Eastern Condors

Eastern Condors

Original film poster
Directed by Sammo Hung,Yuen Biao(action)
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
Corey Yuen
Yuen Woo Ping
Cinematography Arthur Wong
Editing by Peter Cheung
Distributed by Golden Harvest
Release date(s) 1987
Running time 100 min.
Country Hong Kong
Language Cantonese
Vietnamese
English

Eastern Condors (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]

Contents

Plot

Lieutenant Colonel Lam 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. Survivors are promised a pardon, US citizenship 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 Weasel (aka Chieh Man Yen), and his mentally ill "Uncle", Yeung.

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 occurs.

Cast

Awards and nominations

References

  1. ^ Sammo Hung (April 2001). Eastern Condors, interview (DVD). Contender Entertainment Group. 

External links