Gunga Din

"You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din." In that same vein, fans of classic action-adventures won't find any better film than this exhilarating tale, directed by George Stevens. Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. star as cheeky soldiers of Queen and Empire who never run short of battlefield gallantry and chin-up heroics as they combat a murderous sect in colonial India. Stevens skillfully orchestrates teeming battle sequences and boisterous humor. And Sam Jaffe memorably plays the title role of the lowly water-bearer who yearns to be a solder and seizes the chance to prove his mettle. The years go by, but the fact remains: Gunga Din is "the Hollywood action-adventure yarn" (Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide). - Container.