Film Review - Slaughter in San Francisco (1974)

Chuck Norris is an icon of American action cinema and has starred in some undeniable hits like The Way of the Dragon and Walker Texas Ranger over the years. So heading into Slaughter in San Francisco or Yellow Faced Tiger as it is titled in the Hong Kong theatrical cut. I was shocked to learn that it is not a Chuck Norris film even though he is plastered front and centre in all the posters. The film’s actual lead is Wong Tao who plays Don Wong a police officer who wants to clean up the force and the streets.

That’s a very simplistic view of the film’s plot. There is a lot more to it but at the same time I feel spoiling the events of this film would ruin the experience. The film to be objective is kind of a mess. The story is very chaotic and has moments where a lot happens and then moments where it slows down to a crawl. The wild inconsistency does lead to an entertaining picture as nothing is off the table when it comes to the plot. What I will say is that aspects of the plot should have aged like milk however are still scarily accurate and relevant today. The film deals with racism and police brutality that is not over complex or deep but it is interesting to see in a film released in 1974.

The opening credit song has a line in it that I feel is very accurate to this film. The line is “He curbs the bullies with his Kung Fu”. This line while jarring lets you know what you are in for and by God the Kung Fu is fun. While not as fast or kinetic as later films from the 70’s. The action is still well shot and has this awe to it that is hard to describe.

The acting is also solid Wong Tao does a respectable job as our lead and Chuck Norris while not voicing his character in the Hong Kong theatrical cut, Still brings it when it comes to the physical aspects of the role as the showdown between Wong Tao and Chuck Norris is a great time.

With this release by Eureka Entertainment, you get the film on Blu-ray with an incredible transfer. The film looks gorgeous on this disc. The Blu-ray also has some great bonus features, one featurette by martial artist and actor Michael Worth regarding the locations of Slaughter in San Francisco is fantastic. Sam Gilbey also did a fantastic job with the new artwork that is featured on this release as well.

Slaughter in San Francisco is imperfect, but I had a blast watching it. Eureka did a great job with these releases, and I do feel this is another great addition to there catalog. However, I feel this title is more aimed towards martial arts fans which is not a bad thing, but it means this title is harder to recommend to everyone.