The Gorilla Man

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.

Of course, any movie buff will think of 36 HOURS plot watching this one. The scheme is very rare, bizarre, daring for the mid forties, even as a propaganda film. This movie is the best example to show how great some B pictures can be from time to time, among many other ones, unfortunately mostly bland, flat, boring, looking all alike. If you are lucky enough, you can find some golden diamind gems like this one. It is rare, not available on you tube, and I admit that I was lucky to have purchased it a long time ago thru a broker whom I have forgotten about. A TV taping off, I guess. A real true gem from D Ross Lederman. I guess his best film.

The Gorilla Man is a wartime espionage story starring John Loder with a ton of th character players from Hollywood's British colony. Loder is a wounded RAF pilot at a coastal hospital that's run by a small cohort of Nazi spies.

Loder has found out where the planned invasion of the United Kingdom is to be made and he wants to tell those in power. But the bad guys frame him for a murder and he's now a hunted one.

Some similarities between. The classic 39 Steps of Alfred Hitchcock and the James Garner film 36 Hours. Nowhere close to those and the plot has to manu holes,

And if you want to know the origin of the title, The Gorilla Man you watch the movie.

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.

Wartime flick ! John Loder is Captain Killian, a wounded soldier who has been brought to the hospital for repair. But that hospital is also a nest of nazi spies. Can they get the information they want out of him before he figures it out and tries to escape? Directed by Ross Lederman. Did westerns, wartime, and many other films. Written by Anthony Coldeway.. he was nominated for Glorious Betsy. They hardly ever show this one. Mildly entertaining.