Eastern Condors
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Synopsis
Legendary actor-director Sammo Hung delivers a bazooka blast of pure adrenaline in this exemplar of Hong Kong action cinema at its most entertaining. Drawing inspiration from Hollywood war films like The Dirty Dozen, Eastern Condors follows a ragtag band of Asian American prisoners dropped into Vietnam on a secret suicide mission to prevent a cache of weapons from falling into the hands of the Viet Cong, who are more than ready for a fight. Propelled by a dynamic ensemble cast that includes the ever-charismatic Yuen Biao as a black-market trader and a superhuman Yuen Wah as a giggling martial-arts monster, this rip-roaring spectacle offers a nonstop barrage of turbocharged set pieces that defy death, logic, and gravity itself.
Picture 8/10
The Criterion Collection brings Sammo Hung’s Eastern Condors to Blu-ray, presenting the film on a dual-layer disc in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The 1080p/24hz high-definition encode is sourced from a new 2K restoration performed by Fortune Star, utilizing a scan of the 35mm original camera negative.
The results are impressive, standing a bit above the standard for Hong Kong cinema restorations seen in recent years. The image appears noticeably sharper and cleaner compared to older presentations, delivering a significant improvement in detail. Film grain has been preserved well and hasn’t been excessively scrubbed, making this one of the grainier-looking Hong Kong films I’ve encountered recently. Criterion’s high-definition encode manages to handle the grain naturally and cleanly throughout, though very minor noise and blocking artifacts occasionally show up in darker areas. These issues are subtle, and you’d likely need to be actively looking for them to notice.
Colors are well-balanced, leaning slightly toward teal at times, though not to a distracting degree. This cooler palette occasionally enhances the film’s tone, feeling appropriate in key moments. Criterion also includes the export version of the film, which runs slightly shorter and features an English dub. This version appears to have been sourced from the same restoration and is similarly well-encoded, though it can look marginally noisier in places.
Overall, it’s a strong high-definition presentation, delivering a pleasing visual experience that should satisfy fans of the film.
Audio 6/10
For the original cut, Criterion provides a lossless PCM presentation of the monaural Cantonese soundtrack (the export version's English track is in Dolby Digital). The track exceeds my expectations in some respects, particularly during the action scenes, which manage to deliver decent range and fidelity. However, it remains a fairly flat offering overall, with dialogue and music lacking much dynamic range. This is likely due to the dubbing process, which often just kills all nuance.
Notably, Criterion appears to have reconstructed the soundtrack to be as faithful to the original as possible. They’ve reinserted English and Vietnamese dialogue—replaced by Cantonese dubs in later releases—using materials sourced from fans. This effort to restore the soundtrack’s authenticity should be a significant draw for fans of the film, preserving elements that might otherwise have been lost in previous versions.
Extras 8/10
Criterion ports over several supplements from previous editions but, to my surprise—given Criterion’s tendency to scale back on them in recent years—they’ve also recorded a new audio commentary with film scholar Tony Rayns. Rayns begins by acknowledging how unlikely a title this is for Criterion to release, before admitting there isn’t much to say about the film’s story or characters, which he describes as fairly cookie-cutter. As a result, he opts against a scene-specific commentary, outside of a few key sequences, such as the Deer Hunter-inspired one.
Instead, the bulk of the commentary explores the period of Hong Kong filmmaking during which Eastern Condors was made, highlighting the rise of action films and their innovative, high-energy style, which he describes as feeling like a burst of energy at the time. Rayns delves into how these films were structured and shot, breaking down their construction sequence by sequence, including the editing process. He also touches on Sammo Hung’s background and some of the film’s actors, though the commentary is strongest when he examines the historical context and evolution of the genre. It’s another excellent track from Rayns and easily the highlight of the release.
Also newly included is a 2024 interview with Sammo Hung, seemingly filmed for the Criterion Channel Meet the Filmmakers series. Running nine minutes, it covers Hung’s journey from his schooling and stunt work to becoming a filmmaker and actor. While he briefly mentions Eastern Condors (noting it’s one of his favorite films), the interview focuses more on his supernatural works, such as Encounters of the Spooky Kind and his hopping vampire (jiangshi) films. Though brief, it provides a nice reflection on his career and is a welcome addition.
The set also includes interviews recorded in 2001 for previous home video editions. Two more interviews with Hung are featured, running eight and 17 minutes, both conducted in English. The shorter interview echoes some of the topics from the 2024 segment, with more focus on his stunt work, while the longer one dives deeper into Eastern Condors and its production. Hung discusses the story, how he tailored characters for the actors, and the extensive planning behind the action scenes. A 2001 interview with Yuen Wah (who plays the film’s villain) is also included, where he reflects on his character and some of the eccentric touches—like the giggling—that were Hung’s ideas (which Hung also touches on in his interview).
A particularly unique addition is a 14-minute excerpt from a live Eastern Condors performance staged for the 1987 Miss Asia Pageant television broadcast. Featuring most of the cast in character and costume, the performance includes stunts, dance numbers, and even some singing. Though the stuntwork is mostly limited to flips and acrobatics, it’s a fun and quirky inclusion.
Criterion rounds out the package with a teaser, two Hong Kong trailers, and the American trailer. The English-language export version of the film is also included as a separate supplement. Running four minutes shorter, it trims some humor (like the villain’s giggling/hiccups) and gags (such as the flag-raising scene) while also reducing the more graphic violence and tightening up certain sequences. While I doubt I’ll revisit this version, it’s great that Criterion included it. Like the main feature, it’s sourced from the same restoration and looks excellent, though the encode feels slightly weaker.
The release also includes a poster insert featuring the new cover art on one side and an essay by Sean Gilman on the other. Gilman highlights the film’s strengths and explores Hung’s choices, including the surprising decision to cast Oscar winner Dr. Haing S. Ngor.
Ultimately, this is a solid set of materials anchored by Rayns’ excellent commentary.
Closing
Criterion’s Eastern Condors Blu-ray delivers a sharp presentation, complemented by a new Tony Rayns commentary exploring the film’s genre-defining legacy.
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