near Singapore during the Second World War, King Rat follows Corporal King, an American who survives by trading on the black market. Where other prisoners struggle, he manages to secure food, comforts and influence, and his dealings give him power that reaches far beyond his rank. He forms a friendship with Peter Marlowe, a British officer from a privileged background who is drawn to King's energy and resourcefulness, while the camp's British authorities view King with suspicion. The film examines how men cling to dignity and status under degrading conditions, and how the lines between prisoner and profiteer blur.

Bryan Forbes directed and wrote the screenplay, with James Woolf producing. It was released in October 1965 and runs 134 minutes. George Segal plays King, James Fox is Marlowe, Tom Courtenay appears as Grey, and the cast includes Patrick O'Neal, James Donald and John Mills, with 45 credited performers in all. It came third among the films Forbes directed, after The L-Shaped Room in 1962 and before Deadfall in 1968, The Stepford Wives in 1975 and The Slipper and the Rose in 1976. On TMDB it holds a rating of 7.2 out of 10 from 83 votes, a modest but positive response from viewers.