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Farewell to the King

Farewell to the King

War · Adventure · 1989

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.

Movie details

Farewell to the King

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

1989 War · Adventure 1h 57m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.0 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Farewell to the King?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Milius

Written by

John Milius

Nick Nolte

Nick Nolte

Learoyd

Nigel Havers

Nigel Havers

Capt. Fairbourne

Marilyn Tokuda

Marilyn Tokuda

Yoo

Frank McRae

Frank McRae

Sgt. Tenga

Gerry Lopez

Gerry Lopez

Gwai

James Fox

James Fox

Col. Ferguson

Marius Weyers

Marius Weyers

Sgt. Conklin

Court is in session

Put Farewell to the King on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.