Gang Wars

Gang Wars (a.k.a. Devil's Express; 1976)

Runtime: 83 minutes

Directed by: Barry Rosen

Starring: WARHAWK TANZANIA (yes, that's the actor's stage name; I have no idea what his birth certificate name is), Thomas D. Anglin, Wilfredo Roldan, Brother Theodore (yes, the old monologuist who was Uncle Reuben in The 'Burbs)

From: Mahler Films

Yep, this is a left turn from what I've mainly been talking about this month. I figured it was time to do some real obscure grindhouse fare (something I need to do more often) and how can I NOT watch a movie with a dude who calls himself Warhawk Tanzania and who happens to look like a cross between basketball legend Julius Erving and Ludacris? Yep, he's a buff black dude with a great afro and nice mustache but he's no Jim Kelly by any means.

The plot synopsis, as written by me: it's a blaxploitation/kung-fu/monster movie! It starts off in “China: 200 B.C.” and you see an amulet be hidden as it basically carries evil powers and can cause huge problems, which is demonstrated later. You then move on and see that Luke (Warhawk) does martial arts training (he even helps out “honky cops”) and he has a buddy named Roldan (yeah, Wilfredo Roldan; I'd like to think that the character name was Rodan instead!), and Rodan is an annoying weasel of a dude. I know that's how the character was written, but still... they go to Hong Kong (yea, it looks like New York; no surprise given that everything with this production looks like this was a real low-dollar affair) and Rodan digs up an amulet and brings it along as they return to NYC. In short, it results in someone being possessed and they start off with ping pong balls for eyes and yet he doesn't get noticed in 1970's New York City, which I know was a rough place, but still...

You get funky music, even funkier fashions, and random fights, and even more random fights as the thing hides in the subways and attacks random people, as random sh*t happens, not a lot of it all that interesting, to be honest. This movie is decidedly average in every which way (except for the music) from the fighting to the acting (“average” is being kind); sure, there's wackiness, from the ping pong ball eyes to how the thing can speak in a monotone children's voice speaking English in order to trick a victim, but there's not enough of that. There is no gore to speak of. 

Like I said, average, and definitely not as gonzo or as insane or as wacky as I was hoping given the premise. Mr. Warhawk is a pretty terrible actor, BTW, and he really doesn't deserve  While it may sound awesome to hear that Warhawk fights a “demon” (dude in a wacky costume), it's done in a really dark subway so it is not always easy to see and how it ends... lame! It's on YouTube so if you must you can watch the whole film, but there's no real need to.

I'll be back on Monday night, as the next few days I'll be busy at times and I'll also try to watch a horror documentary or two, which will take up some time.