Gunga Din (1939) but ‘SexyBack’ plays everytime cary grant is on screen

Gunga Din (1939) but ‘SexyBack’ plays everytime cary grant is on screen

A rousing slice of old-school adventure, Gunga Din barrels along with the energy of a Saturday matinee serial but with Cary Grant cracking wise the whole way through. The trio of soldier buddies has great chemistry, and the action set pieces still have punch.

Yes, it’s very much a product of its time—colonial attitudes and all—but as a piece of 1930s Hollywood spectacle, it’s hard not to get swept up in the dusty, swashbuckling fun. Feels like the blueprint for half the adventure movies that came after.

A rousing slice of old-school adventure, Gunga Din barrels along with the energy of a Saturday matinee serial but with Cary Grant cracking wise the whole way through. The trio of soldier buddies has great chemistry, and the action set pieces still have punch.

Yes, it’s very much a product of its time—colonial attitudes and all—but as a piece of 1930s Hollywood spectacle, it’s hard not to get swept up in the dusty, swashbuckling fun. Feels like the blueprint for half the adventure movies that came after.

I can appreciate this as a spiritual precursor to some of the more fun adventure movies of my youth but boy I had a hard time with a lot of it. Big bootlicker energy

I can appreciate this as a spiritual precursor to some of the more fun adventure movies of my youth but boy I had a hard time with a lot of it. Big bootlicker energy

While the action sequences and the charismatic performances from Grant, McLaglen and Fairbanks Jr are all very fun, between the obvious stereotypes, exoticism, colonialism, all of the brownface, and just generally not being particularly interesting for long periods of time, Gunga Din is ultimately a mixed bag to me. Though I still can definitely imagine some people having a fun time with it regardless. It's very Temple of Doom, for better or for worse.

While the action sequences and the charismatic performances from Grant, McLaglen and Fairbanks Jr are all very fun, between the obvious stereotypes, exoticism, colonialism, all of the brownface, and just generally not being particularly interesting for long periods of time, Gunga Din is ultimately a mixed bag to me. Though I still can definitely imagine some people having a fun time with it regardless. It's very Temple of Doom, for better or for worse.