I’ve been so happy the Criterion Collection has been adding Hong Kong cinema classics to the collection. Of course, in the laserdisc era they were the ones to bring John Woo’s The Killer and Hard Boiled to U.S. collectors, but the modern era has seen the likes of Police Story and Heroic Trio. Now, Sammo Hung’s war movie Eastern Condors joins his Opera school brethren.
Imagine a Rambo movie but with martial arts and acrobatic stunts in trees, although perhaps it’s more of a “men on a mission” movie since there’s more than one condor. On Blu-ray it looks like an ‘80s Rambo movie restored in sharp detail in the lush jungle colors.
A commentary by Tony Rayns is as informative about the Hong Kong film industry as the Arrow and Shout! Studios regular commentators. Rayns also puts Condors in perspective with John Woo’s contemporary output and other ‘80s Hong Kong cinema.
Three different Sammo Hung interviews are included. A new one runs for eight minutes and covers the basics of his career. It’s good for introducing new viewers to his work and what makes him stand out from Jackie Chan or John Woo.
Two interviews from 2001 are in English, perhaps because Hung was working on American television back then. Another eight minute interview goes into his training and education, and a 17 minute interview is all about Eastern Condors.
Another 2001 interview with co-star Yuen Wah is also eight minutes, but in Chinese with subtitles.
The real treasure of this collection is a 1987 live stunt show. As amazing as all the stunts in the movie are, this is all one dake on stage. Holy sh*t I lost count of how many flips Yuen Biao does in a row. And it ends with a song and Hung joins in the dance.