End of Wicked Tiger is a grim tale, while not gory or overtly violent, does delve into more serious topics than your average genre film. The story also attempts to tackle deeper themes then your typical revenge plot. What is left may not be as entertaining but the film as a whole manages to stay afloat.

Cheung, the Wicked Tiger and his son have been extorting a small town. Captain Ling, a provincial police officer comes to restore law. When Cheung’s son kills a local, a cover up begins with Ling trying to find the killer. Ha San is the only witness but his brother, who works for Cheung keeps him quiet. More people turn up dead when they try to help the police captain and Ha San ends up framed for three of the murders. Despite their best efforts to hide the truth, Cheung and his son are eventually linked to the murders and both Capt. Ling and Ha San team up to apprehend the criminals with the townspeople’s help.

Borrowing themes from American films, the story plays like High Noon with the police captain coming to aid a town afraid to rid itself of its own oppressor. The main character is actually Ha San, a local who witnesses a murder shortly after the captain’s arrival. For his brother’s sake, Ha San remains silent against his better judgment. The film becomes a test of character for Ha San, culminating in a triple murder that he is indirectly responsible for.

It’s a gamble in a typically campy film like this to include serious topics like the death of children and rape. In this case, the film uneasily borders on exploitation and drama because the acts are not treated with much deference but they’re not over the top either. The filmmakers also must have been gearing this film towards a mature audience with one gratuitous love scene that was probably thrown in at the last moment since it had nothing to do with the plot. They even ripped a portion of the Enter the Dragon soundtrack for the scene.

While the kung fu is plentiful, this film could have easily taken place in just about any other country or time which means the action was secondary. Sammo Hung plays one of the villains in a forgettable role although the choreography was undoubtedly aided by him. As far as action goes, the film plays by the numbers, keeping the focus on the plot.

This film about overcoming one’s fears and doing the right thing could have been much better if not for the poor acting and average martial arts action. While not a great film, fans of Sammo Hung’s early work or of more serious-minded films in the genre should take note.

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