King of the World

King of the World

2006 · 105 min · Drama, War, Romance

Cinema version of the 5 part TV series. During World War II, Stan Vandewalle saves boxing trainer Max from the bombed German war prisoners camp, and shoots two German soldiers while escaping. After the war, Stan resolves to put all his frustration over the death of his slow-witted brother Aloïs, who dreamed of becoming an opera singer, with his side-car against a farmer's truck in making come true Aloïs other dream, to see Stan becoming 'king of the world' as boxer.

Directed by Guido Henderickx · Written by Marc Didden

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Rent or Buy

Apple TV Store

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 17m together

Both from Guido Henderickx.

More from Guido HenderickxSee all →

VinayaVinaya · 1992
Vinaya
★ 10.01992
MovieFamily
The story follows Vinaya, a nine-year-old boy who lives off his vivid imagination. His only companions are his beloved horse, Victor, and his grandmother. She frequently fills his head with dreams and legends about Sensei, a mysterious figure who allegedly crossed the mountains into a mythical land of fabled animals. When his grandmother passes away, Vinaya is left completely alone. He decides to embark on a journey across the world to find Sensei. Along the way, he teams up with a rough, nomadic drifter. This adventurous quest ultimately transforms into a universal tale of initiation into adulthood.
Camera Sutra (or the Pale Faces)Camera Sutra (or the Pale Faces) · 1973
Camera Sutra (or the Pale Faces)
★ 10.01973
MovieDrama
The Herts Camera Sutra or The Palefaces (1973) is a militant and visually fragmented critique of Belgian bourgeois society, blending documentary collage with semi-autobiographical fiction. De Hert attacks the distractions of nationalism, religion, and popular culture while exposing capitalism, social injustice, and postcolonial exploitation. The film’s second half shifts to a disillusioned group of rebellious youths, revealing the uncertainty and emotional paralysis behind revolutionary ideals. Both politically fierce and deeply self-questioning, the film captures the tension between radical ambition and powerlessness.
Gejaagd door de winst (of het A.B.C. van de moderne samenleving)Gejaagd door de winst (of het A.B.C. van de moderne samenleving) · 1977
Gejaagd door de winst (of het A.B.C. van de moderne samenleving)
★ 10.01977
MovieDrama
A three independent parts sci-fi drama. In the first, entitled The Bomb, a story of a garage mechanic is told who finds an atomic bomb by accident. The second part, entitled The Last Judgment, deals with the consequences of a military convoy carrying biological weapons going mad. In the third part, entitled Experts Of Evil, there is an accident at a chemical plant when a,pressurized container with dioxin explodes resulting in leakage.
Ieder van onsIeder van ons · 1971
Ieder van ons
★ 10.01971
Movie
The deeply socially engaged documentary filmmaker Frans Buyens had long dreamed of making the transition to fiction filmmaking. The experimental Ieder van Ons was a first attempt in that direction. In essence, it was an inquiry film shot in a cinéma vérité style about appearance and reality in social commitment. With Ieder van Ons, Buyens wanted to jolt the viewer’s conscience and make them aware of the duty to face the truth and to act accordingly. To achieve this, he combined a fictional plot with documentary scenes. On the one hand, the film contains acted sequences about the awakening conscience of a ruthless political figure; on the other hand, Buyens himself appears before the camera to introduce several actors, their characters, and the situations in which they are about to become involved.
Le Filet AméricainLe Filet Américain · 1981
Le Filet Américain
★ 9.01981
MovieDocumentary
The documentary's legacy lies in its unapologetic fusion of agitprop and satire, a signature style of De Hert’s Fugitive Cinema collective. By juxtaposing Mandel’s economic theories with absurd military parades, the film exposes the contradictions of a society preparing for war while its social fabric decays. De Hert employs rapid montage, pop music, and street-level interviews to strip away the facade of state authority.Decades later, Le Filet Américain remains a vital historical document. It captures a specific era of Belgian polarization, marked by economic crises and the rise of the gendarmerie. The metaphor of the meat grinder endures as a powerful critique of how institutional systems compromise individual dignity for corporate profit.
