Eastern Condors (1987)
Director: Sammo Hung
Cast:
Plot: An Asian American army officer (Lam Ching Ying) is given a top secret mission code named “Eastern Condors” to assist the U.S. military. He must take some men deep into Vietnam to destroy a U.S. bunker that is filled with missiles before the Vietcong and get their hands on them. Due to the extreme danger of the mission and the need to be as inconspicuous as possible a group of expendable illegal immigrant convicts, led by Tung Ming-Sun (Sammo Hung) are selected with the promise of a pardon, U.S. citizenship and $200,000 cash each if they succeed. They must get behind enemy lines where they will be met by Cambodian Guerrillas and destroy the bunker at any cost. Things don’t go as planned, and soon the mission becomes a desperate battle for survival.
Review: I have heard this film flagrantly dismissed as the Asian version of “The Dirty Dozen”, but there is far more to this rare Hong Kong foray into the modern war film than just emulating the sixties Hollywood classic. So what if there are twelve convicts involved? Get past that obvious similarity and the rest is pure Hong Kong action with adrenalin to spare. The list of action directors speaks for itself; Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Cory Yuen, Lam Ching Ying and Yuen Wah are all contributors to a film that has everything from first rate fight choreography, gunplay and also quite a few pyrotechnics and physical stunts. Action overdrive, yes, but there is also some excellent character development along the way that makes you care for the characters on a mission that will almost definitely not survive.
Sammo’s dedication to his filmmaking is evident here again. To look right for his role he changed his physical appearance and shed quite a few pounds to look leaner and meaner on a diet of boiled skinless chicken. He wanted to make sure the audience would believe in his character, and his usual self mocking about his overweight is something that does not exist in this film. Here he plays a more serious role as a tough man with a troubled past. One memorable sequence has him bouncing across a series of metal sheets, using them like trampolines. He then crashes through a gun tower roof, where he uses a machete to dispose ruthlessly of the soldiers inside. In the next moment he takes over the machine gun and uses it on the platoon of Vietcong soldiers. The look of total resolve on his face is chilling. Brutal stuff, but a sign that this film is to be taken seriously when showing violent and horrific acts of war. That’s not saying that this is a humourless film, although much of the humour is decidedly dark in content. There is some amusement to be found, particularly as we get to know each of the team members, but primarily this is a serious story, where most of the scenes with lightness are usually punctuated by tragedy in some way.
Fine support is provided by Yuen Biao, as athletic as ever giving us some of the best purely physical action, but with a very dodgy hairstyle. Academy award winner Haing S. Ngor plays a mentally ill soldier left behind from a previous mission who goes along with our “Eastern Condors“. Yuen Wah gives another memorable performance as a Vietcong General with a fighting style that is almost robotic, waving a fan and giggling throughout his fights. Joyce Godenzi makes her first on screen performance with Sammo, giving a multi layered performance of emotion. She also raises very well to the demands of the action scenes showing that she is far more than just a pretty face. We also get Cory Yuen in a rare acting role. He often appears in films as a support actor, or just in the fight or stunt scenes, but here he plays a more dramatic role famously with an unlit cigarette almost permanently hanging from his lips. Also in a rare in front of the camera role we get legendary action choreographer Yuen Woo Ping. Charlie Chin plays a charmer (Again.), and Fung Lee is worth a mention for his short but memorable role as “Stuttering” Ken. His tragic parachute drop where he fails to count to twenty in time is an example of this films humour at its blackest. Sadly I feel that Lam Ching Ying doesn’t really get too much of a chance to showcase his fighting talents to the full here, though his presence alone, and his ability to play any role with conviction is always a bonus.
In support we also have quite a few Sammo regulars, including Wu Ma, Dick Wei, Billy Chow, Phillip Ko, Chin Kar Lock, and even the almost ever present James Tien makes a brief appearance as a village thug. In fact I could easily spend the rest of this review talking cast names…….. But I won’t.
As with all Sammo Hung directed films from this era it is the final all action twenty minutes that we are waiting to see, when we just know the guns are going to be disposed of somehow, and we will be treated to an exciting martial arts display, and this is no exception. Yuen Biao fighting Dick Wei and Sammo Hung fighting Billy Chow are definite highlights here, but it has to be said that Yuen Wah also gets to shine in this sequence proving to be one of the great villains of choice when it comes to films of this genre.
For me, this film is without a doubt one of Sammo’s best all round achievements. The performances are strong and the characters are pretty much all believable. There are a few short lulls, but these are easily overlooked when the action is of this high quality. The action scenes are pretty brutal at times, with one sequence featuring a game of Russian Roulette which has obvious similarities to the one in Michael Cimino’s multi Oscar winning film, “The Deer Hunter”. Homage or copy? Well to me it’s not important. If evidence shows that kind of thing actually went on then it doesn’t really matter which, as long as it adds positively to the story. The film shows both the horrors of war and the camaraderie that can exist between men under extreme pressure. Here we get just over ninety minutes of quality adult entertainment. A film that should never be dismissed, but instead embraced for the classic of Hong Kong cinema that this undoubtedly is.
