King Rat

George Segal plays Corporal King, an American soldier in a Japanese prison camp who manages all the black market operations amongst the enforced holding of a group of English and Americans. His demeanor and bearing stand out in contrast to the rag tag prisoners he shares the camp with in part because of his willingness to ostensibly advance on the needs of others. He is constantly scrutinized by Lieutenant Grey (Tom Courtenay), the camp police chief, as he has gotten reports that King has robbed fellow prisoners in a poker game. It is clear that King takes pleasure in living on what would be considered a clear example of the American Capitalist version of supply and demand. He seeks ways to increase his organization by recruiting talented men like Peter Marlowe (James Fox), an English soldier who speaks fluent Malay, but refuses King's offering of money for his services. Marlowe attempts to live by a code that bonds men in a way that transcends any financial gain, and in fact considers King an actual friend because he and the American are interned together under Japanese rule. King extends his operation to include trading valuables to the Japanese and breeding rats to sell as food to the officers as a delicacy, activities that Marlowe is happy to aid in because of the smart commercial way that the schemes are launched. The ability to gain valuable items including medical supplies becomes important when Marlowe injures himself and faces serious physical danger. As Lieutenant Grey closes in to mete out the camp law enforcement, his code of conduct conflicts with Marlowe, his cabin mate. Theirs is a philosophy differing slightly and both based on survival with the most reaffirming respect for fellow man they can develop under these war conditions. As Grey attempts to arrest King and Marlowe for their criminal activity it becomes clear that the commanding officers live by a fractured value system.