Devil's Express (1976)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Overrated and overhyped

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Devil's Express was in my recommended Amazon Prime video list for some time. And now that I've just finished watching it, I wish that I could have seen it even sooner. This is the kind of movie that I feel like becoming an apostle for - it's a film that hardly anyone talks about and has probably never seen, but combines all of the elements that make it perfect for culthood - it's the perfect mix of blaxploitation, 1970's occult, tough guy cop and martial arts films, all in one off the rails package.When The Warriors came out, the distributor of this film retitled it as Gang Wars to try and make more money. And sure, it's about gang fights. It's also about so much more.Back in 200 B.C., Chinese monks get rid of an evil medallion by dropping it into a hole. That's where it stays until sometime in the 1970's, when martial arts teacher Luke Curtis (played by a man who has an even better real name, Warhawk Tanzania, who is also in Black Force) and his sidekick Rodan (no, not that Rodan, this guy is played by Wilfredo Roldan, also of Black Force) travel overseas on a spiritual journey. Sadly, Rodan can't erase the revenge in his heart, so when he finds the medallion, instead of resisting its evil, he takes it.When they get back to New York City, a demon possesses a Chinese guy and starts violence everywhere he goes, setting up a feud between the Blackjack and Red Dragon gangs. The cops try and keep things cool, but the martial arts action just can't be stopped.If you're looking for cameos, this one's got 'em, from Brother Theodore (The 'Burbs) to David Durston, the writer and director of I Drink Your Blood as a doomed 9 to 5'er!Also, if you're looking for a funky soundtrack, gold lame outfits, a villain named Lo Pan (yes, really), a final kung fu fighting monster that is wearing tennis shoes, Dolemite-esque chop sockery and the kind of movie that five different writers all making a totally different movie at the same time, then this film is exactly what you're looking for. You've got a hero cool enough to help train the cops, but also street enough to not trust them. You've got romance. And you've got fights with missed cues and nonsensical editing. Writing this review makes me want to watch this movie all over again.There's even a subplot where one of the new cops thinks that all of the murders and gang violence are the result of mutated pets that have been flushed into the sewer. And how does a martial arts instructor so devoted to harmony and bettering himself also let a coke dealer and gang leader learn from him? Why did Warhawk Tanzania do so few films? Why didn't they make ten sequels to this movie? When can I watch it again?

Yeah, this one is a good ways away from being as awesome as it might have been. Which is not to say that its a complete failure, rather that those enticed by its combination of genres into thinking it might be some trash colossus should substantially downgrade their expectations. It reminded me most of some of the better works of Godfrey Ho, those films in which the cut 'n splice ninja flick maestro actually had an original script and a cast of semi capable performers. Inept, insane and idiotic in roughly equal measures, but conducted with verve and never dull. The inspired story is of martial arts school leader Luke Curtis who goes to visit his sifu in Hong Kong along with his shiftless buddy Roldan (though I preferred the subtitles in which his name was Rodan) who steals a sacred medallion and unleashes a demon, who returns to New York, possesses a Chinese man and sets up shop in a subway, killing at random and contributing to a race war between Chinese and black gangs. Lots of fighting ensues, as well as plenty of laughter. The attitude behind the writing seems to have been to cram the film with incident so that the audience could never relax and process the cinematic shortcomings. So more or less every moment has either fighting, people saying stupid things, the monster dragging people to their doom or spurts of picturesque photography in the Hong Kong section or vintage urban grime in the rest. The fighting isn't especially convincing (plenty of blows fall obviously wide plus some dodgy framing and people moving at unrealistic speeds), but it's a lot better than expected, with a cast that at least know how to move and a shooting style that lets you see whats going on. It helps that much of the fighting involves hero Luke, played by the awesomely named and almost as awesomely afroed War Hawk Tanzania. His character isn't as badass as his name but he has a solid presence and carries the film nicely, delivering his frequently hilarious jive dialogue with aplomb. In fact everyone gives it their all, even extras like a nasty old bag lady, crazy street preacher or clueless cop. Sadly the monster scenes are quite weak and there are only a couple of gore shots, also the dodgy quality of current available prints renders the subway scenes too dark. The climax is too abrupt as well, though when ultimately revealed the monster is kinda cool in a cheap-jack kinda way. Altogether its a likable rather than good film and a bit tricky to fully appreciate until a spruced up DVD appears, but trash junkies could do far worse with 80 minutes of their time. Slightly generous 6/10 from me...

The working title of "Gang Wars" was "The Phantom of the Subway" but it was first released as "The Devil's Express".The film mixes blaxploitation genre,American martial arts and horror flick and does this with huge enthusiasm.The acting is mostly wooden and Warhawk Tanzania is not as awesome as his name.The fights are well-shot and there is a decent amount of blood and gore.The film's running time is padded out by random inserts of not exactly important scenes for example the fight between two sleazeballs and karate waitress.The gang war and subway murders committed by amulet seeking demon are fun to watch.A trash classic.7 out of 10.

From a time when every white kid squinted their eyes, made dying cat howls and broke their legs jumping into the garage wall trying to be Bruce Lee comes a Z-grade blaxploitation zombie kung fu masterpiece that tries - oh, how it tries - to cover all bases, but all it really does is redefine the term "black action". Set mainly in a New York subway, it's so black you can hardly see any action. Can you dig it? Warhawk Tanzania plays kung fu master Luke Curtis, known by his pupils as See-Fu. On a meditation retreat to China, his star pupil Rodan (as in the giant Japanese pterodactyl) unwittingly picks up a silver medallion from the tomb of an ancient demon. Being the Seventies, ugly jewelry is considered the height of fashion, and they return to New York. The demon, meanwhile, bursts out of his tomb, jumps on the first ship to Harlem, possesses a brother-man, and wanders comically through the subway with huge white eyes painted onto his lids with liquid paper, looking for souls to feed on. The trail of murders sparks a gang war between local kung-fu-kicking triads the Red Dragons and ghetto gang the Black Spades (I kid you not). When Rodan has his necklace (and his head) torn off, Warhawk finally has a moment of clarity - see, the meditation finally pays off - and he bravely heads into the subway for a brother-to-brother showdown.Devil's Express was Warhawk's second and final film after Force Four (aka Black Force, 1975). Warhawk spends most of his screen time running down "honkies" and proving he's a Man of the People - saying no to drugs, giving street kids a hi-five, and eating Chinese takeout - with chopsticks - with his wooooman. What he can't do, and it's apparent from the start, is fight for shinola; as a bottom-shelf Jim Kelly, he's all attitude with no acting OR fighting chops to back it up. His punches land six inches from their intended destinations, all with the most inappropriate sound effects. As a distraction to how bad his fighting is, he steps on a Chinese kid's throat and bursts a blood vessel. Dramatic? No. Ludicrous? Of course. And that's the charm of a Warhawk Tanzania film. By the way - ever seen a Chinese kid with an afro? For a no-name cast, there's a surprise sacrilicious street-side ranting by New York eccentric Brother Theodore: "Moses is dead, Mohammed is dead, Buddha is dead... and I'm not feeling so hot myself." Bad acting, ham-fisted fighting and peppered with the most gut-wrenchingly exaggerated jive ("I know where you're coming from, See-Fu. I can DIG it!"), Devil's Express is a film that succeeds in making Huggy Bear look like Humphrey B. Bear. Can YOU dig it?