Eastern Condors - any good ?

[KeyserSoze]

dont know if its just HKL trailers (which make any film look good) but this looks like fantastic stuff.

is it worth getting ?

plus yuen biao has the best side sweeper i have ever seen in a movie.

[coolmofo1]

I loved it. One of my most watched HK flicks. Some nifty fights. Great all star cast. Think I've just convinced myself into upgrading my VHS copy!

Coolmofo1

[RichB]

Fun movie, well worth watching

Dunno if this will interest you but the UK version is cut (uncut HK dvd available) for animal cruelty involving a snake :eek:

[gZa]

Originally posted by KeyserSoze
plus yuen biao has the best side sweeper i have ever seen in a movie. Wait! You mean his haircut right?! LMAO!

[KeyserSoze]

Originally posted by Garry Cowell
Wait! You mean his haircut right?! LMAO!

yep :hitler:



yeah i knew about the cuts, does that scene in question look dodgy ? or did they cut the whole scene out ?


i dont have a credit card, so it will be hard for me to get the HK DVD. Plus the trailer alone of the HKL transfer looks amazing, the actual DVD will look even better right ?

[Jimmyboy]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by KeyserSoze

yeah i knew about the cuts, does that scene in question look dodgy ? or did they cut the whole scene out ?


I have never really noticed it.


i dont have a credit card, so it will be hard for me to get the HK DVD. Plus the trailer alone of the HKL transfer looks amazing, the actual DVD will look even better right ?

Just buy it,
I think its fantastic and I dont really like Sammo Hung films that much.
Absolutely a must have HKL title !.

[new forms]

until now had not watched this film as somehow it had always passed underneath my radar of interest,

picked up the HKL in a sale, watched it tonight and what a film,

just the right balance of action, determination, drama and touches of grim comedy,

Sammo must have trained like a madman for this :eek:

how many bones and bodies must have been broken the set :suspect:


when i think of some of the crap ive sat through over the years when i could have been rewatching this,

has at least a couple of dozen 'grab the remote for a quick rewind' moments

[BiscLimpkit]

I didn't know about the cuts. Still a fantastic film. Maybe IVL will release this...

[Alan b]

Moving to World Cinema & DVD Forum

[captaineyecatch]

Great film with some superb fights - wonder if they will ever find all the footage that was lost ?? You do get to see a few little bits on the HK original trailer.

[DeadKenny]

I suppose I better get round to watching it then. I bought it a couple of years ago along with a pile of other HKL DVDs in some bargain or other. Just never got round to watching it :D

[William Shatners Wig]

This is definitely my most watched HKL title, with Bullet In The Head and Beast Cops close behind. Great movies.

[KeyserSoze]

Great film with some superb fights - wonder if they will ever find all the footage that was lost ?? You do get to see a few little bits on the HK original trailer.

haha the original trailer is so funny with the sing song, look at yuen biao's face when he is singing, he looks so into it :D

This is a great movie, im glad i went for it.

[Will K]

Fox have released this on R1 BTW.

[RomerojpgX]

opps double post :oh-hum:

[RomerojpgX]

Easily one of the best asian films ever made, the fights are just off the scale!
and the Cuts are crap anyway so your not missing anything at all, a few images of a snake wont change the film at all.

Sammo and the cast make the film as good as they get.

[angel_eyes]

The best thing about the movie has to be the hilarious bad guy with his weird laugh :lol:

[68monkey]

The best thing about the movie has to be the hilarious bad guy with his weird laugh :lol:
That would be the superb Yuen Wah. :)

[tpr007]

brilliant HK movie.

http://www.dragonsdenuk.com/reviews/easterncondors.htm

[angel_eyes]

That would be the superb Yuen Wah. :)

What other popular movies has he appeared in? Seemed to be quite an accomplished martial artist :notworthy

[padayachy3000]

Yuen Wah recently received the best supporting actor award in HK for his role in Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle.

I would recommend for action:
Dragons Forever (similar role to EC), Iceman Cometh, Mr Vampire, Bury Me High, Shanghai Express, Heart of Dragon

and for acting:
On the Run, Police Story 3: Supercop, Magnificent Scoundrels (comedic role)

Unfortunately he has be criminally underused in the majority of his HK films.

[68monkey]

What other popular movies has he appeared in? Seemed to be quite an accomplished martial artist :notworthy
Yes, he is a very accomplished martial artist who got his start in the film industry as a stunt man. He adopted the name Yuen Wah as a child, taking on the name of his sifu, as did his "brothers" Yuen Biao, Corey Yuen, and others. Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan are also opera brothers from the same school, but did not retain the Yuen name as did many of their classmates.

Wah's filmography is extensive. Check the link in my sig to find out more about him. My personal favorite is his over-the-top villain opposite Yuen Biao in Iceman Cometh.

