Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

Eastern Condors Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 25, 2019

Sammo Hung's "Eastern Condors" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage interviews with the director and cast members; new audio commentates with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema as well as Frank Djeng; vintage promotional materials; and more. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

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If Quentin Tarantino had directed The Deer Hunter the end product would have looked a lot like Sammo Hung’s Eastern Condors -- an exotic over-the-top action extravaganza with a whacky sense of humor that would have thrilled just as many people as it would have annoyed. There would not have been any undecided viewers, stuck in the middle, liking the ‘good’ but also recognizing the ‘bad’. All viewers would have picked sides, and then argued until they turned blue that their take on Tarantino’s film was the right one.

Directed by Hung, Eastern Condors opens up in America, where a high-ranking military official announces that something has to be done about a large arsenal of weapons that has been abandoned in Vietnam after the war has ended. If the weapons end up with the commies, the man clarifies, then there is trouble ahead, and not only for America. Shortly after, the Pentagon offers a colorful crew of Asian mercenaries a deal. If they go to Vietnam, destroy the weapons and get out alive, they would earn U.S. citizenship with a bonus of $200,000 each.

Led by Lieutenant Lam (Ching-Ying Lam) and commander Tung (Hung), the mercenaries enter the jungles of Vietnam and immediately establish contact with three Cambodian lady renegades who have agreed to assist them in their mission. A charismatic con artist named Weasel (a really good Yuen Biao) also joins the group. However, the mission quickly proves to be a lot more dangerous than initially advertised, and many of the mercenaries slowly begin realizing that they may not be able to get out of the jungle alive.

The action oozes pure energy that is easy to admire, but this is basically the film’s only strength. Indeed, everything that happens between the shootouts and explosions is either boring descriptions of meaningless situations or undercooked humor that makes the main protagonists look like inexperienced actors doing an elaborate audition. And yet the film frequently doubles-down on the graphic visuals as if to demand that despite its awkward contrasts it deserves to be taken very, very seriously. (There is one particular sequence where a small group of brainwashed kids play Russian Roulette with some poor souls that have been captured by the commies that so obviously borrows from The Deer Hunter and then makes the material look like a parody that it almost hurts).

The character arcs appear random at best. Except for Lam and Tung, who quickly and convincingly emerge as the only individuals that comprehend the true nature of the deadly mission, the rest of the men around them remain supporting characters that routinely engage in meaningless conversations until they die in some ‘heroic’ fashion. Quite predictably, the nature and evolution of their relationships are seriously underwhelming. The three women are there only to add an extra dose of exotic flavor to the mission as well.

Except for the slow-motion kicks, the fights are very nicely choreographed, and it does not take long to realize that Hung and Biao are doing some quite special things in front of the camera. But anyone looking for some substance to go along with them will almost certainly walk away from the film seriously disappointed.

Eastern Condors Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Eastern Condors arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a new 2K remaster that is practically free of technical issues. Delineation and density levels could be better during some of the wider panoramic shots, but overall the visuals hold very well and look quite nice. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. The color grading is very convincing as well -- the primaries are solid throughout the entire film and look very healthy while the supporting nuances are properly balanced. (For what it's worth, this is yet another recent 2K remaster that looks vastly superior when compared to the 4K 'restorations' that L'Immagine Ritrovata produced for Police Story). With the exception of the opening credits where there is a bit of movement within the frame, image stability is excellent. There are no large distracting debris, cuts, stains, or damage marks to report. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Eastern Condors Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Cantonese: LPCM 1.0, Cantonese LPCM 1.0 (Alternate track), English LPCM 1.0 (classic dub), and English LPCM 2.0 Stereo (modern dub). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the film with the original Cantonese Mono track and thought that it was excellent. The audio was clear, clean, and stable, plus dynamic intensity was as good as I expected it to be. I did not test the other tracks because I did not feel that the original track had any notable native limitations. A quick note on the subtitles: plenty of them switch very fast, often making it impossible to read everything that is being said in real time.

Eastern Condors Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Export Version - presented here is the export version of Eastern Condors. English: Dolby Digital 1.0. 1080p (95 min).

• Trailers - with optional English subtitles.
  
  1. Teaser trailer (3 min).
  2. Original Hong Kong trailer (4 min).
  3. Japanese trailer (4 min).

• Audio Commentary One - this audio commentary was recorded by Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. There is a lot of interesting information about the style of Eastern Condors -- as well as the type of films it is paying homage to -- its characters and their relationships, the quality of the action, the film's reception in Hong Kong and abroad, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Eureka Entertainment.

• Audio Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by Frank Djeng, a former marketing manager at Tai Seng, and a huge fan of Eastern Condors. There is plenty of excellent information here as well, which addresses the film's production history, the various locations where key sequences were shot, the film's poor reception in Hong Kong, some of the classic films that are referenced, the nature of the characterizations, etc. Mr. Djeng also has some interesting comments about his interaction with Sammo Hung. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Eureka Entertainment.

• Sammo Hung on Eastern Condors - in this archival interview, Sammo Hung explains what inspired him to shoot Eastern Condors and discusses its production. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Sammo Hung on Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao - in this archival interview, Sammo Hung recalls his early days as a performer in the Peking Opera School, his maturation as a stuntman, etc. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Yuen Wah Interview - in this archival interview, actor and stuntman Yuen Wah (the Giggling General) remembers his involvement with Eastern Condors. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (8 min).

• Eastern Condors Live! - a live performance from the 1987 Miss Hong Kong Pageant (14 min).

• Booklet - an illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on all three films by James Oliver.

Eastern Condors Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I am well aware that Eastern Condors has a lot of admirers, and many of them consider it one of Sammo Hung's very best films. But I have to say that there are plenty of good reasons why the film flopped in Hong Kong and other Asian markets, and they have nothing to do with its subject. (The old theory that a lot of folks just did not get its take on the war in Vietnam is an awful facade to hide a wide range of serious flaws). Yes, some of the action is still quite impressive, but as far as I am concerned not enough to save the film. If you do not think that the film needed to be saved and have been waiting for a quality makeover of it to emerge, this recent Blu-ray release should make you very happy. It is sourced from a very nice 2K remaster and comes with a pretty good selection of bonus features. RECOMMENDED (but only to the fans).