Eastern Condors
| Eastern Condors | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster | |
| Directed by | Sammo Hung |
| Produced by |
Corey Yuen Wu Ma Jeffrey Lau Leonard Ho |
| Written by | Barry Wong |
| Starring |
Sammo Hung Yuen Biao Joyce Godenzi Yuen Wah Lam Ching-ying Yuen Woo-ping Corey Yuen Billy Chow |
| Music by | Sherman Chow |
| Cinematography |
Au Gaam Hung Arthur Wong |
| Editing by | Peter Cheung |
| Distributed by |
Golden Harvest Media Asia |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language |
Cantonese English |
Eastern Condors (Chinese: 東方禿鷹) is a 1987 Hong Kong action film directed by Sammo Hung, who also starred in the lead role. The film co-stars Yuen Biao, Joyce Godenzi, Yuen Wah, Lam Ching-ying, Yuen Woo-ping, Corey Yuen and Billy Chow.
It was set in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Although set in Vietnam, the most of the film was shot in the Philippines. The scenes set in the United States were actually filmed in Canada. The ensembles of convict soldiers in the film are reminiscent of similar squads in American action 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 30 pounds in 3 months, by surviving on a diet of nothing but chicken and rice.[1]
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-sun. Survivors are promised a pardon, U.S. 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-yeh), 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
- Sammo Hung - Tung Ming-sun
- Yuen Biao - "Weasel" / Chieh Man-yeh
- Haing S. Ngor - Lung Yeung
- Joyce Godenzi - Guerrilla Girl Leader
- Chui Man-yan - Guerrilla Girl #2
- Ha Chi-chun - Lau Shun Ying / Guerrilla Girl #3
- Lam Ching-ying - Lieutenant Colonel Lam
- Melvin Wong - Colonel Yang Young
- Charlie Chin - Szeto Chin
- Cheung Kwok-keung - Ching Dai-kong
- Billy Lau - Ching Dai-Hoi
- Yuen Woo-ping - Grandpa Yun Yen-hoy
- Corey Yuen - Judy Wu
- Peter Chan - Ma Puk-kau / Potato Onion Head
- Chin Kar-lok - Nguyen Siu-tran
- Hsiao Ho - Phan Man-Lung
- Lau Chau-sang - Stuttering Keung
- Yuen Wah - Vietnamese Giggling General
- Yasuaki Kurata - General's elite soldier
- Dick Wei - General's elite soldier
- Billy Chow - General's elite soldier
- Ng Min-kan - General's elite soldier
- James Tien - Village Thug / Angry Customer
- Phillip Ko - Vietnamese Corporal Soldier
- Wu Ma - Vietnamese Corporal Officer
- Kenny Ho - Col Young's commando
- Max Mok - Col Young's commando
- Chung Fat - Col Young's commando
- Michael Miu - Col Young's commando
- Ken Tong - Col Young's commando
- Ben Lam - Col Young's commando
- Andy Dai - Col Young's commando
- Danny Poon - Col Young's commando
- Chris Li - Col Young's commando
- Wan Chi-keung - Col Young's commando
- Angela Mao -
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)
Home media
On 2 April 2001, DVD was released by Hong Kong Legends at the United Kingdom in Region 2.
See also
References
- ↑ Sammo Hung (April 2001). Eastern Condors, interview (DVD). Contender Entertainment Group.
External links
| |||||