Eastern Condors
Encyclopedia
Eastern Condors is a 1987
Hong Kong action film
set in the aftermath of the Vietnam War
. It was directed by and starred Sammo Hung
along with Yuen Biao
and Yuen Wah
. It has a supporting cast featuring several well-known Hong Kong
stars, including Hung's current wife, Joyce Godenzi (though they weren't married at the time).
Although set in Vietnam
, most of the film was shot in the Philippines
. The scenes set in the United States
were actually filmed in Canada
.
The ensemble of convict soldiers in the film are reminiscent of similar squads in American 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 30lb in 3 months, by surviving on a diet of nothing but chicken and rice.
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-sung. Survivors are promised a pardon, US 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 Cambodia
n guerrillas led by Godenzi and take refuge in a small town. There they meet Weasel (aka Chieh Man Yen), 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.
Hong Kong films of 1987
A list of films produced in Hong Kong in 1987:.-1987:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 1987 at...
Hong Kong action film
Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...
set in the aftermath of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. It was directed by and starred Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in many martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema...
along with Yuen Biao
Yuen Biao
Yuen Biao is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist. He specialises in acrobatics and Chinese martial arts and has worked on over 80 films as actor, stuntman and action choreographer...
and Yuen Wah
Yuen Wah
Yuen Wah is a Hong Kong based Chinese action film actor, action choreographer, stuntman and martial artist who has appeared in over 160 films and over 20 television series.-Early life:...
. It has a supporting cast featuring several well-known Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
stars, including Hung's current wife, Joyce Godenzi (though they weren't married at the time).
Although set in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, most of the film was shot in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. The scenes set in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
were actually filmed in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The ensemble of convict soldiers in the film are reminiscent of similar squads in American war films like The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 film directed by Robert Aldrich and released by MGM. It was filmed in England and features an ensemble cast, including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, and Robert Webber. The film is based on E. M...
.
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 30lb in 3 months, by surviving on a diet of nothing but chicken and rice.
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 CongNational Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam
The Vietcong , or National Liberation Front , was a political organization and army in South Vietnam and Cambodia that fought the United States and South Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War . It had both guerrilla and regular army units, as well as a network of cadres who organized...
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-sung. Survivors are promised a pardon, US 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 Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n guerrillas led by Godenzi and take refuge in a small town. There they meet Weasel (aka Chieh Man Yen), and his mentally ill "Uncle", Yeung.
Later, the squad is captured and incarcerated in a POW camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
, where the prisoners are forced to play Russian roulette
Russian roulette
Russian roulette is a potentially lethal game of chance in which participants place a single round in a revolver, spin the cylinder, place the muzzle against their head and pull the trigger...
in a similar manner to the film The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter is a 1978 drama film co-written and directed by Michael Cimino about a trio of Russian American steel worker friends and their infantry service in the Vietnam War. The film stars Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, John Savage, John Cazale, and George Dzundza...
. 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 HungSammo HungSammo Hung is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in many martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema...
(Hung Kam-Bo) - Tung Ming-Sun - Yuen BiaoYuen BiaoYuen Biao is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist. He specialises in acrobatics and Chinese martial arts and has worked on over 80 films as actor, stuntman and action choreographer...
- "Weasel" / Chieh Man Yeh - Haing S. NgorHaing S. NgorDr. Haing Somnang Ngor was a Cambodian American physician, actor and author who is best known for winning the 1985 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his debut performance in the movie The Killing Fields, in which he portrayed Cambodian journalist and refugee Dith Pran. His mother was...
- Lung Yeung - Joyce Godenzi (Kao Lai Hung) - 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 (Wong Gam San)- Colonel Yang Young
- Charlie ChinCharlie ChinCharlie Chin is a Chinese actor.He first had his period when he moved to Hong Kong with his family at an early age. At only 12 years of age Charlie moved to Taiwan to join Fu Xing Ju Xiao, a Peking opera school...
