3/5
Not much on plot but plenty of decent kung fu action
by Daniel Jolley (Shelby, North Carolina USA)
Featuring far too many men wearing baskets and such over their entire heads, Tang ren piao ke (Screaming Ninja aka Screaming Tiger) manages to entertain despite a pretty weak storyline with a couple of subplots I never really made sense of. I suspect there is a longer, unedited version of this film somewhere out there, as at least one scene refers to something I never saw happen. As for the fighting, I must say there was certainly no shortage of martial arts scenes. I wasn't always sure who was fighting whom until the end, but it was all fun to watch. Unfortunately, the print of this film leaves much to be desired, but you have to remember it was made back in 1973. The English dubbing is typical of 1970s kung fu films - not very good and open to easy ridicule.
Screaming Ninja is actually set in feudal Japan rather than China. Jimmy Wang Yu's character has come to the island nation to avenge the deaths of his entire family back home. He isn't sure of the culprits' actual identities at first, but he gets in lots of practice beating up Japanese guys of all sizes (including Sumo wrestlers) as he goes along. Early on, he gets mixed up with a female pickpocket, and they eventually develop some sort of kinship (I have to admit I never really figured this woman out); then, seemingly through her, he gets himself in the middle of a small war between two competing martial arts schools. It's really all just a means to an end, setting up the big fight scene between hero and villain.
The big fight at the end isn't all that spectacular, but the combatants go at it for quite a while across multiple locations - on top of a train, on a high bridge, in the middle of a roaring river, etc. Jimmy Wang Yu is a good fighter known for his quickness, and his fight scenes are really the only strength of this film. This isn't his best work, but Screaming Ninja features enough kung fu action to appeal to any fan of the genre.
2/5
Wang yu not all that bad in this one, but god, what a crappy movie
by morgoth (omaha, NE)
I got this movie as a four pack for $2. I definitely wasn't dissapointed, while snake crane secret is the only one I like in this, screaming ninja isn't the worst movie ever. This is kinda like wang yu's rage of the master(which is in the four-paCK), meaning they both costed about $10,000 to make. They actually could have costed $10 and I wouldn't have noticed the difference. Overall Screaming tiger has a ton of non-realistic fights, but the final fight did nothing special. The fact they were fighting on a moving train was cool, but they should have done some really cool stunts. The final fight is just sloppy and you start to wonder if you are gonna make it through to the end. Hard movie to watch, but if you are a HUGE, MonSTROUS Wang Yu fan, I think you will like it.
3/5
Worthwhile Movie, but Poor Transfer to DVD
by P. Burdick (Oneonta, NY United States)
After watching Jimmy Wang Yu in "Blood of the Dragon," I couldn't pass this one up.
My chief gripe is that the transfer to (Platinum Disc) DVD is very poor: the film is very dark and, consequently, dim and often featureless. (I was misled by Platinum's claim on the cover case that the film was "Digitally Mastered," mistakenly thinking I would see a clean, clear, restored print. No such luck!)
Wang's character has a real attitude, and rubs elbows with some other interesting supporting characters, adding some arresting twists to an otherwise "stock" revenge plot. The action sequences are frequent and, for the most part, worthwhile. Although I thought the final fight scene was a bit drawn out (like an old American western fight scene), repetitive and bordering on the tedious; and, frankly, not all that satisfying.
I liked Jimmy Wang Yu in this film, but not as much as I liked him in Blood of the Dragon. I would award Screaming Ninja 4 stars, if the picture quality were better. As-is, however, second shelf status.
5/5
Wang Yu Rules!!
by
Wang Yu Rules rules in this martial arts movie set in early 1900's China.It's a must see with good style and good fights!!
5/5
An Excellent 70's Martial Arts Film!!Jimmy Wang-Yu Rules!!
by
Jimmy Wang Yu(King of Boxing) rules in this 1973 film that was so rare that it incorporated the star's name in the title.One of the few such films was Screaming Tiger which was also known under other titles such as Screaming Ninja and several others.The Movie is set in early 1900's China.Essentially playing an extension of himself,Wang Yu spends much of his time defending himself against evil martial-arts masters.He also tries to make sense of a tragic incident from his past.The cast under the direction of Jian Lung includes Jimmy Wang Yu,Zhang Qing-Qing,Kang Hai,Zi Lan,Lung Fei,Lu Ping and Wei Chao-Rui which makes this an excellent Matial Arts Film that's very well worth watching!!