King Rat

Director: Bryan Forbes
Year Released: 1965
Rating: 3.5

Underrated film about POWs trying to survive in the horrific Changi prison in Singapore, and how an American Corporal (George Segal) manages to not just survive, but to prosper using cunning to accrue luxuries like eggs and cigarettes for himself (sometimes to the detriment of others). While I don't like the Easy Psychology of reducing camp bastard Tom Courtenay's rabid nastiness to sexual frustration, other parts of the film compensate, and the friendship that forms between Segal and Brit James Fox is emotionally stirring - likewise, the ending is quite powerful, as Segal goes from being 'king of the camp' to a nobody in the U.S. Army once Japan surrenders. Makes a fine companion piece to 1963's The Great Escape, as both films have their roots in the writings of James Clavelle (who penned the source novel).