The Gorilla Man

The general premise here is repeated in the James Garner movie, 36 HOURS (1965): a wounded American soldier is in a hospital involving Nazi agents. The key to each film plot, however, changes drastically. In this plot, the penchant for displaying the ferocious covert attack of the Germans against the Allies is followed, but for a different reason. You see, in 36 HOURS, the protagonist discovers... Ah! but you'll have to rent or buy that video to find out that one! If you're a classic spook or intrigue fan, I believe you, too, will give this one at least 6 stars of 10.

Doctor Dorn leads a Nazi spy operation from his clinic on the British coast. Commando Captain Craig Killian is injured after an important operation. His men leave him under Dorn's care. He's hiding secrets for the military and Dorn is desperate to uncover them. His exploits have become famous and he's known as The Gorilla Man for his climbing skills.

There is no gorilla here and this is not a horror movie. It's an espionage film. This would be a more threating premise if Killian wash up ashore by himself. Dorn can interrogate him with impunity. As it stands, the movie is too convenient. Police Inspector Cady is too infuriating. At the very least, it does not paint the police in the most flattering light and that's not good in terms of propaganda during wartime. Even catching the Nazis is one of the most convenient solutions possible. Killian is too calm. In general, the acting is rather stiff. The British are all doing their stiff upper lip performances. I can't abide by the final solution and I have to give this a marginal fail.

Not bad at all, a nice slow developing movie The country was on the "if you see something, say something mode" during those years, Hollywood was running behind the culture back then but writing scripts to fit life at that time.

The title "The Gorilla Man" is a weird one as the film has nothing to do with gorillas in any way. In fact, it's a World War II era propaganda film and they oddly used the term 'gorilla man' because the man in question is a commando who is excellent at climbing! Sadly, the film isn't about gorillas and is filled with tons of logical errors...way too many.

When the story begins, a group of commandoes bring one of their men to a local hospital because he's been injured. Oddly, he's not taken to a military or public hospital but to a place in the middle of no where that just happens to be run by Nazi spies(!!!). Their goal is to keep him under so he cannot pass on vital information to his superiors...but when one of them insists on seeing him, they use their spy gadgets to listen in on the conversation. Then, they spend the rest of the film trying to discredit the man so no one believes his information.

Where to start with all the logical flaws? After all, there are so many! First, why would they take the man to his out of the way hospital? Second, why would they automatically believe EVERY THING the doctor says even though they don't know the man. They do know the commando and oddly they immediately believe this respected and highly decorated man insane despite no second opinion by an outside expert. Third, when folks start getting murdered to discredit the commando, they never really even consider that a third party is doing the killings and blaming it on the poor guy. Fourth, when told by the doctors that the commando is dangerous and insane, they don't investigate but throw him into a 'hospital for psychoapaths'. Fifth, the command never, ever is listened to by the military...ever. Sixth, the commando then investigates the mystery himself....a common cliche of the era...but a bad one. He is supposedly smarter than anyone of a higher rank or military police....and this was supposed to HELP the war effort by portraying them as idiots?! When the general's younger daughter believes the commando is telling truth and tries to tell her father, he never listens. Seventh, the spies are posing as nice Englishmen...but keep breaking into speaking German....and don't even bother to make sure no one is overhearing them. I could go on, but suffice to say it's a very slopping and poorly written film that certainly hasn't aged well in the least.

This breezy, hour-long 1942 movie sports a wildly misleading title. It's not a thriller or horror movie at all, but rather a spy film. It features Warner Bros. staple John Loder in a convincing performance as a shell shocked Army captain who gets sucked into some intrigue involving Nazis. Provocative and taut for a B picture; catch it on Turner Classic when you can.