S.O.S. FonskeS.O.S. Fonske · 1968
S.O.S. Fonske
★ 8.01968
MovieDrama
Cinema Verité about Fons Noyens who cannot pay for the damages caused by an accident as his ensurance company had become bankrupt. We get to see the public auctioning of his household effects.
The Pencil MurdersThe Pencil Murders · 1982
The Pencil Murders
★ 7.01982
MovieCrimeHorror
A policeman neglects his young, attractive wife because of his professional duties. Soon, he has to face the fact that she deceives him. It seriously complicates the case he is working on: attractive young women are brutally killed by means of a pencil rammed into their noses until the brain is pierced.
SpoedSpoed · 2000
Spoed
★ 7.02000
SeriesDrama
Spoed is a Belgian action drama TV series produced in the Dutch language in Belgium since 2000. The series is also shown on both Flemish/Belgian TV and Dutch TV. The series is directed by Johan Thiels and Guy Thys. The series has produced 217 episodes to date. It may be compared to the American TV programs ER or Chicago Hope.
Moeder, waarom leven wij?Moeder, waarom leven wij? · 1993
Moeder, waarom leven wij?
★ 6.51993
SeriesDrama
Netje grows up in a poor working-class family in Antwerp. She is the youngest of four children and the apple of her father's eye. Her mother, on the other hand, would rather not have had a fourth child. Netje does not have a happy childhood, and her future does not look bright either. But the harsh realities of life turn Netje into a strong woman who, despite all the setbacks, never gives up and continues to search for happiness.
The Lion of FlandersThe Lion of Flanders · 1985
The Lion of Flanders
★ 6.21985
MovieHistoryDrama
The story takes place in 14th-century Flanders, a region suffering under the oppressive and bloody occupation of the French King, Philip the Fair. Tensions between the arrogant French nobility and the proud Flemish guilds reach a boiling point. Following the bloody uprising known as the Bruges Matins, an armed conflict becomes inevitable.Without their imprisoned leader, Robert of Bethune—the "Lion of Flanders"—craftsmen, peasants, and local nobles unite. This leads to the legendary Battle of the Golden Spurs on July 11, 1302, near Kortrijk, where an untrained Flemish citizen army faces the elite French cavalry.
Crazy LoveCrazy Love · 1987
Crazy Love
★ 6.01987
MovieComedyDrama
Three 'Bukowskian' torrid nights in the life of a man, Harry, in search of love. The first is as a youth, the second on the day of his high school graduation, and the third as a lonely, middle-aged man.
Home Sweet HomeHome Sweet Home · 1974
Home Sweet Home
★ 5.71974
MovieComedyDrama
Jules, a rebellious septuagenarian, foments a revolt in his home ruled by quasi-military rules. He and his twenty supporters will oppose the management, the firefighters and even the gendarmes.
Burned BridgesBurned Bridges · 1977
Burned Bridges
★ 5.21977
MovieDrama
In the Belgian hamlet of Verbrande Brug, former lovers Monique and Louis reconnect at a carnival, stirring up drama with their current partners.
De ProefkonijnenDe Proefkonijnen · 1979
De Proefkonijnen
★ 4.31979
MovieDrama
The men of Chemics International lead a quiet life. However, this is cruelly disrupted by an industrial accident in which a toxic substance is released. Some workers are killed; many others are irrevocably contaminated and may suffer permanent injuries. The management, government, press and unions do not react, seeing this as an unfortunate incident. When one of Herman and Jef's best friends also dies, they have had enough. Together they made an ultimate attempt to reveal the truth to the outside world.
S.S. · 1998
S.
★ 4.31998
Movie
It's about a girl, S., who is dangling between Brussels and New York, boys and girls, love and hate, life and death. She has a mother, a father, a boyfriend and a girlfriend, but none of them are any good to her.
Koning van de WereldKoning van de Wereld · 2007
Koning van de Wereld
★ 4.02007
SeriesAction & AdventureDrama
The story of Stan Vandewalle, who's on his way to becoming a sports hero. On his way to the top he encounters many challenges: keeping up appearances, easy women, alcohol, drugs and money... lots of money.

