Based on a Kipling short story, The Man Who Would Be King definitely has short story vibes, but the magnificent sets and on location shooting make it pretty glorious despite its limited scope.
I haven't ever seen Connery have this much fun in a movie. It often feels like he's kind of phoning it in, but he really gives himself to this role, and plays well opposite Michael Caine.
The concept of white people going to less developed communities to play god is somewhat problematic, but I go back and forth because the film seems to be at least somewhat aware of this, never quite letting us like our lead characters.
It took some of the glory from the 60s epics, yet it feels like it incorporated some of the 70s counterculture, so it strikes an interesting tone.