(Chin Chiang-Lin) - Szeto Chin - Cheung Kwok Keung - Ching Dai-Kong
- Billy Lau (Lau Nam Kwong) - Ching Dai-Hoi (as Lan Guang Lau)
- Yuen Woo-PingYuen Woo-pingYuen Woo-ping is a Chinese martial arts choreographer and film director, renowned as one of the most successful and influential figures in the world of Hong Kong action cinema. He is one of the inductees on the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong...
- Grandpa Yun Yen-Hoy - Corey YuenCorey YuenCorey Yuen Kwai is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker and producer. He was a member of the Peking Opera Schools and one of the Seven Little Fortunes.-Life and career:...
(Yuen Kwai) - Judy Wu (as Kwai Yuen) - Peter ChanPeter ChanPeter Chan Ho-sun , is a film director and producer.-Life and career:Chan was born in Bangkok to Chinese parents. He spent his teens in and studied in Hong Kong and United States, and he attended film school at UCLA. He returned to Hong Kong in 1983 for a summer internship in the film industry....
(Chan Lung) - Ma Puk-Kau / Potato Onion Head - Chin Kar-lok - Nguyen Siu-Tran
- Hsiao Ho - Phan Man-Lung
- Lau Chau Sang - Stuttering Keung
- Yuen WahYuen WahYuen Wah is a Hong Kong based Chinese action film actor, action choreographer, stuntman and martial artist who has appeared in over 160 films and over 20 television series.-Early life:...
- Vietnamese Giggling General - Kurata YasuakiKurata Yasuaki, a.k.a David Kurata, is a Japanese actor specializing in action movies. An accomplished martial artist, he has dan ranks in karate , judo , and aikido . He is perhaps best known for his extended battle against Jet Li in Fist of Legend and for his villainous role in So Close. He is fluent in...
- General's elite soldier - Dick WeiDick WeiDick Wei is a Taiwanese actor, director and writer who specializes in martial arts and action films.-Early life & career:...
- General's elite soldier - Billy ChowBilly ChowBilly Chow , is an Chinese Canadian actor, martial artist and the former world kickboxing champion...
- General's elite soldier - Ng Min Kan - General's elite soldier
- James TienJames Tien (actor)James Tien Chun is a Hong Kong actor from Guangdong, China. He appeared in almost 70 films, primarily in Hong Kong action cinema, including roles in the films of martial arts stars including Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. He often played villains or supporting roles...
(Tin Jun) - Village Thug / Angry Customer - Phillip Ko - Vietnamese Corporal Soldier
- Wu MaWu MaWu Ma is a Chinese actor, director, producer and writer. Wu Ma made his screen debut in 1963, and with over 180 appearances to his name , Wu Ma is one of the most familiar faces in the history of Hong Kong Cinema...
- Vietnamese Corporal Officer - Kenny HoKenny HoKenny Ho is a stylist and costume designer. He is the stylist to celebrities including the Spice Girls and Westlife.He is currently working as a judge on Wannabe, searching for an alternative Spice Girl pop band.- Career :...
- Col Young's commando - Max Mok - Col Young's commando
- Chung Fat - Col Young's commando
- Michael MiuMichael MiuMichael Miu Kiu-wai is a Hong Kong television and film actor. He was considered as one of the most popular young actors of the 1980s, and along with Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Felix Wong, and Kent Tong, he was a member of TVB's Five Tigers...
- 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 MaoAngela MaoAngela Mao is a martial arts film actress best known for the string of kung fu films in which she starred during the 1970s. She is also known as Mao Ying, Angela Mao Ying, and Mao Fu Ying...
(extra) (uncredited)
Awards and nominations
- {8th Hong Kong Film Awards|1988]] Hong Kong Film Awards
- Nominated: Best Action Choreography
- Nominated: Best New Performer (Ha Chi ChunHa Chi Chun- Filmography :* Passionate Nights - Sister Cheuk* Come from China - Female Robber* Fist of Fury 1991 - Flutty Ping* Jail House Eros - The Ghost* Final Run - Jensy...
) - Nominated: Best Supporting Actress (Joyce Godenzi)