Rating: 5/5
Cast:
Plot: An Asian American army officer (Lam Ching Ying) is given a top secret mission code named “Eastern Condors” to assist the U.S. military. He must take some men deep into Vietnam to destroy a U.S. bunker that is filled with missiles before the Vietcong and get their hands on them. Due to the extreme danger of the mission and the need to be as inconspicuous as possible a group of expendable illegal immigrant convicts, led by Tung Ming-Sun (Sammo Hung) are selected with the promise of a pardon, U.S. citizenship and $200,000 cash each if they succeed. They must get behind enemy lines where they will be met by Cambodian Guerrillas and destroy the bunker at any cost. Things don’t go as planned, and soon the mission becomes a desperate battle for survival.
Review: I have heard this film flagrantly dismissed as the Asian version of “The Dirty Dozen”, but there is far more to this rare Hong Kong foray into the modern war film than just emulating the sixties Hollywood classic. So what if there are twelve convicts involved? Get past that obvious similarity and the rest is pure Hong Kong action with adrenalin to spare. The list of action directors speaks for itself; Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Cory Yuen, Lam Ching Ying and Yuen Wah are all contributors to a film that has everything from first rate fight choreography, gunplay and also quite a few pyrotechnics and physical stunts. Action overdrive, yes, but there is also some excellent character development along the way that makes you care for the characters on a mission that will almost definitely not survive.
Sammo’s dedication to his filmmaking is evident here again. To look right for his role he changed his physical appearance and shed quite a few pounds to look leaner and meaner on a diet of boiled skinless chicken. He wanted to make sure the audience would believe in his character, and his usual self mocking about his overweight is something that does not exist in this film. Here he plays a more serious role as a tough man with a troubled past. One memorable sequence has him bouncing across a series of metal sheets, using them like trampolines. He then crashes through a gun tower roof, where he uses a machete to dispose ruthlessly of the soldiers inside. In the next moment he takes over the machine gun and uses it on the platoon of Vietcong soldiers. The look of total resolve on his face is chilling. Brutal stuff, but a sign that this film is to be taken seriously when showing violent and horrific acts of war. That’s not saying that this is a humourless film, although much of the humour is decidedly dark in content. There is some amusement to be found, particularly as we get to know each of the team members, but primarily this is a serious story, where most of the scenes with lightness are usually punctuated by tragedy in some way.
Fine support is provided by Yuen Biao, as athletic as ever giving us some of the best purely physical action, but with a very dodgy hairstyle. Academy award winner Haing S. Ngor plays a mentally ill soldier left behind from a previous mission who goes along with our “Eastern Condors“. Yuen Wah gives another memorable performance as a Vietcong General with a fighting style that is almost robotic, waving a fan and giggling throughout his fights. Joyce Godenzi makes her first on screen performance with Sammo, giving a multi layered performance of emotion. She also raises very well to the demands of the action scenes showing that she is far more than just a pretty face. We also get Cory Yuen in a rare acting role. He often appears in films as a support actor, or just in the fight or stunt scenes, but here he plays a more dramatic role famously with an unlit cigarette almost permanently hanging from his lips. Also in a rare in front of the camera role we get legendary action choreographer Yuen Woo Ping. Charlie Chin plays a charmer (Again.), and Fung Lee is worth a mention for his short but memorable role as “Stuttering” Ken. His tragic parachute drop where he fails to count to twenty in time is an example of this films humour at its blackest. Sadly I feel that Lam Ching Ying doesn’t really get too much of a chance to showcase his fighting talents to the full here, though his presence alone, and his ability to play any role with conviction is always a bonus.
In support we also have quite a few Sammo regulars, including Wu Ma, Dick Wei, Billy Chow, Phillip Ko, Chin Kar Lock, and even the almost ever present James Tien makes a brief appearance as a village thug. In fact I could easily spend the rest of this review talking cast names…….. But I won’t.
As with all Sammo Hung directed films from this era it is the final all action twenty minutes that we are waiting to see, when we just know the guns are going to be disposed of somehow, and we will be treated to an exciting martial arts display, and this is no exception. Yuen Biao fighting Dick Wei and Sammo Hung fighting Billy Chow are definite highlights here, but it has to be said that Yuen Wah also gets to shine in this sequence proving to be one of the great villains of choice when it comes to films of this genre.
For me, this film is without a doubt one of Sammo’s best all round achievements. The performances are strong and the characters are pretty much all believable. There are a few short lulls, but these are easily overlooked when the action is of this high quality. The action scenes are pretty brutal at times, with one sequence featuring a game of Russian Roulette which has obvious similarities to the one in Michael Cimino’s multi Oscar winning film, “The Deer Hunter”. Homage or copy? Well to me it’s not important. If evidence shows that kind of thing actually went on then it doesn’t really matter which, as long as it adds positively to the story. The film shows both the horrors of war and the camaraderie that can exist between men under extreme pressure. Here we get just over ninety minutes of quality adult entertainment. A film that should never be dismissed, but instead embraced for the classic of Hong Kong cinema that this undoubtedly is.
Rating: 5/5
Review by D. M.
Photos by Klara
Photos by Klara
For bigger photos please click on thumbnails
For more pictures visit the Eastern Condors Photo Album
"I'd love if the audience remembered me.
Everything about my movies, my characters.
Don't forget me.
I'm happy that you guys don't forget me.
I love you."
(Sammo Hung)
Everything about my movies, my characters.
Don't forget me.
I'm happy that you guys don't forget me.
I love you."
(Sammo Hung)
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