Eastern Condors
Eastern Condors
東方禿鷹
Overview
"A group of Asian-American convicts are offered pardons if they undertake a highly classified, suicidal mission to parachute into Vietnam to destroy a secret weapons bunker left behind by the US military before the Viet Cong can access it."
Iconic Tracked Scenes
- ▶
The convict team is briefed on their suicide mission and subsequently paradropped into the treacherous Vietnamese jungle.
"jungle paradrop""convict mission briefing" - ▶
The team is ambushed in a river, leading to a massive firefight utilizing heavy weaponry and explosions.
"river ambush""jungle firefight" - ▶
The climatic showdown in the underground bunker, featuring Tung Ming-yen using incredible kicks against the fan-wielding Vietnamese general.
"bunker finale""fighting the general with a fan"
Why It's Remembered
- ★The harrowing parachute drop into the jungle.
- ★Yuen Wah's terrifying performance as the giggling, fan-wielding Viet Cong general.
- ★The final explosive bunker sequence combining guns, grenades, and brutal kicks.
Cultural Context
- ◈An attempt by Sammo Hung to create a Hong Kong version of 'The Dirty Dozen' or 'Rambo'.
- ◈Features an all-star cast of 80s HK action stars including Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung, Corey Yuen, and Yuen Wah.
- ◈Blends heavy gunplay with devastating, hard-hitting martial arts combat in the finale.
About the Action Elements
Eastern Condors is widely celebrated among martial arts cinema fans for sequences involving briefing, convicts, skydive, parachute, jungle. One of the most memorable sequences features Sammo Hung naturally executing jungle paradrop, where the choreography and unique set pieces become the unexpected highlight of the film.