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EASTERN
CONDORS
AKA:
N/A
Year:
1986 Reviewer: Phil
Mills
One
of the few war movies made in Hong Kong, 'Eastern Condors' is
the story of a group of men sentenced to life term
imprisonment. They are offered a way out in the form of
a single mission for the army in which they must go behind
enemy lines in Vietnam and destroy a munitions dump left there
by the allies. However, they aren't the only people
looking for it and they soon find themselves face to face with
a large proportion of the Vietnamese army led by an evil
tyrant (Yuen Wah). It's up to Sammo and his team to
fight their way to victory!
The
cast for 'Eastern Condors' reads like a who's who of Hong Kong
cinema and their acting talents contain enough experience and
emotional content to fulfil the most unlikely film fan.
It's 'The Wild Geese' meets 'The Dirty Dozen' as we grow to
feel for each of the squad and watch them bond as they are
thrown into the middle of such bloody warfare. In
particular, watch out for a superb performance from Joyce
Godenzi (Sammo's real life wife) as the lethal Vietnamese
assassin.
The
closing moments of the film take place inside the munitions
dump as three of the Seven Little Fortunes (Sammo
Hung, Yuen Biao and Yuen Wah) go toe to toe. It's
reminiscent of the finale for 'Dragon's
Forever' with Yuen Biao showing some amazing acrobatic
feats whilst Hung uses his sheer strength and wits to battle
the flexible Yuen Wah. Biao is easily the eye catcher
and his flips and kicks never cease to amaze as his sheer
physical dexterity is pushed to the limits.
Hung
manages to mix Kung Fu and war with uncanny ease, showing some
finely choreographed fight scenes that have you reaching for
the rewind button time and time again. With a gripping
score also thrown in to add to the atmosphere, 'Eastern
Condors' deserves the highest form of recommendation.
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