More Like This

My Name Is JoeMy Name Is Joe · 1998
My Name Is Joe
★ 7.21998
MovieDrama
Two thirtysomethings, unemployed former alcoholic Joe and community health worker Sarah, start a romantic relationship in one of the toughest Glasgow neighbourhoods.
Train of LifeTrain of Life · 1998
Train of Life
★ 7.31998
MovieDramaComedy
In 1941, the inhabitants of a small Jewish village in Central Europe organize a fake deportation train so that they can escape the Nazis and flee to Palestine.
Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At!Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At! · 1966
Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At!
★ 7.91966
MovieComedyWar
During World War II, two French civilians and a downed British Bomber Crew set out from Paris to cross the demarcation line between Nazi-occupied Northern France and the South. From there they will be able to escape to England. First, they must avoid German troops – and the consequences of their own blunders.
The Road to GuantanamoThe Road to Guantanamo · 2006
The Road to Guantanamo
★ 6.82006
MovieDrama
Part drama, part documentary, The Road to Guantánamo focuses on the Tipton Three, a trio of British Muslims who were held in Guantanamo Bay for two years until they were released without charge.
Female AgentsFemale Agents · 2008
Female Agents
★ 6.62008
MovieWarHistory
May 1944, a group of French servicewomen and resistance fighters are enlisted into the British Special Operations Executive commando group under the command of Louise Desfontaines and her brother Pierre. Their mission, to rescue a British army geologist caught reconnoitering the beaches at Normandy.
Surviving with WolvesSurviving with Wolves · 2007
Surviving with Wolves
★ 6.32007
MovieDrama
In 1942, the young Jewish girl Misha, her Russian mother Gerusha and her German father Reuven hide from the Germans in a small house in Ardennes, Belgium. Misha is very connected to her mother that advises her that if one day a person comes to her saying "love of my life", she would follow him or her without any question. When her parents are captured by the Nazis, Misha is delivered to a German family and the abusive matriarch gives a bad treatment to the girl. However, she finds support in the family of Ernest and his deranged wife Marthe that supplies groceries to foster family. Misha loves Ernest's dogs and the old man gives a compass to her and tells that her parents have been sent to East to forced labor. When the old couple is denounced for sheltering the girl and arrested by the Germans, Misha flees through the woods heading east. Along her journey seeking out her parents...
The CounterfeitersThe Counterfeiters · 2007
The Counterfeiters
★ 7.42007
MovieDramaWar
The story of Jewish counterfeiter Salomon Sorowitsch, who was coerced into assisting the Nazi operation of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp during World War II.
Germany, Year ZeroGermany, Year Zero · 1948
Germany, Year Zero
★ 7.61948
MovieDrama
In the ruins of post-WWII Berlin, a twelve-year-old boy is left to his own devices in order to help provide for his family.
The ReaderThe Reader · 2008
The Reader
★ 7.52008
MovieDramaRomance
The story of Michael Berg, a German lawyer who, as a teenager in the late 1950s, had an affair with an older woman, Hanna, who then disappeared only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a concentration camp guard late in the war. He alone realizes that Hanna is illiterate and may be concealing that fact at the expense of her freedom.
The BunkerThe Bunker · 2001
The Bunker
★ 5.62001
MovieHorrorMystery
In 1944, in the Belgian - German border, seven German soldiers survive an American attack in the front and lock themselves in a bunker to protect the position. Under siege by the enemy and with little ammunition, they decide to explore underground tunnels to seek supplies and find an escape route. While in the tunnel, weird things happen with the group.
Half NelsonHalf Nelson · 2006
Half Nelson
★ 6.62006
MovieDrama
Despite his dedication to the junior-high students who fill his classroom, idealistic teacher Dan Dunne leads a secret life of addiction that the majority of his students will never know. But things change when a troubled student Drey makes a startling discovery of his secret life, causing a tenuous bond between the two that could either end disastrously or provide a catalyst of hope.
PaisanPaisan · 1946
Paisan
★ 7.51946
MovieDramaWar
Six stories unfold in various regions, from Sicily to the northern Po Valley as American military personnel interact with a variety of Italian locals over eighteen months in the push north during the Italian Campaign of WWII as German forces retreat.
Friday Night LightsFriday Night Lights · 2004
Friday Night Lights
★ 6.92004
MovieDrama
A small, turbulent town in Texas obsesses over their high school football team to an unhealthy degree. When the star tailback, Boobie Miles, is seriously injured during the first game of the season, all hope is lost, and the town's dormant social problems begin to flare up. It is left to the inspiring abilities of new coach Gary Gaines to instill in the other team members -- and, by proxy, the town itself -- a sense of self-respect and honor.
The MatchThe Match · 2021
The Match
★ 6.12021
MovieDramaHistory
Inspired by true events from the spring of 1944 when the Nazis organized a football match between a team of camp inmates and an elite Nazi team on Adolf Hitler's birthday. A match the prisoners are determined to win, no matter what happens.
Battle of the BulgeBattle of the Bulge · 1965
Battle of the Bulge
★ 6.91965
MovieDramaHistory
In the winter of 1944, the Allied Armies stand ready to invade Germany at the coming of a New Year. To prevent it, Hitler orders an all-out offensive to re-take French territory and capture the major port city of Antwerp.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter