Operation Condor (1991)

Jackie is hired to help the UN find Nazi gold hidden in Sahara. He's accompanied from Spain by 2 (later 3) cute women. As there are others wanting the gold, lots of kung fu fighting and comedy follows.

Director:

Jackie Chan

Writers:

Jackie Chan, Edward Tang

Stars:

Jackie Chan, Carol 'Do Do' Cheng, Eva Cobo

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jackie Chan	...	Asian Hawk / Condor / Jackie
Carol 'Do Do' Cheng	...	Ada (as Carol Cheng)
Eva Cobo	...	Elsa (as Eva Cobo de Garcia)
Shôko Ikeda	...	Momoko
Aldo Sambrell	...	Adolf (as Alfredo Brel Sánchez)
Ken Goodman	...	Adolf's Guard #1
Steve Tartalia	...	Adolf's Guard #2 (as Gregory Tartaglia)
Vincent Lyn	...	Mark / Adolf's Guard #3 (as Lyn Percival)
Bruce Fontaine	...	Adolf's Guard #4
Wayne Archer	...	Adolf's Guard #5 (as Archer Wayne)
Brandon Charles	...	Adolf's Guard #6
Ken Lo	...	Adolf's Guard #7 (as Low Houi Kang)
Peter Klimenko	...	Adolf's Guard #8
Christian Perrochaud	...	Adolf's Guard #9
Jonathan Isgar	...	Tasza

Storyline

Agent Jackie is hired to find World War II Nazi gold hidden in the Sahara desert. He teams up with three bungling women (the three stooges?) who are all connected in some way. However, a team of mercenries have ideas on the ownership of the gold. A battle and chase ensues as to who gets there first. Lots of choregraphed Kung Fu and quirky Chan humor.

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Taglines:

This summer, action takes flight.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for martial arts action, some shootings, and sensuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

The climax aerial action scene received help from Mitsubishi Motors engine laboratory.

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Goofs

The World WAR II-era self-destruct system was timed with an electronic analog clock, which did not exist at the time.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jackie Condor: Not a good start

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Crazy Credits

The ending credits in Chan movies show outtakes (footage not used in the film). They often show Chan to be a perfectionist.

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Alternate Versions

The title and end credit sequences are different in the original Hong Kong version and the export version: original Hong Kong version has the Golden Harvest Logo, the Golden Way Films logo, the title credits integrated in the film (while Jackie is flying) and the end credits written in Cantonese and partly English. Export version has no logos, the title credits run over a black background and the end credits are written completely in English.

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Connections

Referenced in Chinese Zodiac (2012)

User Reviews

Classic Chan

When reviewing a Jackie Chan movie, one must realize that it must be reviewed in a category of its own. Jackie Chan is an icon of modern cinema, and quite frankly in a class of his own at this point. So a Jackie Chan movie can only really be compared with other Jackie Chan movies!

I really like Operation Condor, because of some scenes which are so refreshing in this world of rehashed Hollywood. The wind tunnel scene has already been mentioned in other reviews, but it really is amazing to watch.

I do miss the desert scene in the original version that was cut out of the US version, with the water bag and tube. You get a glimpse of it in the outtakes at the end. I thought the US version was very streamlined and definately flowed much better than the original version, and the dialogue was vastly superior. However, for the sake of originality, it's always nice to have all the scenes intact.

It really is too bad the Spanish actress Eva Cobo De Garcia doesn't have more roles in other movies - I quite enjoyed her presence in the movie.

For lovers of adventure, this movie is a must. It captures the thrill of travel and adventure much better than a James Bond movie, because somehow the adventuristic ambience is more strongly felt if that makes any sense. I feel it captures it better than even an Indiana Jones movie. The reason being that unlike a Bond story, or Indiana Jones story - you really do get a feeling that Jackie is on a "free and easy", whereas Bond/Jones is a "package tour" if you know what I mean. All the whacky random stuff that happens in a Chan film helps to contribute to the "free and easy" feel.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Release Date:

18 July 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Operation Condor

Filming Locations:

Mt. Maculot, Cuenca, Batangas, Philippines

Box Office

Budget:

HKD115,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,731,751, 20 July 1997

Gross USA:

$10,405,394

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,405,394

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden Harvest Company, Golden Way Films Ltd., Paragon Films Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min 92 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono SDDS (US version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1