JoeB131 This is an interesting film where they took a film noir plot and transplanted it (pun intended) into a monster movie. So a nice guy from a small town goes looking for his sister who has been tricked into a 'white slavery' ring (They never do outright say, "Prostitution" because Hayes Board and stuff) and ends up getting framed for the murder of a gangster by rival gangsters. The hilarity begins when Mad Scientist George Zucco transplants the nice guy's brain into the body of a gorilla, because that never goes badly in these kinds of movies. The movie then proceeds as the gangster's henchmen are slowly picked off by the Gorilla, which has mysteriously acquired stealth ninja skills in addition to being, you know, a gorilla. Kudos to the guy in the monkey suit, as he pulls off his scenes with a bit of pathos, like when he encounters his old dog who knows its him. This movie has a lot of really nice touches like that, but it's mostly just fun cheese. I also think it is interesting as a snapshot of how society was back then, not being able to talk frankly about sex but lots of smoking scenes.

Michael_Elliott Monster and the Girl, The (1941) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Strange but effective film from Paramount mixes the noir and horror genres. Mobsters frame an innocent man for murder but before his execution he swears vengeance on them all. After his death a scientist (George Zucco) experiments by putting the dead man's brain into the body of a gorilla who goes out for revenge. The biggest problem with this film is its short running time of 65-minutes, which isn't enough time for the two stories to work. We get a fast paced and fun movie but it could and should have been a lot more. This is certainly a very weird film that noir and horror fans should check out.

petencin This is a great movie, the site review covers it well. The "monster gorilla" is almost just a sub-plot, the real monsters are the bad guys with their inhumanity. This is a movie full of actors you've never heard of and they all do their jobs well. I'm tired of modern movies where the digital image makers can create anything on the screen. I'll take real people, real actors, any day. Even the ape "monster" doesn't go over the top. Just all around excellent, great $1 VHS buy at Kroger!! Fine for the family and kids of any age, kudos to Skippy the Dog and all the other cast members for a fine piece of work. I bought this expecting a humorous, no budget, schlocky affair. I was surprised to find a serious piece of film making that is both entertaining and contains elements of morality and decency that are lacking in modern films and TV. The ape monster doesn't even appear until late in the film, I was actually starting to wonder if the box graphic of the gorilla was just a marketing ploy, selling horror genre tapes for $1 might be easier than selling unknown dramas? But the ape finally appears and carefully claims revenge for the fallen brain owner. Just excellent!

dcole-2 OK, so it's about a human brain transplanted into an ape's body -- it's still a unique, original and stylish film. Director Stuart Heisler treats it all very seriously and the cast does a great job. It's beautifully shot and lit -- and there's even a sub-plot about white slavery and prostitution that's shocking for the time. A first-rate job by all concerned.