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Poster for Farewell to the King

Farewell to the King

1989 · 117 min

A brooding, old-fashioned jungle epic that trades momentum for atmosphere, offering a slow, immersive plunge into a world of war and myth.

Directed by
John Milius
Genres
War, Adventure
Starring
Nick Nolte, Nigel Havers, Marilyn Tokuda
Tagline
In the midst of war, one man vanished into the jungle, and emerged as king.
Overview
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.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
John Milius
Genres
War, Adventure
Starring
Nick Nolte, Nigel Havers, Marilyn Tokuda
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • war
  • identity
  • isolation
  • loyalty
  • survival
Places
  • wilderness
  • sea
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
None
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action6
Horror2
Humour2
Realism6
Romance2
Tension5
Darkness6
Complexity5
Emotional weight6

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
war, adventure
Directed by
John Milius
Written by
John Milius
Starring
Nick Nolte, Nigel Havers, Marilyn Tokuda, Frank McRae, Gerry Lopez, James Fox, Marius Weyers, John Bennett Perry
Music
Basil Poledouris
Cinematography
Dean Semler
Runtime
117 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

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