Eastern Condors

Studio: The Criterion Collection

Dec 19, 2024 Web Exclusive By Kaveh Jalinous Photography by The Criterion Collection

Sammo Hung’s Eastern Condors is what results when you mash together the thrills of a Hong Kong action film with the horrors of a war film. On the surface, it’s full of big action set pieces, incredible fight choreography and martial arts galore. But, examining the film—especially the impressions, expressions and attitudes of its principal ensemble of characters—it doesn’t take long to realize that there’s much more to this frenetic 98-minute film than meets the eye.

The opening of Eastern Condors is enough to signal the type of film you’re in for. After a title card specifying the location and year (“America, 1976”), Hung’s film wastes no time expositing its central premise. In those opening minutes, we learn that the U. S. Army is recruiting a team of Chinese prisoners to go to Vietnam, immediately following American withdrawal, to blow up a secret cache of American weapons before the VietCong get to it first. The only person who knows about the purpose of the mission, or their mission’s destination, is the Lieutenant (Lam Ching-Ying); the rest of the group is convinced by the promise of freedom, American naturalization and $200,000 upon their survival.

When the group makes it to Vietnam, as expected, chaos ensues. As the large group ventures through the jungle, fighting the VC soldiers they find along their way, the members begin to question the purpose of their presence, and the unfairness of essentially sacrificing themselves for a cause they know nothing about. Amidst this journey, an unlikely alliance forms between Tung Ming-sun (Sammo Hung), a recruited soldier on the mission, and Rat Chieh (Yuen Biao), a Vietnamese black-market seller who agrees to help them on their journey. It turns out this alliance is imperative; the two’s hand-to-hand combat skills are out of this world.

It’s not just those two characters’ combat skills that are truly remarkable. Every character in the film knows how to fight, regardless of the situation, regardless of the setting and regardless of how exhausted they are. In each action sequence (and trust me, there are many), all the characters jump through the air at heights that would make gymnasts jealous. In fights, most of them travel via backflips. At one point, Ming-sun uses a literal leaf as a deadly weapon. And from the film’s get-go to its end credits, the action simply does not let up. It quickly becomes impossible to look away from the screen because you’re too entranced by all the practical stunt madness unfolding in front of you, all the movement and choreography you never thought could be remotely possible. For those who have seen lots of Hong Kong action films, which are based on the art of fighting (and, in particular, martial arts-based combat), there’s still much to love, and find unique, in Eastern Condors. Re-contextualizing these types of fight sequences in a wartime setting has its flaws—especially when the sequences become a tad too gun-heavy—but is largely successful and unforgettable.

Making a hardcore action film would have been more than enough, but Eastern Condors also provides striking commentary on the experience of fighting in a war—especially, the often cloudy purpose around what exactly people are fighting for. These ideas are apparent right from the film’s opening. When the Lieutenant asks the convicts if any of them want to get out of the mission, even after not specifying what its objective is or where they’re going, none say ‘yes’; they know the alternative, years in prison, is a far worse fate. The group’s expression when they realize that they’ve essentially been sent to their death leads to one of the film’s most affecting and unforgettable shots—which is saying a lot in a film known for its bold imagery.

While the film’s action may be popcorn-thrillingly digestible, its stakes are anything but. Throughout the film, death trails the group like a stalker, striking as constantly as the characters strike their enemies. This tonal differentiation gives the film much of its thematic impact, watching as the characters pursue these wildly entertaining, action-packed battles because, essentially, they have no choice and nowhere left to go. In the same vein, it makes you question your role as a spectator, questioning how a film’s quick-paced sequences can be so enthralling to watch unfold when the circumstances are anything but. This balancing act further sets Eastern Condors apart from its contemporaries, solidifying the film as a must-watch that you won’t forget about anytime soon.

The Criterion Collection’s 2K digital restoration of Eastern Condors looks fantastic, illuminating and juxtaposing the film’s vivid colors–particularly, the greenery of the Vietnamese countryside with the orange hues of the constant gunfire and explosions–in affecting ways. The release also includes a handful of bonus features, including an also-restored dubbed cut of the film (originally made for English-speaking audiences), a new interview with Hung, old interviews with Hung and actor Yuen Wah and a live, on-stage performance of the film from a 1987 pageant. Furthermore, since the film is currently difficult to locate (especially on streaming services), the fact that the film is being re-circulated is exciting in itself, providing more opportunities for cinephiles to see this Hong Kong action film that takes its heavy-handed themes one bold step further.

(www.criterion.com/films/30736-eastern-condors)

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