“Eastern Condors” Japanese DVD Cover
AKA: Condors Commando
Director: Sammo Hung
Cast: Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung, Lam Ching-Ying, Dr. Haing S. Ngor, Joyce Godenzi, Yuen Wah, Yuen Wo-Ping, Yasuaki Kurata, Phillip Ko Fei, Billy Lau, James Tien, Ng Hon, Ha Chi-Chun, Billy Chow, Corey Yuen
Running Time: 100 min.
By Z Ravas
If you only know Sammo from his usual happy-go-lucky characters in old-school kung fu flicks like Knockabout, Eastern Condors might serve as a rude awakening. This is a brutally violent action movie set in Vietnam for which Sammo got serious, slimmed down, and cut his hair. There’s even a scene where Sammo puts Stallone in First Blood II to shame, screaming as he mows down dozens of Vietcong with a gatling gun. For some viewers the Vietnam setting or extreme bloodletting might prove distasteful. For my money, Eastern Condors is one of Sammo’s finest accomplishments as an actor, martial artist, and director.
The plot is time-tested; it’s basically a riff on The Dirty Dozen with a bunch of Chinese-American prisoners being drafted on a suicide mission into the heart of Vietnam during the war. Their Lieutenant is Mr. Vampire himself, Ching-Ying Lam, so you really couldn’t ask for a better man to lead you into battle. The rest of the crew is filled out by incredibly famous faces, including master choreographers Yuen Woo-Ping and Cory Yuen. Sammo’s future wife, the lovely Joyce Godenzi (She Shoots Straight), is on hand and kicks serious ass in the film despite having no martial arts training. Of course, this is a Sammo movie so Yuen Biao is along for the ride and his character “Rat” is probably the only one who manages to keep his rambunctious attitude even after the bullets start flying.
Eastern Condors is almost nonstop action but most of it is intense gun battles. The finale takes place in an underground base and is full of martial arts fighting, i.e. probably what you’re waiting to see. The production design team really outdid themselves here with a set that looks right out of a James Bond film and is the perfect locale for some epic brawls. Yuen Biao fights Dick Wei (Carry On Pickpocket) while Sammo takes on Billy Chow (Fist of Legend) until the two of them must pool their efforts against the ultra-tough Wah Yuen (Kung Fu Hustle).
Special mention must be made of Wah Yuen, who handily steals the last twenty minutes of the movie with his giggling, perspiring Vietnamese General. I don’t know who dreamed up this character but I love it when quirky villains are unexpected badasses, and Wah Yuen gives both Sammo and Yuen a run for their money with his fierce kicks. Wah Yuen has starred in over a 100 movies during his career but this will always be one of his most memorable roles for me.
There’s no way to mince words: Eastern Condors is a violent as hell movie – we’re talking about little Vietcong kids playing Russian Roulette, hands being chopped off, point blank shootings – which may put off fans who just want to see another Sammo and Yuen Biao team-up. However, I think that this film’s gritty edge is what makes it stand out from the rest of Sammo’s filmography. Cory Yuen’s character tells Sammo he respects him because he “doesn’t talk bullshit” – which, let’s face it, is the opposite of most of Sammo’s characters over the years, heh.
Sammo played it straight for this movie (he looks great without his usual bowl cut) and the film benefited by being a lean and mean little action flick. Sure, I wish there was more character development since there’s reportedly over 20 minutes of lost footage. The opening of the movie depicts freeze frames of some prison scenes that were cut and supposedly the Hong Kong trailer also features a lot of missing clips. But with a cast of this caliber and action so plentiful, I will take as much Eastern Condors I can get.
Z Ravas’ Rating: 9/10
9/10 for sure, almost as good as it gets, delivers with some of the greatest action put to film, Hong Kong’s best take on Stallone-style action.
Good review and overview.
Ah. I remember being hyped up for Eastern Condors, and I liked several parts of the movie. Sadly, I’m not part of the crowd that reveres this film as a classic. Even though a lot of the movie is played serious, sometimes I felt there was out of place comedy.
I know genre mixing is a part of HK cinema, but I felt like other movies have done it better. I felt like Joyce Godenzi and the women were given the short end of the stick and suffered too much. I guess since I watched She Shoot Straight and Liscense to Steal beforehand, I forgot that this was before she became a better screen fighter.
I was also pissed at Yuen Biao twisting the head off a snake for real. Again, different cultural standards. but that’s just cruel.
Can anyone tell I wrote this review in my twenties and Mighty Peking Man is just now sharing it? Ha! Youthful enthusiasm aside, ‘Eastern Condors’ remains a stone cold classic in my mind.
I thought the MPM name was retired! This looked like a new review!
I want to add that I thought the rematch with Sammo vs Billy Chow was way too short after they had such a great encounter in Pedicab Driver. I’m not used to seeing Billy taken out quickly. But there was some great action, and I always bought Yuen Wah as this unstoppable eel of a man.
lol that’s why we made MPM retire. So unreliable. =)
Its all true, the film is a knock-out of action impact, loads of slomo headkicks, stunts, gore, balletic choreography, great camera movement in the forrest, bunjee-jump neck breaks… !!!
Great review Zack! (& wait a minute, so you’re really not a teenager!? :-P). You’re right about the subject matter and bloodletting not being too everyone’s taste, as if I remember correctly this was a box office flop for the infamously fickle tastes of the Hong Kong audience. For my money though, ‘Eastern Condors’ is one of Sammo’s best, and is always one of those flicks I show to friends who I want to get into classic HK action cinema. Not too much Canto comedy, not too many overlong fight sequences (I know, hard to imagine anyone wouldn’t enjoy those, but they’re out there!), and plenty of hard hitting, high impact action scenes that only this era of HK cinema could pull off. Oh, and deadly blades of grass!
I would put a solid 8.25/10. But 10/10 for another Sammo effort, one of the best adventure movie ever made, the kick ass AND hilarious The millionaires’ express!!!!
I like Sammo on goofy roles. But when I watched this movie, damm, I wished he did more roles and movies like that… I love action movies with the, ”In Your Face’,’ ”Take No Bullshit” style. And that movie delivers both. Not for those with weak stomach or sentimental, this is set on Guerilla Vietnam period, and Sammo, makes question of showing the reality of it, no holds barred. One of the leads, learn the hard and painful way, there’s no mercy and kindness in war with the enemy, no matter who he is. The fights, although few, are as brutal, as the slice’n’dice, shootings and explosions that are non stop. If you like rough, I urge you to watch this atypical Sammo masterpiece, you won’t regret it.