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Gunga Din

Gunga Din

Adventure · War · Action · 1939

British army sergeants Ballantine, Cutter and MacChesney serve in India during the 1880s, along with their native water-bearer, Gunga Din. While completing a dangerous telegraph-repair mission, they unearth evidence of the suppressed Thuggee cult. When Gunga Din tells the sergeants about a secret temple made of gold, the fortune-hunting Cutter is captured by the Thuggees, and it's up to his friends to rescue him.

Movie details

Gunga Din

“Barbaric Splendor - Gasping Magnitude - Adventure !”

1939 Adventure · War · Action 1h 57m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

British army sergeants Ballantine, Cutter and MacChesney serve in India during the 1880s, along with their native water-bearer, Gunga Din. While completing a dangerous telegraph-repair mission, they unearth evidence of the suppressed Thuggee cult. When Gunga Din tells the sergeants about a secret temple made of gold, the fortune-hunting Cutter is captured by the Thuggees, and it's up to his friends to rescue him.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Gunga Din?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

George Stevens

Written by

Ben Hecht · Charles MacArthur · Fred Guiol · Joel Sayre

Cary Grant

Cary Grant

Archibald Cutter

Victor McLaglen

Victor McLaglen

MacChesney

Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Thomas Anthony Ballantine

Sam Jaffe

Sam Jaffe

Gunga Din

Eduardo Ciannelli

Eduardo Ciannelli

Guru

Joan Fontaine

Joan Fontaine

Emmaline "Emmy" Stebbins

Montagu Love

Montagu Love

Colonel Weed

Court is in session

Put Gunga Din on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.