Like many of my generation, I was introduced to the glories of the Hong Kong film industry through a variety of means, but primarily due to Jackie Chan’s mid to late 1990s output making its way to US theaters, and his (along with John Woo’s) subsequent move to America and their creation of English language fare. I’m not sure when I became familiar with Sammo Hung, the legendary contemporary of these bastions of the industry. Many in the United States would have gotten to know the stout and often humorous Hung from his starring role in the Martial Law tv series, along with Arsenio Hall, or perhaps his brief but memorable (and youthful) appearance in Bruce Lee’s Enter The Dragon. But the man is far from a “lesser” success than Chan and Woo. Indeed, Sammo Hung is one of those triple/quadruple/quintuple threat talents who directs, stars, does his own stunts, floats like a butterfly on his famously portly frame, has a strong command of English, and can do villainy to comedy and everything in between. All that said, there was never a world where I lost any sleep dreaming or hoping that Sammo Hung’s Eastern Condors would one day come to the Criterion Collection. And yet, here we are. And we’re much better for it.
As deep and potent as my love for Hong Kong cinema is, Sammo Hung has a vast output and I haven’t seen all of it. But Eastern Condors was a known quantity to me prior to its Criterion announcement, a jewel in Hung’s crown that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to expound upon here as it debuts in the prestigious Criterion Collection, where it most definitely belongs. Quite distinctive from so many other martial arts classics and contemporary heroic bloodshed titles, Eastern Condors sends a motley crew of Hong Kong action legends to the jungles of post-war Vietnam on a mission to destroy a stockpile of hidden US weapons that were abandoned amidst our defeat and withdrawal from the region. Only this classically ragtag group of ruffians can infiltrate, locate the cache, and save the day against the Commies. It feels more like the set up for a Clint Eastwood flick than for a Golden Harvest picture.
And as much as the vibe of Eastern Condors stands out from so much other Hong Kong industry output, what it crafts is the dream scenario of exactly what you’d want if you mixed, say, The Dirty Dozen and First Blood: Part II with… Drunken Master II. There are guns and grenades and assaults on hidden jungle bases, sure. But damn if Sammo and co-lead (nay, co-legend) Yuen Biao aren’t landing dozens of acrobatic spin kicks and never-seen-before physical stunts to elevate potboiler jungle assaults with that Chinese opera flair for the broadly physical. It’s the greatest melding of these two traditions and styles that you could possibly hope for, resulting in an entertainment value that launches into the got-damn stratosphere if you’re a fan of the traditions that inform this gem… which I am. Imagine a Stallone stealth kill montage in the jungle, only Rambo is catapulting himself through the air on trampolines to drop kick a Vietcong soldier in the face with a flying spin kick and you get the [glorious] idea.
Hung assembles a cracking cast of ne’er do wells here, many of whom are famous in and of themselves. I have to single out the primary female lead Joyce Godenzi (Mr. Nice Guy, She Shoots Straight), who later married Hung and remains his spouse today. Here Godenzi is a tough as nails guerilla fighter dishing out just as much acrobatic punishment as any of the guys and looking better while doing it. Hung, of course, gives himself plenty of action highlights and a starring turn as the film’s primary hero, but he shares a bit of a co-lead with the aforementioned Biao (Wheels On Meals, My Lucky Stars). Also along for the mission are the legendary action choreographers and directors in their own right Corey Yuen (Director, No Retreat, No Surrender, The Transporter, here always with a cigarette in his mouth… even underwater!), and Yuen Woo Ping (action choreographer for The Matrix, Kill Bill). Their ultimate adversary is the iconic Yuen Wah (Supercop, Kung Fu Hustle), laughing his way through his villainy. I’m sure the cast features other legends worth singling out, but those are the cast I am personally familiar with and consider notable above and beyond their contributions to Eastern Condors.
Beyond the cast, so much else stands out to make Eastern Condors exceptional. As I write I am enjoying the catchy and deeply 1980s score to the film, something that wasn’t always particularly prioritized (or even legally cleared) in Hong Kong cinema of the era. But this score rips. The action set pieces also must be highlighted. My biggest memory of the film overall will always be the montage in which Biao and Hung head into the jungle for a kill spree filled with creative and acrobatic attempts to even the odds for their group against the VCs that outnumber them. Sammo uses these leaves (yes, leaves) to craft neck-piercing darts and devastates a few bad guys. Meanwhile, Yuen Biao is vine-jumping off of trees to snap some necks, and spin kicking guns out of soldiers’ hands in slow motion. It’s a “guns versus guts” montage that has to be seen to be believed. Hung also handles big gun-focused sequences well, with a massive bridge assault sequence that feels inspired by John Woo’s heroic bloodshed style of slow motion and brotherly sacrifice.
I’m not sure what calculus goes into the inclusion of a film in the Criterion Collection, ultimately. But if I had to guess, I’d say Eastern Condors is more than worthy because it’s exemplary work from the legendary Sammo Hung. It demonstrates peak acrobatic and stylistic talent from a golden era of Hong Kong filmmaking and captures many stars at the peak of their physical prowess. It also takes a gimmick of transporting a troop of Hong Kong talent into the jungles of Vietnam for a Hong Kong take on the “men on a mission” genre, and infuses it with a zeitgeist heretofore unseen in that genre. And it emerges from the (Philippine subbing for Vietnamese) jungle as a best case scenario of eye-popping entertainment that can be appreciated by Eastern and Western audiences alike.
The Package
Over the last several years the Cinapse team has covered a whole lot of the massive Shaw Brothers box sets Arrow Video has been releasing, and film critic and Hong Kong film historian Tony Rayns is ALL over those sets with video interviews and audio commentaries. I’ve become a big fan of this man’s endless knowledge of the industry. So I was thrilled to check out his commentary track here on Eastern Condors and was not disappointed. Rayns has expertise that illuminates the context of the film, a wry sense of humor, and dynamic delivery. His commentary is the highlight of this release for me, aside from the beautiful 2K restoration of the film, ensuring it looks fantastic.
Along with the look and commentary there are several Sammo Hung interviews (in English!) and an interview with the villain of the piece, actor Yuen Wah. Maybe the most bizarre special feature is an 80s era on stage musical number recreating some of Eastern Condors as, like, a musical? Wild stuff.
This is a lovely package for a movie I certainly never imagined would get the Criterion Collection treatment, but I’ll be forever grateful that it did.
And I’m Out.
Eastern Condors hit Criterion Collection Blu-ray December 17th, 2024
