From the Collection: Eastern Condors
Sammo Hung’s 1987 action film Eastern Condors was recently added to the Criterion Collection.
Legendary actor-director Sammo Hung delivers a bazooka blast of pure adrenaline in this exemplar of Hong Kong action cinema at its most entertaining. Drawing inspiration from Hollywood war films like The Dirty Dozen, Eastern Condors follows a ragtag band of Asian American prisoners dropped into Vietnam on a secret suicide mission to prevent a cache of weapons from falling into the hands of the Viet Cong, who are more than ready for a fight. Propelled by a dynamic ensemble cast that includes the ever-charismatic Yuen Biao as a black-market trader and a superhuman Yuen Wah as a giggling martial-arts monster, this rip-roaring spectacle offers a nonstop barrage of turbocharged set pieces that defy death, logic, and gravity itself.
Here’s What the Disc Includes:
- 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- New audio commentary featuring film critic Tony Rayns
- 2K digital restoration of the English-dubbed “export cut” of the film
- Meet the Filmmakers, a new interview with actor-director Sammo Hung
- Interviews from 2001 with Hung and actor Yuen Wah
- Eastern Condors Live!, an onstage performance from the 1987 Miss Asia Pageant
- Teaser and trailers
- New English subtitle translation
- PLUS: An essay by film critic Sean Gilman
- New illustration by Sam Hadley
It’s a plot we’ve seen before: the government rounds up a ragtag group of mercenaries, criminals, and former military men to execute an operation that seemingly has no good way of ending. And yet with his stylish approach and brilliantly directed fight sequences, Sammo Hung crafted one of the best versions of this kind of revenge movie. Eastern Condors is a blast. A fast and loose action film with unique characters and thrilling action from shootouts to hand-to-hand combat. This is the kind of movie I wish were shown more at rep theaters because seeing this on the big screen with a full audience would be a real blast.
What I enjoyed most about this Criterion release was the essay by Sean Gilman and the analysis of the 80s American action stars and Hung. When we think of 80s action stars, we think of Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Van Damme. We think six packs, biceps, and testosterone. And then there is Hung, who isn’t by any means fat, but isn’t what you would think of as a prototypical action hero. He moves with a grace and smoothness that makes his action moves seem effortless yet just as exciting as anything you’d find in an American action film. It’s a well-written piece by Gilman that adds to the legend of Hung and makes me want to dive more into his filmography as an actor and director.
You can pick up Eastern Condors at the Criterion Collection website or anywhere Criterion Collection movies are sold.
More From the Collection
From the Collection is an analysis piece of non-new-release movies, whether seen on DVD, streaming, or in a theater. It includes a brief history of the film, a review of the film, and content about the experience of seeing the film and/or the contents of the film’s DVD.
You can follow Kevflix on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd @kevflix, and Facebook by searching Kevflix.
