The movie "Gunga Din" (1939), an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's poem, is a corny but fun-filled buddy film. Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. were cast perfectly as three British soldier buddies fighting in colonial India. Cary Grant was funny and lovable as a Cockney sergeant. Victor McLaglen portrayed his two-fisted soldier role perfectly. (McLaglen was an ex-pugilist and ex-British colonial soldier in real life.) Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. almost outdid his legendary, swash-buckling father in this film. Although he was too old for the role, Sam Jaffe in his heavy make-up was excellent as the native water-boy, Gunga Din. Even Joan Fontaine, in her thankless role as a meddling fiancee, shined. (It was strange that Joan Fontaine, who in real life is related to the British nobility, sounded rather American.) Some of the conversations were very amusing. Recall Grant's remark about the jail being made of pudding when Gunga Din brought him a fork as a breakout tool. This action film, with its competent direction by George Stevens and effective film score by Alfred Newman, was so fun-filled that negative things like soldiering for British imperialists and killing human beings looked deceivingly fun and exciting.

Also, making the thugs into the film's villains is an excellent and cunning choice. Many Indians who fought against the British were legitimate freedom fighters and deserve lots of our sympathy. However, the thugs deserve no sympathy whatsoever. They were incredibly vile men who make the crimes of crazed serial killers like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy look like child's play. Thugs were members of a demented cult of Hindu and some Muslim thieves who tried to justify their numerous robbery murders by claiming that their criminal acts were justified by the Hindu goddess Kali. In the 19th century, tens of thousands of innocent travelers in modern day India, Pakistan and Nepal were strangled and robbed by groups of thugs every year. When asked if they felt any guilt about killing innocent men, many thugs boldly stated that they felt nothing but pleasure. One thug even bragged about killing more than one thousand men during his murderous career. Some IMDb commentators surprisingly compared the thugs to Mohandas Gandhi, an advocate of non-violence, and French freedom fighters of W.W. II. These comparisons are outrageous and nonsensical to say the least. Just because the thugs wanted the British to get out of India does not make them into freedom fighters. If the thugs did indeed advocate the expulsion of British from India, it was for their own vile, self-centered interest. The thugs hated the British because it was the British who persistently suppressed the thugs from 1830's to 1850's. Before the British suppression, thugs were allowed to murder and rob undisturbed possibly for two thousand years. (Herodotus mentions a thug-like cult in his book.) Although some Muslim rulers tried to suppress the thugs, very few other Indian rulers did anything about the thugs. In fact, some Indian rulers were active supporters of the thugee cult. Moreover, the statement that the thugs murdered as a way to fight the British colonialism makes no sense whatsoever. Thugs had been robbing and killing thousands of victims long before British came to India. Moreover, if thugs were indeed anti-British freedom fighters, why were so few victims of the thugee cult British soldiers? Almost all thug victims were native Indian travelers. In fact, thug murders were rarely politcally motivated. They murdered for financial gain and for the sake of satisfying the vile pleasure of murdering another human being. Even if, arguendo, we labeled the thugs as freedom fighters, their methods are totally demented. Does robbing and murdering tens of thousands of people per year constitute acceptable acts of freedom fighters? French partisans did indeed kill many collaborators, but their killings were much fewer as compared to the thugs' carnage. The only other people, who were equally crazed and murderous, were the Mayan and Aztec priests. Just like thugs, they murdered thousands of innocent victims without any scruples whatsoever. Even if I had quite a corny fun with this film, I do not agree with its approval of British imperialism. I was also disappointed with Gunga Din's misguided loyalty to British imperialism. The film's insidious pro-British political message was highly relevant when it was made because Britain was indeed controlling many oversea colonies-including India--in 1939. Until recently many Hollywood movies wholeheartedly supported British imperialism. Many of them overlook the historical fact that British government and its officers were brutal and immoral exploiters of its colonies. Many dwellers of British colonies greatly suffered from this exploitation. Maybe the American movie audience forgot about it, but there is a former British colony which was so infuriated by the conducts of British government and bureaucrats that it revolted against the British. This former colony fought the British Army and Navy and killed thousands of British soldiers--just like those Asian and African anti-British rebels who are portrayed as villains in numerous Hollywood movies. The colony eventually won its independence from Britain. Its name is the United States of America.

The film is based on Kipling's heroic lines that inspire Hollywood's biggest movie 1939 . Out of the drumbeat rhythm of Kipling's most famous 85 lines rises a picture that will become known as the one great movie of the year . Big on the score of its armies in battle , its war elephants , its bandit hordes , its terror temples Thugs and mystic mountains of India . The picture is bigger still in its scope and sweep , is thrill and action but biggest of all in the life breathes through three (Gary Grant , Victor McLagen and Douglas Fairbanks Jr) roaring , reckless , swaggering sons of the thundering gunfighters men who stride its mighty scenes in the flesh and blood of high adventure , it's a honest film of it all that makes Gunga Din a new experience in entertainment . Joan Fontaine gambled her against the valiant sergeants three . The romance between Fontaine and Fairbanks Jr aflame through dangerous days and nights of terror in a land where anything can happen .

This George Stevens motion picture has thrills for a thousand movies plundered for one mighty show . It's a fabulous , furious and far-flung adventure with the red-blood and gunpowder heroes who rise from the storied mystery of India and storm the screen with the lusty , rousing , robust life-thunder of men who fight for the love of it and love for the fun of it . Those portions of this picture dealing with the worship of The Goddess Kali are based on historic fact . Upon release a campaign was launched by the Indian newspapers against the misrepresentation of Indian caricatures in the film, and the displaying of insensitivity towards Hindu customs , following riots in India and Malaya the film was withdrawn by the censors . The roles of Sergeants Cutter, Ballantine, and MacChesney were based on Privates from Kipling's "Soldiers Three" short stories .

The picture is well interpreted by the brave and roguish Gary Grant who rounded hundred villains Thugs and the mean Guru -Eduardo Ciannelli- , then Grant shouts : You're under arrest! . Gary Grant being amusingly accompanied by two great and sympathetic colleagues : Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Victor McLagen . Besides , appearing the heroic water man , Sam Jaffe , whose regiment colonel -Montagu Love- says of him : You're a better man than I am , Gunga Din ! . However , Sabu was first choice to play Gunga Din ; when it became clear he was unavailable , the Jewish Russian-American Sam Jaffe was hired in his place , playing convincingly the valiant Indian Muslim .

George Stevens' "Gunga Din", loosely based on the famous poem by Rudyard Kipling, tells the story of a trio of British soldiers in India along with the titular native water-bearer who yearns for the life of a soldier. When one of the three decides to leave the army and get married his buddies trick him into returning for one last mission which ends up leading to a stand-off with the murderous Thuggee cult.

The cast is expertly assembled. Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen & Douglas Fairbanks Jr. make a great team. Their characters are men of action but each of the actors also get a chance to inject some comedy into the proceedings from time to time. Sam Jaffe plays Gunga Din and he does a fine job as well.

The film benefits from the sure hand of director George Stevens and features a wealth of quality location work. The cinematography garnered the film's sole Oscar nomination but the film exhibits considerable technical appeal on the whole, including a stirring score from nine-time Oscar winner Alfred Newman.

"Gunga Din" mixes action, adventure, comedy and drama in a good old-fashioned adventure yarn the likes of which we rarely see these days. It's an obvious influence on "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and I also have to wonder if some of the characterization rubbed off on Lucas' "Star Wars" as well. It's a pity that the background of British imperialism spoils the film for some but I can't say that it did so for me.