The Gorilla Man (1943) User Reviews

Fifth column at the hospital

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 26 March 2021]

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.

Is John Loder the Gorilla Man?

[boblipton · 5/10 · 30 November 2018]

Between the title, the fog-shrouded opening shots, and the medical men talking about being less squeamish with their experimental subjects, I expected this to be a horror movie. It was not long, however, before nurse Mary Field called one of the doctors "Herr" and their posh English accents switched to German ones, that I had my doubts. Then a wounded John Loder staggers into their hospital,straight from a commando operation. They tend to his wounds, but he insists on speaking only to General Lumsden Hare. So the German spies decide to wreck Loder's credibility by having John Abbott, looking ridiculous in coke-bottle spectacles, strangling people and pinning the crimes on Loder.

Put that way, it seems a roundabout method of dealing with the situation. Were I one of the spies, I would suggest killing Loder before he can make his report, and then blaming his wounds. That movie, however, would be either very short or very different. As it is, this B movie runs at such a high speed that there is little time to consider such matters. Ross Lederman knew how to crank them out fast, and Warner's cast of supporting character actors, rush this one through in a snappy 64 minutes.

no gorilla in sight

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 28 March 2021]

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.

an odd title and a film filled with 1001 different logical errors.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 2 April 2021]

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.

it's not what you think. More anti-nazi propaganda.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 3 June 2019]

Well done, fast-paced and enjoyable, this is another in the staple of Warner Brothers films showed them as monsters of the cruelest order. The major villain here is the tall, lanky John Abbott whom you can tell through his thick glasses and cold personality is far from the good doctor he is presented as in the first scene. It all surrounds the British John Loder who is suspected of being a killer who can allegedly climb up buildings like a gorilla (or King Kong), cruely murder his victim and disappear without a Trace. But of course we know that Loder is innocent. The only thing we do not know is how the culprit will be caught and despatched of, and in just over an hour, the audience gets plenty of thrills in the meantime.

As we see the killer stalk their prey, it becomes very chilling, and that is where the only element of horror comes in. This isn't the same year's "Captive Wild Woman" (Universal) or "The Ape Man" (Monogram), so there is no use making a triple bill out of these three second features. But Warner Brothers, even after cheapest, made entertaining programmers, and this certainly fits that bill. It's pretty predictable though and the one-dimensional characters (both good and bad) makes it sometimes eye rolling.

decent film, misleading title

[JudgeMalone · 6/10 · 29 October 2003]

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.

England and America are full of Fifth Columnist Core Supporters . . .

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 13 April 2021]

. . . eager, willing and able to swear allegiance to the first gander-stepping maniac who comes along ranting about rigged elections, pale-face supremacy and his love for sneak-attacking women, the sage seers of the always eponymous Warner Bros. Warn our USA Homeland with THE GORILLA MAN. The prophetic prognosticators of Warner are aiming their message as much toward we citizens of (the then) Far Future as to the contemporary viewers of the World War Two era. Both the military "intelligence" dudes and police detectives pictured here are blithering buffoons of the same ilk that surrendered our once-hallowed U. S. Capitol to the murderous vandal mob on Jan. 6, 2021. At least 40% of these present day insurrectionist rioting thugs have turned out to be "law officers" and "service people," akin to GORILLA's Quisling collaborators who turn over a war widow, a general's daughter and a heroine nurse informant to be savagely strangled by a quack "doctor" almost as deadly as 2020's infamous "Scarf Lady."

Spy movie

[royrogers-67865 · 8/10 · 29 November 2018]

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.

they never show this one.... for a reason

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 11 June 2021]

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.

Excellent little espionnage yarn

[searchanddestroy-1 · 27 September 2023]

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.

Early 36 HOURS (1965) plot twist.

[donzilla · 29 October 2003]

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.