Directed by George Stevens and inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s poem, Gunga Din is the story of three indomitable British soldiers who find themselves at the center of a battle against the bloodthirsty Thuggee cult. Captured and enslaved with an aspiring water boy (the title character), the men endanger their lives to thwart an ambush of the British army coming to rescue them. Gunga Din is a rousing adventure that exalts camaraderie among men. The stalwarts are played by Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Oscar-winner Victor McLaglen (The Informer, The Quiet Man). The men spend half their time quarreling and the other half working against a common enemy — but it’s a three-way bromance, to be sure. Grant and McLaglen even spend half the movie trying to trick Fairbanks, whose character is leaving the army to get married, back into service. Joan Fontaine has the thankless role of Fairbanks’ betrothed, the Yoko threatening to break up the band.
John Ford’s masterpiece is still a thoroughly entertaining ride. A handful of disparate personalities, including John Wayne as the notorious Ringo Kid, take their chances traveling through Apache territory. Along the way, friends and enemies are made, a baby is born, a seemingly doomed romance blooms, and not everyone makes it to their destination alive.