And yes, he did recently receive Best Supporting Actor at the HK film awards, despite his martial arts expertise hardly being hinted at in Kung Fu Hustle. Still, it's great recognition and exposure for him that's been long overdue.

[wong fei hong]

My personal favorite is his over-the-top villain opposite Yuen Biao in Iceman Cometh.
The bone-breaking attack on his victims at the start of that film is one of the most hilariously OTT scenes in cinema, and Yuen Wah's performance is excellent. Eastern Condors is a wonderful film, and has my highest recommendation, but On The Run is the real undiscovered gem in this thread. Simply unbelievable stuff.

[new forms]

On The Run is the real undiscovered gem in this thread. Simply unbelievable stuff.

any info on dvd availability and quality, cheers fella

[wong fei hong]

I have the Made In Hong Kong label vhs of On The Run, and I've never sought out a dvd... Yesasia is usually the best place to start with films like this, but even in HK it's criminally overlooked (see also Pedicab Driver).

[68monkey]

any info on dvd availability and quality
You can pick up the Deltamac version (R0) at several places for just a few dollars. I don't know if this version contains the final scene that's edited out of the old Mega Star dvd that I have. It's not a big deal, just kind of a fictional footnote to what happened after the end of the film.

On the Run isn't a martial arts film, though. It's a dark, film noir that is more of a showcase of Yuen Biao's acting skills than martial arts ability (see Knockabout or Prodigal Son if that's what you're interested in). Lots of blood, betrayal, and violence in this one. Yuen Wah has a small part, too! And despite Pat Ha's dreadful flip hairdo, this film is a very good watch.

[wong fei hong]

Yuen Biao does perform a couple of truly amazing stunts in On The Run though - it's very exciting!

[new forms]

nice one, will pick that up :thumbs:

[David G Rees]

Don't forget Yuen Wah was Bruce Lee's stunt double. He did the upside down kick when Bruce fought Bob Wall and the flip over the monks in Enter The Dragon.
Didn't know he was in Mr Vampire are you sure about that?

[tpr007]

he was in a few of the Mr Vampire films (either underneath all the makeup ;) or as a supporting actor)

edit: also, another :thumbs: for On The Run and If you become a Yuen Biao fan as a result get Righting Wrongs asap :D

[KeyserSoze]

Hes popped up in a few chinese dramas too.

Hes so good in Eastern Condors as the psycho villain.

[RomerojpgX]

I never even noticed it was Yuen Wah In Kung Fu Hustle until I read te cast members list! he looks a little different :) but still could whup many a mans butt

[SIMON ADEBISI]

Haven't seen this yet but might pick it up after reading this thread. Sounds fun. Watched Riki Oh as well again today before coming to work. Such a funny film.

[68monkey]

Didn't know he was in Mr Vampire are you sure about that?
Wah plays Grandpa Yam in the original Mr. Vampire. He's the Prince in Mr. Vampire 4. (see my tiny tribute website for screencaps of him in these roles).

[bradavon]

Fox have released this on R1 BTW.
I can't decide between this or the HKL.

The R1 looks gorgeous but is apparently out of sync by up to half a second in places (i.e -it's a mess). The problem is over half the reviews I've read mention no audio problems (so is it the sort where some don't notice it and some do). In fact only 2 reviews mention it's out of sync.

Does anyone who owns the R1 notice that's it's said to be out of sync? You can see a capture comparison between the R1 Fox and HKL here, also mentioning the out of sync issue:

http://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2935

For the reasons already mentioned I'm not bothered about the HKL cuts but would really prefer the R1 Fox if possible (of course if it's out of sync I'm not interested though).

Cheers

[KeyserSoze]

Note that there are a few instances of audio errors on the HKL where you can some loud pops.

Still doesn't bother me, the film is ace!

[bradavon]

What! It sounds like all English friendly versions are messed up in some way :(

Still the audio is said to be 1 second out in places on the Fox R1 (and also the clone of it Spectrum Korean R3) which is such a shame as it looks gorgeous.

Despite the flaws I'll have to get the HKL :( (it at least does have a Bey Logan commentary :thumbs: ) a 1 second gap I can't understand how any couldn't notice (i.e - those reviews).

That said the R1 is cheap as chips so maybe considering some seem to not have noticed it it's worth a shot. Brad digs a hole even bigger for himself.

Cheers btw.

[bradavon]

Any idea what happened to the Fox Martial Arts range? After a promising start they've all but given up. I think The Bruce Lee box set was the last.

I never did figure out why they were putting naff all interest into them, selling at such low RRP (on the one hand good, on the one hand not).

[KeyserSoze]

Despite the flaws I'll have to get the HKL :( (it at least does have a Bey Logan commentary :thumbs: )

Sorry to make it even worse for you, actually it doesn't! :lol:

[bradavon]

Thanks :( :D