Fist of the Condor Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.0

Fist of the Condor Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 23, 2023

Many and maybe even most folks coming to a perceived martial arts spectacular are going to be expecting at least some tether to Asian culture, and if there's an initial shock suffusing The Fist of the Condor, it may be that this is a resolutely South American enterprise, and a rather surprisingly contemporary one at that. That modern ambience is evident despite an early narrated voiceover describing what sounds like a trope from actual Asian martial arts films, namely an ancient text describing secret techniques which, after having fallen into the wrong hands, is rescued and then stashed away where (supposedly) no one can find it. The top secret tome is, unsurprisingly given the title of the film, something called "Fist of the Condor", and despite its hard to find status, there are any number of adherents to its technique, a supposedly ancient martial arts regimen called Rumi Maki which was followed by the Incans. Two of these are brothers, both played by Marko Zaror, and helpfully differentiated by the fact that one has a shaved head and the other is adorned with flowing locks.

If the general setting of Fist of the Condor provides some inarguable interest, unfortunately the writing and general performance acuity of the cast can be wobbly at times. It seems obvious that writer and director Ernesto Diaz Espinoza wants to take a serious approach to certain "cultural" aspects underlying the basic plot, but Espinoza is perhaps a bit too "weighty" in his dialogue, to the point that some of the ultra philosophical and/or quasi-historical pronouncements may come off as unintentionally comic. Zaror handles the action sequences with ease, but is probably not quite ready for an Oscar nomination yet, so to speak. Espinoza also engages in any number of stylistic flourishes which give the film some admitted flair, but which are often a little on the strange side (for example, a beach side fight scene has a drone shot which rapidly flies toward the combatants and then right past them, continuing out over the ocean).

Structurally, the film can be a bit confounding at times as a series of flashback vignettes are offered which detail both the "modern history" of the secret technique, and the training of two brothers who seem headed toward conflict. That perhaps surprisingly never really plays out in this film (a sequel seems unavoidable), and instead there is a villain evidently adorned with eyeliner and/or shadow (Eyal Meyer) who appears partway through the tale. The film is divided into supposed "chapters", and there is a somewhat literary quality to the screenplay, but it's the equivalent of a CliffsNote version rather than a fully realized novel.

Fist of the Condor Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Fist of the Condor is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. While this evidently did get a brief theatrical exhibition, it also streamed on Well Go USA's Hi Yah! service, and it frankly looks like a made for television offering, with a kind of "videotape" quality that is rather flat and glossy, without much depth or texture. Still, detail levels are generally very good to excellent, especially considering how peripatetic the camera is throughout the film. The palette looks like its' been deliberately tweaked in post, and is at least on occasion slightly grayish and desaturated looking. A few scenes featuring either fade ins or outs with the camera pointed toward skies can have hints of minor banding.

Fist of the Condor Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Fist of the Condor features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in the original Spanish. The film has a Zamfir-esque score filled with pan pipes, and while maybe just a little hokey, it gives the film a distinctive subliminal flavor and sounds fine throughout the track. The glut of outdoor material also offers good opportunities for well placed ambient environmental sounds. Dialogue (such as it is) is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Fist of the Condor Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Scenes (HD; 1:35) offers a brief look at some shots being set up. This is wordless and plays to the film's score.


• Trailer (HD; 2:06)

Note: As tends to be the case with Well Go USA Blu-ray releases, the disc has been authored so that supplements follow one another automatically (so that clicking on Behind the Scenes is essentially a Play All button. The disc is also authored to automatically move on to trailers for other Well Go USA releases after the Trailer for this film plays. Those trailers for other Well Go USA releases also play automatically at disc boot up.

Fist of the Condor Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Martial arts fans looking for something a little unusual may find some passing interest in Fist of the Condor, but expectations should probably be set accordingly even for genre aficionados. Technical merits are generally solid, even if the video quality here is unabashedly digital looking, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.