Comando infernal

Just after the Vietnam War the U.S. Government decides to send a group of Chinese soldiers back into 'Nam to recover some munitions long stolen by the VC. Part of this group are convicted soldiers who are relieved of their sentence should they complete the mission. But when the mission is scrubbed at the point where half the soldiers have already jumped off the plane, the misfit crew must complete the unofficial mission regardless.

Fans of the kung-fu genre will certainly find other films with better martial arts, but the kung-fu within this film is superbly done. This is because of sequences put together by stars Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao. Sammon Hung (Magnificient Butcher, Warriors Two, Dragons Forever) stars and directs this military film and is probably in the best shape of his career here, looking very fit and limber as the leader of the crew. Yuen Biao (Knockabout, Prodigal Son, Dragons Forever) plays a villager who ends up helping the troops when they come to rescue his uncle. With Yuen Biao aboard you know that you are going to see some amazing martial arts action as one of the best of all time pulls off some amazing aerial moves.

For those who follow kung-fu film history, this film certainly is interesting as it brings together many from the Peking Opera House (the China Drama Academy) where Sammo, Biao, and Jackie Chan were schoolmates. Yuen Wah, the ultimate bad guy seen recently as Landlord in Kung Fu Hustle, and Corey Yuen (who went by Yuen Kwai in his old Opera House days - and rarely acts since he's an acclaimed director of such films as The Transporter) also went to school at the same time as Jackie, Sammo, and Biao. Yuen Woo-Ping, the acclaimed actor/action coordinator of films like The Matrix, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and Iron Monkey also attended the same school years earlier. Woo-Ping makes a rare acting appearance here and is pretty damn funny throughout the film providing some comic relief.

The film certainly isn't original with many plot devices from films like Deer Hunter and Dirty Dozen. However the action comes near non-stop and the great cast help push the film quickly along. The kung-fu moments do come few and far between but those fights are worth it to see Sammo and Biao performing some amazing martial arts.

This is one of my favorite martial arts films, it's also my third favorite film from one of my favorite martial artists Sammo Hung whom also of course directed this film and I must say he really outdid him self once again.

Not a lot to say, the plot line is pretty simple as it's rag tag solders sent on a secret mission during wartime. It's pretty much "The Dirty Dozen" mixed in with a little "James Bond", I know it's kinda a crazy combo but this is a movie that is a little in the pulp action route so it doesn't take itself too seriously.

The production value is great, I really love the use of the jungle location with all the dirt, grit, darkness, tall grass, trees, darkness, you name it. Even the music I thought was very good there is a good song or two. The pacing is solid, the film isn't too long so there's no lagging.

The Condor platoon characters are solid, they all have unique persona's, a hint of depth and they do have good chemistry and even moments of humor which makes us kinda care about them. Though the characters that stand out for me are the two characters played by none other than Sammo Hung and Yuen Bieo, and the character Benny whom has those Phil Silvers like glasses he was really funny, as he says my favorite quote in the film in the end which made me crack up. But there are even moments of tragedy when we see certain characters die, which can be really sad but this just goes to show how war is hell.

However were in this film for the action and it delivers it real well. From the shootouts but most importantly the Martial arts sequences both well chorigraphed, Sammo as usual delivers with his strong kung fu and Yuen his kung fun and gymnast skills which are just excellent. I like some of the jungle skirmishes one of them of course is one of my favorite battles is the stealth combat sequence where both Sammo and Yuen have to take out the enemy soilders one by one, this obviously takes it's cue from the stelth action sequences in both "Rambo 2 and 3" but all the same it was a lot of fun and suspenseful. There are plenty of creative ways they dispatch the soilders, my favorite one was where Sammo uses some tall reeds and then shoots out the branch ends of them like harpoons toward each of the enemy soilders. That wouldn't work in real life but it was fun and really cool to think it could.

but my favorite action sequence in the film which of course is one of my favorite battles and another of one fights of all time is in the hidden base of the enemies. Love how they utilize the hide out as their battle ground and the set pieces they used, but I really love the one on one battle with the main enemy whom looks like a James Bond villain, he practically has the Dr.No outfit. This guy just has some of really good moves, here he seems to have some gripping power which I'll admit is unusual but kinda interesting, when ever he attacks he's always trying to get his opponents into his grip of death when in one instance it look as though he was going to crush or rip Yuen's face off; this really give both Sammo and Yuen a run for their money in the fight.

