Jackie Chan is a full-on action hero of a different kind. By doing his own stunts and not making overly violent films, Chan made pseudo-action stars like Steven Seagal and Sylvester Stallone seem obsolete. I think the U.S. success of his 1996 Rumble in the Bronx signaled an end to the wise-cracking, overly macho action hero that made millionaires of Stallone, Schwarzenegger and their ilk. Chan’s the real deal, not relying on computer effects and stunt people to convey his message of “action, not words.” Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that Chan’s movies are any better than Stallone’s or Schwarzenegger’s. This is especially true of Operation Condor.
Originally made and released in Hong Kong in 1990, as Armor of God II, this movie was re-released in the U.S. to take advantage of Chan’s new found popularity. He’s cast as Jackie, a bumbling Indiana Jones-type adventurer. He’s hired by the United Nations to find a lost cache of Nazi gold buried somewhere in North Africa’s deserts. He’s given a female cohort named Ada (Carol Cheng), who is supposed to be his boss on the trip. To help them find the gold, Jackie enlists the help of Elsa (Eva Cobo de García), the granddaughter of the man who buried it.
Chan’s movies have never been big on plot or strong scripts. Just give the man some situations to link the action scenes together and things pretty much take care of themselves. The problem with Operation Condor is that the usual weaknesses are more evident than ever. Some characterizations of “Middle Eastern-type” individuals border on the offensive. The depiction of the female characters is also less-than-flattering. Two key action scenes involve distracting the enemy by pulling the towel from an otherwise naked woman. No frontal nudity is shown, but the idea still remains the same.
This is the first of Chan’s film released in the U.S. that Chan himself directed. His action sequencing is, by far, superior to the rest of the stuff happening here. Still, the action and fight sequences are what people go to Chan’s films to see and those present in this film are head and shoulders above most other action films. There’s one spectacular sequence involving a wind-tunnel that makes for one of the most unusual fight scenes ever filmed. Another scene involving a fight on teeter-tottering platforms is also a visual delight. Knowing that Chan’s not resting in his trailer while a double performs these stunts adds to the film’s action in a tangible way.
Unfortunately, the non-action-oriented scenes in Operation Condor hurt the movie’s overall tone. I don’t expect a whole lot of substance from Jackie Chan’s movies, but this one falls a little short. Still, if you’re a Jackie Chan fan, nothing I’ve said will keep you away from the action scenes. They’re still much more exciting than anything Hollywood’s cooked up in the last couple of years.
2.5 out of 5.0 stars
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