Rating: *
Review Date: 7/19/14
Alternate Title: Gang Wars
Cast: Warhawk Tanzania
A martial arts master from New York (Warhawk Tanzania) travels to China with one of his students to attend a martial arts retreat. Unfortunately, the restless student awakens a demon that's been asleep for 2000 years and brings it back to New York with him. The demon shuns light and takes up residence in the subway, where it mutilates several people. The police think it's a gang war between the Black Spades and the Red Dragons, and even Warhawk thinks the Chinese are responsible. He eventually learns the truth and prepares to face the demon in a bizarre supernatural showdown.
This low budget actioner is pretty awful on all accounts. Warhawk Tanzania is very charismatic and has a stellar physique, but he's a terrible actor and his fight scenes are overly stiff and sluggish. The Chinese stuntmen are competent, but they don't get to show off much. The makeup is laughably awful, and includes quite possibly the worst aging makeup I've ever seen. The demon's original form is basically a dude with creepy eyes painted on his eyelids, who stumbles around in blind confusion. While it's a cheap effect, it's actually pretty unsettling to look at. The final fight in the subway is a bit surreal, as the demon assumes the form of Warhawk's girlfriend, his student, and a couple of Chinese zombies. It also becomes invisible at one point, causing Warhawk to hilariously flail around from unseen punches. Pretty much a waste of time, but the 1970's nostalgia is fun.