Opération Condor

When reviewing a Jackie Chan movie, one must realize that it must be reviewed in a category of its own. Jackie Chan is an icon of modern cinema, and quite frankly in a class of his own at this point. So a Jackie Chan movie can only really be compared with other Jackie Chan movies!

I really like Operation Condor, because of some scenes which are so refreshing in this world of rehashed Hollywood. The wind tunnel scene has already been mentioned in other reviews, but it really is amazing to watch.

I do miss the desert scene in the original version that was cut out of the US version, with the water bag and tube. You get a glimpse of it in the outtakes at the end. I thought the US version was very streamlined and definately flowed much better than the original version, and the dialogue was vastly superior. However, for the sake of originality, it's always nice to have all the scenes intact.

It really is too bad the Spanish actress Eva Cobo De Garcia doesn't have more roles in other movies - I quite enjoyed her presence in the movie.

For lovers of adventure, this movie is a must. It captures the thrill of travel and adventure much better than a James Bond movie, because somehow the adventuristic ambience is more strongly felt if that makes any sense. I feel it captures it better than even an Indiana Jones movie. The reason being that unlike a Bond story, or Indiana Jones story - you really do get a feeling that Jackie is on a "free and easy", whereas Bond/Jones is a "package tour" if you know what I mean. All the whacky random stuff that happens in a Chan film helps to contribute to the "free and easy" feel.

This may be the most entertaining Jackie Chan experience ever. Filmed all over the world with a huge budget and abundance of energy, Armor of God 2 is a fast, funny, thrilling film. Despite the obvious Indiana Jones plot, Chan amazes us once again by risking his life so we can be entertained for two hours. Chan's directing skills are almost as exceptional as his physical skills in the way he captures the action from brilliant wide angles that display the danger of his action. A scene where Chan flees on motorcycle from the villains through the cramped city streets is one of the most exciting chase scenes on film. Chan gambles with his life in every stunt and action sequence making for an exuberant film that must be seen to fully appreciate Hong Kong action cinema.

Rated PG-13 for martial arts action, some shootings, and sensuality Quebec Rating:G Canadian Home Video Rating:14A

Operation Condor is a very funny Jackie Chan movie which is the sequel to the 1987 film Armor Of God.However when released in America they released this film first so the 1987 film Armor Of God is called Operation Condor 2 in America.I remember renting this film on VHS a very long time ago but I did see it about one year ago on UPN.This film has all the Jackie Chan charm.Great fight scenes,stunts and action but also lots of slapstick comedy to keep you happy.This film is about Jackie Chan and two other people who try to find hidden Nazi gold but others want it as well.Operation Condor is a funny and good film and I recommend it.

Runtime:92min

8/10

Though it borrows a few, shall we say, themes from the Armour of G-d movie, this film stands on it's own.

The budget made for some really fun stunts and fights.

My only real complaint is that some funny stuff was cut out of the US version (the desert scene(s) and others) that should have stayed. Since the funniest clipped scene involves a canteen that Jackie has early in the film the initial reference to the canteen makes no sense in the US version because you never see it again for the rest of the darn film.

Oh yeah, and check out the Colonel's Daughters BMW with the automatic lowering doors.... Too cool.

This movie is about impressing stunts. Period. That is all it is, and it does it well. Chan is amazingly skilled in both performing great stunts as well as coming up with ones you haven't seen before.

Great stunts also lay a solid foundation for action comedy. Many action scenes are really, really fun, mixing the stunts with fun situations. In particular, I found the car chase scene make me think "just when I thought there were no fun Bond-style chases left to make, Chan proves that there are". The only thing missing would be to play "The Ride of the Valkyries" at some appropriate times.

One more point in the favor of the movie is Chan's charm. He really has good screen presence.

So far, this is good. But let me mention what the movie does NOT have. It has no interesting plot to speak of. It has rather awful storytelling at times, moving from one scene to another with minimal or no motivation. There are even scenes with obvious remains from cut parts. Finally, the three female leads are all young, pretty and stupid. One "silly girl" would be fine but three of them? This makes them embarrassingly similar. It wouldn't hurt with one woman who were, for example, middle aged and with a professional attitude, or just not exactly the same personality as the others. I guess this is a cultural difference, in movies from the western world we are plagued with over-professional arrogant women instead, which is just as much cliché. Maybe we could get something in between, like an interesting character?

So, forget about the plot. Enjoy the stunts instead! They make me wonder one thing: How dangerous was this movie to make? How many times did Chan go to hospital?

10/10 for stunts. 8/10 for fun and action. 2/10 for story.