Well that's really it, if your a fan of Sammo then this film is worth the flight. Eastern Condors flies high.

Rating: 3 and a half stars

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.

In the early 90s, after reading a glowing review of the film in a fanzine, I shelled out mucho dinero for a pirated un-subtitled VHS copy of Eastern Condors. And even though I didn't have a clue what was being said, the movie blew me away with its OTT gung-ho action, bullet-riddled battle scenes and unbelievable martial arts madness.

These days the film is available on DVD remastered, fully restored and subtitled, so fans of fantastic fight action have no excuse for not checking out this marvellous movie.

Director and star Sammo Hung takes the basic plot of The Dirty Dozen (a group of criminals take part in a dangerous mission with the promise of freedom if they succeed), adds a touch of The Deer Hunter and Rambo, and throws in a ton of amazing kung fu to deliver one of the best Hong Kong flicks of the 80s.

Joining Sammo on his dangerous mission (into Vietnam, to destroy a hidden US munitions dump) are the brilliant Yuen Baio (as a Vietnamese profiteer dealing in smuggled goods), Oscar winner Haing S. Ngor, Lam Ching Ying, Yuen Woo-ping, Corey Yuen, Charlie Chin, and Sammo's real-life wife, the gorgeous Joyce Godenzi. Playing nasty bad-guys out to foil the mission are Billy Chow and the fantastic Yuen Wah. With a line up like that, and Hung calling the shots, excellence is almost guaranteed.

From the moment our 'heroes' parachute into a Vietcong infested jungle, Eastern Condors is non stop brutal action and unmissable fare for those who enjoy their war films violent and unfettered by serious political comment. The bad guys are pure evil (Wah's sniggering fan-waving general is as despicable as they come) and deserve to die. End of story.

And die they do: blasted by machine guns, knifed to death in guerrilla attacks, hacked by machetes, and even killed by imaginative use of jungle flora! In a blistering finale in an underground, missile laden bunker, the surviving good-guys take on the enemy in a vicious showdown that will leave you breathless. Yuen Baio and Sammo take the spotlight in the final fight against Wah and Chow, and the result is some of the best martial arts action ever committed to film. Baio's acrobatic skills are well showcased, whilst Hung, who slimmed down in order to be able to perform more incredible stunts, is on particularly fine form.

Only the occasional 'silly' moment (such as the death of a stuttering character who dies when he fails to reach twenty before opening his parachute), and the rather strange nutter played by Haing S. Ngor (I'm still not sure what the point of his character was) stop me from giving this top marks.

But 9/10 is nothing to be sniffed at, and any fan of the genre should definitely check this one out.

I broke it down: Why I think Eastern Condors in the greatest film ever made - here it goes (keep in mind this is a very personal break down):

1- 100 years of film-making (give or take a few years) = Dozens and dozens of different film genres.

2- Dozens and dozens of different film genres = The action genre being the greatest of all genres.

3- The action genre being the greatest of all genres = Hong Kong being the greatest of all countries to make action films.

4- Hong Kong being the greatest of all countries to make action films Sammo Hung being the greatest Hong Kong Action Director.

5- Sammo Hung being the greatest Hong Kong Action Director = Eastern Condors being Sammo's greatest achievement.

Think about this: John Woo created some of the greatest Gun-Fu moments in cinematic history, however is hand-to-hand combat is slighting boring. Jackie Chan has certainly created some of the greatest Kung-Fu moments ever, but his films become boring once anyone picks up a gun. Sammo Hung is the only filmmaker who can blend both elements of Gun-Fu and Kung-Fu in one movie and make each style equally entertaining to watch. Eastern Condors is the best example of this. Another reason why: EASTERN CONDORS IS THE GREATEST FILM EVER MADE!