Product Details

• Actors: Jackie Chan, Carol 'Do Do' Cheng, Eva Cobo, Shôko Ikeda, Aldo Sambrell
• Directors: Jackie Chan
• Writers: Jackie Chan, Edward Tang
• Producers: Leonard Ho, Raymond Chow
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Walt Disney Video
• VHS Release Date: July 18, 2000
• Run Time: 80 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304681518
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #347,428 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

Years before he became a genuine Hollywood action star in Rush Hour, Jackie Chan played a daredevil secret agent out to recover a lost cache of Nazi gold, in this globe-trotting 1990 action comedy--with a trio of beautiful women at his side (one Chinese, one Japanese, and one German) and a stereotyped bumbling Arab terrorist hot on his heels. Condor is still one of the most expensive Hong Kong movies ever made, and looks it: there are actual Spanish castles and huge vistas of North African desert sand. (Months later, several planeloads of the stuff were shipped back to Hong Kong for some pick-up shots). A full-size set depicting an underground German wind tunnel was constructed on a Hong Kong sound stage. But there's also an extended car-and-motorcycle chase that employs an obvious stunt double, and episodes of bawdy farce (trimmed for the U.S. release) that feel like padding. Chan was already 36 when he directed this superstar vehicle, and he'd sensibly decided to soft-peddle the hard action stunt work---until the finale, that is, an all-out head-kicking kung-fu battle that moves back and forth across huge seesawing slabs of clockwork machinery. Chan seems to be working harder than ever in other areas, too; he's never given a more energetic or engaging comic performance. For pure mind-boggling entertainment value, the peak Jackie experiences are still Project A Part II, and the original Police Story and its semi-sequel, Supercop, in which Chan costarred with Tomorrow Never Dies Bond girl Michelle Yeoh. --David Chute

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Film, but censored comedy?!, October 9, 2001

By 

Andy (London, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Operation Condor (DVD)

How could they?! - This American re-relase (complete with snazzy titles) has been cut to ribbons in a vain attempt to keep it serious! How dare they!! slapstick humour IS jackie chan. Whole scenes are actually removed from the film in order to appeal to po-faced Steven segal fans! Having seen the original version on TV, i rushed out to buy it, then being disappointed by the edited version. Its ironic that the humour is censored, rather than the violence.
Still, despite these drawbacks, Its one of Jackie's finest. Big budget (without ruining it like rush hour 2!), very funny, and highly original - the fight in the wind tunnel is both spectacular and hilarious at the same time!.
Its a bit of a downer that its been edited to tone down the humour, but its still a superb Chan flick.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining action film starring Jackie Chan, September 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Operation Condor [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"Operation Condor" is similar in style to "Rush Hour" or "Mr. Nice Guy". These are examples of Chan`s later movies in which he tries to burst through to America by breaking free from his Hong Kong roots. The production values are far glossier than his earlier movies - this one is shot on location in the Phillipines, Spain and Morroco. In the film, Chan and three female friends (one Japanese, one Chinese, one German) journey into the desert to find hidden gold - and get into comic scrapes. Sadly, the version I saw featured appallingly sloppy dubbing into English, which made it feel as if the film was produced in the U.S, not Hong Kong. In a bizarre way, this works to Chan`s advantage. He works well with the supporting cast, generally fooling around and displaying a fine line in comic timing and Buster Keaton style slapstick, which is very entertaining. A good, fun film. Don`t expect a kung-fu classic like "Fist Of Fury" because you won`t get it. But remember, Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee are different. Chan was trained to entertain his audience, and this film will entertain all who see it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Energetic and expensive Chan vehicle, July 29, 2003

By 

F. J. Harvey "Cricket ,country music and a go... (Birmingham England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Operation Condor [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Jackie Chan is a physical genius and this,together with a sense of comedy and an air of winning self-deprecation,help set his movies apart from those of other action stars such as the wooden Van Damme and the pompous dirigible Seagal.The physical skills are well in evidence here as are the comedy traits -although personally I find them less well showcased this time around

Operation Condor is clearly an expensive movie and makes widespread use of well photographed North African and European locations ,in its tale of Chan and some female colleagues hunting abandoned Nazi gold in the face of opposition from Arab terrorists and one of the gold's former owners.
There are draggy bits in the middle when the story gets bogged down in broad comedic interludes ,and the dubbing throughout is execrable.All is forgiven when it comes to the climax -an elongated fight scene in a wind tunnel that has flair ,pace and panache.

The end credits show the injury sustained by Chan in making the movie when a stunt went wrong-proof that here is an action star who does not stint on placing himself on the line .Four stars for Chan -and marked down only for the dubbing and the misfiring comedy scenes which simply dont travel well to Occidental audiences