Gunga Din is a polished adventure film from Hollywood's Golden Year starring Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as rowdy fun-loving British soldiers in colonial India and Sam Jaffe in a rather touching performance (despite the no longer acceptable practice of brownface) as their Indian servant Gunga Din. The film is like other RKO adventure pictures in the thirties (like King Kong) in that nearly everything about it is larger than life, from the characters to the sets and setpieces. Of the four main actors, three turn in great performances: Cary Grant as a cocky soldier with imperialist swagger--out for treasure at any cost; Victor McLaglen's as his crusty officer companion; and Sam Jaffe as Gunga Din. That leaves Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in the rather undemanding role of a sap about to leave the army to be married. Also of note is Eduardo Cianelli as the menacing Thuggee cult guru. A good sense of humor, an excellent cast, enormous battle scenes, and exceptional production values make this a wonderful film that has aged quite gracefully.
8/10
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