Eastern Condors
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| Eastern Condors | |
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 UK DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Sammo Hung |
| Produced by | Leonard Ho Jeffrey Lau Wu Ma Corey Yuen |
| Written by | Barry Wong |
| Starring | Sammo Hung Yuen Biao Joyce Godenzi Yuen Wah Lam Ching Ying |
| Cinematography | Arthur Wong |
| Editing by | Peter Cheung |
| Distributed by | Golden Harvest |
| Release date(s) | 1987 |
| Running time | 100 min. |
| Country |  Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Eastern Condors (traditional Chinese: 東方禿鷹) is a 1987 Hong Kong action film set in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. It was directed by and starred Sammo Hung along with Yuen Biao and Yuen Wah. It has a supporting cast featuring several well-known Hong Kong stars, including Hung's current wife, Joyce Godenzi (though they weren't married at the time). Although set in Vietnam, most of the film was shot in the Philippines. The scenes set in the United States were actually filmed in Canada. The ensemble of convict soldiers in the film are reminiscent of similar squads in American war films like The Dirty Dozen. Hung believed his normal size and body shape, whilst suited to his comedic characters in his other films, would be inappropriate for a soldier. In order to get into shape for the lead role, Hung lost 30lb in 3 months, by surviving on a diet of nothing but chicken and rice.[1]
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[edit] Plot
Lieutenant Colonel Lam (Ying) is an American army officer given a top secret mission by the US military. The mission entails entering Vietnam to destroy an old American bunker filled with missiles before the Viet Cong can get to them.
Due to the dangerous nature of the mission, a group of Chinese American soldier convicts are selected to accompany him, led by Tung Ming-sung (Hung). Survivors are promised a pardon and $200,000 each. After a brief training session they are dropped into Vietnam. During the jump, Lam learns too late that the mission has been aborted.
Once in enemy territory, they are met by some Cambodian guerrillas led by Godenzi and take refuge in a small town. There they meet Rat (aka Chieh Man Yen, played by Biao), and his mentally ill "Godfather", Yueng (Ngor).
Later, the squad is captured and incarcerated in a POW camp, where the prisoners are forced to play Russian roulette in a similar manner to the film The Deer Hunter. After escaping, they discover that one of the Cambodian guerrillas is a traitor. With the Vietnamese military in pursuit, they are able to reach the bunker, where a final showdown with the giggling Vietnamese general (Wah) occurs.
[edit] Cast
- Sammo Hung (Hung Kam-Bo) - Tung Ming-Sun
- Yuen Biao - "Rat" / Chieh Man Yen
- Haing S. Ngor - Lung Yeung
- Joyce Mina Godenzi - Guerrilla Girl #1
- Ha Chi Chun - Guerrilla Girl #3
- Lam Ching Ying - Lieutenant Colonel Lam
- Melvin Wong - Colonel Yang
- Charlie Chin - Szeto Chin
- Cheung Kwok Keung - Ching
- Billy Lau (Lau Lan Guang) - Ching
- Yuen Woo-ping - Yun Yen-Hoy
- Corey Yuen (Yuen Kwai) - Judy Vu
- Chan Lung - Potato Head
- Yuen Wah - Giggling General
- Kurata Yasuaki - General's elite soldier
- Dick Wei - General's elite soldier
- Billy Chow - General's elite soldier
- James Tien - Village Thug
- Phillip Ko - Viet Cong Soldier
- Wu Ma - Vietnamese Officer
- Chin Kar Lok
[edit] Awards and nominations
- 1988 Hong Kong Film Awards
- Nominated: Best Action Choreography
- Nominated: Best New Performer (Ha Chi Chun)
- Nominated: Best Supporting Actress (Joyce Godenzi)
[edit] References
- ^ Sammo Hung. Eastern Condors, interview [DVD]. Contender Entertainment Group.
[edit] External links
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