5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Warhawk Tanzania plays an urban afro American, who hate the gang warfare all around him. In desperation, Tanzania summons a demon from the subway system to purge his neighborhood of punks. Unfortunately, the demons are uncontrollable, resulting in the deaths of several innocent people.
Starring: Larry Fleischman, Brother Theodore, Aki Aleong, Fred Berner, Warhawk TanzaniaHorror | 100% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
“Devil’s Express” is a 1976 release that attempts to be a martial arts extravaganza, a police procedural, and a horror movie. These are not three subgenres that coexist peacefully, and director Barry Rosen is not the guy to pull off such a tonal challenge. “Devil’s Express” throws everything at the viewer with hope that something sticks, looking to dazzle with bursts of violence and a murder mystery involving a supernatural serial killer. The picture simply doesn’t work, but Rosen is determined to at least put something together, struggling with basic storytelling competency and editorial finesse in his quest to contribute to filmmaking trends of the era.
Listed as a "2K Scan of the Original Negatives," "Devil's Express" comes to Blu-ray with an AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation. The feature isn't exactly concerned with cinematographic precision, but the viewing experience is satisfactory, securing urban distances as tours of New York City are included. Facial surfaces are lightly textured, and makeup efforts are adequately explored (exposing hilarious professional limitations at times). Colors carry bright period hues, including costuming, with Luke's gold overalls presenting a distinct look. A colder palette is reserved for street visits, highlighting concrete and brick, while greenery is acceptable during "Hong Kong" trips. Delineation is passable. Source has some brief color fluctuations, speckling, and scratches.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix isn't built to overwhelm, keeping the low-budget production to basic sonic needs. Dialogue exchanges are mostly intelligible, but heavy accents and traffic conditions occasionally threaten line readings (the disc doesn't have subtitles to help viewers out). Scoring isn't distinct, but the funk music presented provides simple support with slightly muddier instrumentation. Hiss is present throughout the listening event, and pops are periodic.
The viewing experience for "Devil's Express" is meant to encourage some level of mockery, with the grindhouse aesthetic of the production open for appreciation. That's all well and good, but pacing is much too deadly to inspire a rousing sit. Rosen gets in a few decent moments (the showdown between Luke and evil has some snap), but he's clearly flailing here, barely piecing together a sellable movie.
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