JohnHowardReid The characters are not only stereotypes, but familiar stereotypes at that. Despite its faults, however, this mini epic holds the attention throughout. The action, somewhat gruesome and blood- curdling, tells how a determined (if constantly inebriated) ship's captain saves the lives of some of his passengers when the Chinese town at which they are docked for repairs is besieged by hordes of stirred-up bandits. Richard Dix plays the hero with his usual flair, whilst the exotic Gwili Andre most successfully enacts the tantalizing "heroine". The passengers emerge as much the usual bunch of Jacks and Jills, though no doubt their characterizations seemed fresher back in 1932. Dudley Digges tends to over-state the blustering holder-of-the-purse-strings, while ZaSu Pitts rapidly becomes a real pain as the "complaining woman", but the other players, particularly Edward Everett Horton as the resourceful Busby and Arline Judge as the helpful Bridgeport, impress as real but interesting flesh-and-blood human beings. C. Henry Gordon skilfully paints a nightmarish figure as the ruthless chief of the insurgents. At this stage of his career, director Wesley Ruggles was a master of his craft. Despite the efforts of Digges and Pitts to slow proceedings down, Ruggles never lets up the pressure and the pace. Not only does he keeps suspense at a high level from first to last, but creates just the right atmosphere, aided by Cronjager's picturesque photography, Clark's extensive but brooding sets and Steiner's cleverly contrasted music score. This movie is available on an excellent Warner Archive DVD coupled with "Men of America".

MartinHafer This film might remind you of "Shanghai Express" (1932) and "The Bitter Tea of General Yen" (1933), as all were set in China during their prolonged civil war--in which various warlords carved out their own private fiefdoms from the troubled early days of the Republic (about 1916-1928). Chaos typified this era and it made a decent backdrop for stories of adventure--though in Hollywood style MANY of the 'Chinese' extras looked about as Chinese as Mickey Mouse! And, like these other films, the story is about a group of westerners caught up in the middle of this fighting. In fact, all three films are virtually the same when it comes to major plot points.Richard Dix plays the captain of a boat that is at port. When the group (including the likes of Dudley Digges, Edward Everett Horton, Zasu Pitts and Gwili Andre) is trapped in a small fortress, the hard-drinking Captain takes charge...but can he really do anything to stop the evil Russian bandit, Voronsky (C. Henry Gordon)? And will the westerners rise to the occasion or behave like a bunch of rats on a sinking ship? So are there any surprises that set "Roar of the Dragon" apart from these other films? Well, Gwili Andre is certainly a unique figure. She was a pretty Danish lady who looked a lot like Greta Garbo and Myrna Loy put together. It's almost certain you have not heard of her but she was one of several attempts to find the new Garbo or Dietrich--a European beauty with a mysterious air about her. She never caught on with audiences and only made a few films. What's REALLY stood out for me was seeing the usually effeminate and effete Horton playing somewhat of an action hero in the film! REALLY! Watching him manning the machine gun and mowing down the rebels was quite a treat! My feeling about "Roar of the Dragon" is that it's an interesting curio but the other two films I already mentioned are just a bit better. So, unless you want to see all three, I recommend you try the others instead--the really aren't all that different from each other.

John Seal This brisk action movie, set in deepest Manchuria, stars Richard Dix as a dipsomaniac riverboat captain thrust into a precarious situation: rescuing a mixed bag of travelers, children, and ne'e'r-do-wells from a bandit, played with wicked intent by C. Henry Gordon. Amongst the motley crew are Zasu Pitts as a nervous society lady, Arline Judge as a flapper with a heart of gold, and Danish-born Gwili Andre as a Garbo-like woman of mystery. The film is brilliantly shot by Edward Cronjager, with some top-notch action sequences, but Howard Estabrook's screenplay doesn't do enough to establish its characters, perhaps not surprising considering the film's 68 minute running time. Nonetheless, this gets a strong recommendation, especially for fans of pre-code cinema, who will appreciate scenes such as Gordon having a hot iron applied to the hole in his head where an ear used to be.

rduchmann Travelers in China are trapped in a Manchurian riverside village by marauding bandits. Richard Dix is the hard-drinking riverboat captain who takes charge of the situation, and he has a STAGECOACH-like assortment of tourists under his wing who must unite in the face of danger. This is an ARGOSY magazine pulp novelette version of China, admittedly, a la the work of Loring Brent, but it is quite nicely done with some good atmosphere and plenty of action. And this may be the only movie in which you see Edward Everett Horton blasting away with a machine gun. Solid 7 on the IMDB scale.