I’m afraid I can’t say the operation was a complete success. Operation Condor is probably what you’d get if you combined The Marx Brothers with Bruce Lee. It wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, but it would certainly be different. Jackie Chan plays, well, Jackie Chan, but the movie’s Jackie Chan is a martial artist/ secret agent code named Condor assigned to find several tons of gold hidden in the desert by the Nazi’s during World War II. In the process he picks up three beautiful women who assist him, though somewhat ineptly, in his search for the gold. Various brigands, thugs and mercenaries dog Chan’s step during the search giving him ample opportunity to display his absolutely amazing agility and martial arts ability.
The English dubbing for Operation Condor was not very good and, for me anyway, detracted from a plot and dialogue that were already not very impressive. With one exception none of the actors distinguished themselves very much either. However, that one exception, Jackie Chan, made all the difference in the world. Chan has a film presence that sparkles across the screen despite all of Operation Condor’s flaws. And even more important, at least for this film, is the fact that Jackie Chan has got some **moves**!! Batman and Spiderman wish they were as agile as Jackie Chan. It is more then worth the price of the rental just to see this guy in action. Bouncing from one amazing stunt to the next he works the physical part of the film with a sort of hyperkinetic elegance that no one else in movies today is able to match.
So fly over to the video store and rent Operation Condor today.
Average Grade: C+
