Eastern Condors (1987)

Simply A Masterpiece

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I recommend watching this with friends while drinking, partly because although it's supposed to have *some* comic relief, all the funniest elements are unintentional, including bizarrely out-of-place dubbed accents and the villain's ridiculous laugh. (In other words, watch the english dub rather than the original subbed.) The action is great and there's a lot of it, in the final act there's literally something exploding or being machine gunned, or both, on screen at all times. Rounding things off is better-than-it-needed-to-be music which drips 80's action film aesthetic, it sounds a bit like Vangelis at points.

I rank THE DIRTY DOZEN and MAGNIFICENT SEVEN as a tie for my favorite overall movie; This Chinese offering is a very close second or third.While Sammo is using a basic pattern from the DOZEN (military cons to do-good for their country for personal freedom), he added some elements that I absolutely fell for and love no matter what anyone says.The three female resistance fighters have to be some of the toughest gals on film, period. Sammo's leaf weapon! A small bit by Dr. Haing S. Ngor! The eventual comradeship the growing and shrinking group had. It was corny and cheesy, but in this combination, it worked, at least for me.I give it a 8 due to how much more it was than advertised. You go in thinking it's gonna be IL' Sammo giving us a bunch of great kung-fu, which he does, but the movie catches you up ,like TDD or TMS, and gets you to care about whether this group survives to the end.And if Wah Yuen is the general I'm thinking of, why isn't he a legend here, in the US? The tiny, skinny man who can kick anyone's ass is an amazing guy to watch and I've enjoyed him in several films. He's equally wonderful as the villain in this film.I first saw this on VHS bought at a "nice price" and low expectations. I have become a Sammo Hung convert as a result. This is very much worth at least one viewing, though it is very HK with the gore and realistic war injuries. This is totally not for those with weak stomachs.

I prefer only Sammo Hung's PEDICAB DRIVER to this pic, but I'm not saying that to take anything away from the sheer brilliance of this action pic. Sammo really knows how to direct an action scene. That means he permits the audience to know where everybody is and where the "action" is moving. Unlike directors like Tony Scott, Richard Donner and Michael Bay, Sammo does not blur the dynamics of a good action scene with too many cuts and too many pointless camera moves.Sammo is solid.With EASTERN CONDORS you also get a film that looks amazing with its cool, green surfaces and filter-free clarity.The plot, though simple, is not moronic, and allows for plenty of action and lots of fascinating interplay between the characters -- especially the females.Joyce Godenzi (Mrs. Sammo Hung) met Sammo making this movie and she's really terrific in a tough, gritty part. Yuen Biao demonstrates why he was such a big star in the 70's and 80's and Sammo himself, looking lighter than ever, performs in some amazing fight sequences.If you haven't seen many Hong Kong movies, this is a great place to start. It's one unbelievable sequence after another.Then catch PEDICAB DRIVER.

***Mild spoilers***Eastern condors is a mindless action film lovers dream. That doesn't mean the film is stupid. Technically speaking the film is not high quality, the special effects, sound design. while lets put it this way are not made to high standards. If your not scared away by a little campy feel you'll be ok. I think Sammo and his team decided that for this film it was more important to spend the money on blowing up stuff, guns and hospital bills for stuntmen rather than how crappy the effects look.Yes this is a Hong Kong dirty dozen. Yes QT plays this in his film fest and it inspired his next film(after kill bill). In other words there is good stuff here. The martial arts is some of the best you will ever see. The last twenty minutes is one of the most effective show downs in martial arts movie history. There are lots of scenes where someone gets slammed and you can't help but cringe. There is one stunt where a man takes a dive on a staircase that had to result in a injury.Yuen Biao is his usual acrobatic self, stealing scenes. I always wonder why he never got the fame of Jackie or Jet. Sammo does a great job acting and performing in this movie which is even more impressive since he directed the picture. I noticed that he shared the marital arts direction.I noticed someone else commented on the absolutely hilarious closing credits. It is very funny. Also the Vietnam war stock footage is also funny.