Matthew D
A mighty ensemble leads this Hong Kong take on The Dirty Dozen set in the Vietnam War
Director Sammo Hung Kam-Bo’s Hong Kong martial arts war comedy Eastern Condors (1987) is magnificent! Hung balances the ruthless violence and grief of a war drama with the exciting action of a Rambo alongside the effortless humor of Hong Kong’s comedy classics. Eastern Condors is basically The Dirty Dozen, The Deer Hunter, Platoon, and Tropic Thunder meets Wheels on Meals. They straight up parody The Deer Hunter’s brutal Russian Roulette sequence in the war cell scene.
Sammo Hung directs Eastern Condors like an ultra serious war thriller as his characters constantly burst with goofy jokes. I have to mention that the entire cast is stuffed full of iconic Hong Kong directors, martial artists, and stuntmen. There’s an amazing variety of kills featuring lots of martial arts and shootouts.
Cinematographers Arthur Won Ngok-Tai and Au Kam-Hung shoot breathtaking wide shots of the Philippines forests that stand in for the setting of Vietnam. The lush greenery and endless trees are striking. I liked seeing the animals like the oxen drawing a cart. Chow Lam’s artful lighting is very creative and shadowy with beams of light. Editor Peter Cheung Yiu-Chung’s swift cuts keep the action coming with ruthless violence and easily coherent moves. I'm glad the late great Corey Yuen produced Eastern Condors, so this wonderful film could get made.
Writer Barry Wong Ping-Yiu’s charming war story makes all these distinct characters and tons of jokes. Hong Kong sending imprisoned soldiers to aid Cambodian guerillas against the Vietcong during The Vietnam War is fascinating. I was really impressed by all the different ways he writes to kill people. The secret spy subplot was very cleverly done too and I did not guess who the traitor was on my first watch.
Sammo Hung is awesome as the strong prisoner Tung Ming-sun, who becomes a heroic soldier leading his men through Vietnam. His final duel with Yuen Way is the stuff of legends. I love when he uses a leaf as a slingshot with a leaf stem like a blade.
Yuen Biao’s amiable spirit as Chieh Man-yeh is amusing, but his high jumps, fast sweeping kicks, high kicks, and bungee jumping from a tree are all insane to behold. Haing S. Ngor was so fun as the pretend crazy godfather Lung Yeung alongside Biao.
Joyce Godenzi steals the film as the gorgeous, clever, brave, and heroic Cambodian Guerrilla Girl Leader. Her fast martial arts, acrobatic flips, and stern persona rival Sammo Hung’s best moments. Chui Man-yan is also amazing as the pretty, stalwart, and skilled Cambodian Guerrilla Girl #2. Her fast moves rival Joyce Godenzi’s martial arts. Ha Chi-chun is fierce as the mean Lau Shun Ying, who is Cambodian Guerrilla Girl #3.
Yuen Woo-ping is fantastically funny as the elderly follower soldier Grandpa Yun Yen-hoy. Lam Ching-ying’s courageous leader Lieutenant Colonel Lam is very compelling. Melvin Wong is fun in his early parts of Eastern Condor as Colonel Yang Yeung. Charlie Chin is funny as the complaining Szeto Chin. Cheung Kwok-keung’s foolish Ching Dai-kong, Billy Lau’s Ching Dai-Hoi, and Peter Chan’s Ma Puk-kau or Onion Head are amusing side characters. Lau Chau-sang’s idiotic Stuttering Keung is hysterical.
Corey Yuen is a riot as the serious Judy Wu. It’s so cool to see so many Hong Kong directors and legendary stunt choreographers all acting together. Yuen Wah is entertaining as the creepy Vietnamese Giggling General. His ultra fast martial arts moves are wicked to see, especially in his duel with Sammo Hung. Yasuaki Kurata, Dick Wei, and Billy Chow’s General’s elite soldiers are ferocious.
Composer Sherman Chow Gam-Cheung’s eerie film score adds a sinister atmosphere alongside a cool theme song when a hero does something awesome. Sound designers Chow Shao-Lung and Ng Kwok-Wah make the gunfire visceral like the huge explosion noises. Costume designer Ginger Fung Oi-Man crafts realistic soldier uniforms with camo prints and gear. Makeup artists Poon Man-Wah and Ivy Law Sau-Wai provide killer unique looks from hairstyles to camouflage.
In all, Eastern Condors is a hysterical and exciting war movie with a classic Hong Kong cast. It’s a brisk 97 minutes of fun for anyone!
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/18/25
Full Review
DanTheMan 2
If you only know Sammo Hung for his more happy-go-lucky roles, then Eastern Condors will be a massive shock to the system, going as far as to tread into John Woo's territory of heroic bloodshed. Taking the idea of The Dirty Dozen but setting it in Vietnam, Sammo got serious with this one, even cutting his trademark hair and slimming right down. There are no mincing words about how brutally violent Eastern Condors gets... Hands get chopped off, Vietcong kids play Russian Roulette and people are shot point blank with no hesitation, in the wrong hands it's distasteful stuff, but Sammo treats it all with sincerity, marking this film out as one of his finest accomplishments as an actor, martial artist and director.
Although the majority of the action is hyper-intense gun fights occasionally punctuated by a familiar moment seen in Western war films like The Deer Hunter or the Rambo franchise, there is a spectacular final bout of full-contact fisticuffs for the patient ones among you. The cast is populated by plenty of familiar names and faces, although I do wish they got a bit more characterisation outside of their nicknames and who plays them, they all commit often coming away bloody and bruised from the hyper-dangerous stunt work. For better or worse, Eastern Condors has a gritty edge that makes it truly stand out amongst Sammo's filmography often feeling like what Heroes Shed No Tears had originally wanted to be, it's an absolute must-see!
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
11/16/23
Full Review
delysid d
This movie kicks God damn ass!
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
08/17/18
Full Review
Audience Member
Fun, violent, fast-moving Hong Kong action film; a classic of its genre.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/27/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Eastern Condors Is A Mixture Of War Violence And Martial Arts, Which Helps Keep The Dirty Dozen Like Story Running Throughout The Film. Sure The Plot May Be Stolen From One Of The Greatest War Classics, & Relocated To Vietnam, But That's What's Good About This Flick, It's Not To Complicated & The Fact It Stars Sammo Hung (Who Also Directs) & Yuen Biao Is A Bonus.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/21/23
Full Review
sarfaraz a
Dung fong tuk ying (Eastern Condors) co-directed as well as co-starring Sammo Hung and Biao Yeun. The film also starrs Dr. Hang S. Nigor (Academy Award winner for The Killing Fields) and Joyce Godenz (real-life wife of Sammo Hung).
Set in Vietnam War in 1976 Ming (Sammo Hung) a Chinese commando led by colonel and his team group up with guerrilla fighters (mostly female) to destroy lethal weapons left behind by the US after the fall of Saigon. The weapons are currently under guard of Vietcong General. The group seeks help of local man (Yuen Biao no name mentioned in the film) with his three-wheel scooter and he deals in black market.
Gala treat of slow-motion fight-sequences, with extraordinary tricky and locking clutches, kicks, jumps, head-lock, neck-lock, sharp knife use by both Sammo and Biao are enough to entertain huge fans like me. Movie deserves praise for quick pace, ultimately trying to reach to the point. Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao succeeded in applying maximum hilarious scenes and comedic expressions from fellow characters.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
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