Old Stuff
Operation Condor (AKA: Armour of God 2, 1991)
Directed by Jackie Chan
You know what you're getting with aging chop-socky artist Jackie Chan, dumb plot and some of the best "stunts" ever commited to celluloid. Jackie's stunts have more in common with "Faces of Death" than any trickery -- sort of like Vic Morrow's "stunt" with a helicopter in "The Twilight Zone Movie." You just know that if Jackie had been the director instead of John Landis, old Vic's demise would've appeared with apropos wacky music during the end credits. Hollywood has seized on Jackie's sudden American fan-base by redubbing this old Hong Kong ball-kicker (formerly known as "Armour of God 2") and releasing it state-side.
The plot: Jackie drives to Egypt with a woman who is a desert water expert/love interest. Complicating the couple is a spare tire in the form of a "German" woman (who is suppose to be the grand daughter of a Nazis general). Another complication is that they are driving to Egypt from Hong Kong. And another, they want to recover some "lost" Nazis gold. Road trip! Part brain-dead James Bond flick, part mentally challenged "Raiders of the Lost Ark" clone, it's best during the extensive fight and chase sequences. It is what it is. Plenty of racist and sexist humor keep things moving shockingly along. If the plot doesn't fire the brain synapses for you Jackie fans, it's the movie with a fight inside of an airplane test wind tunnel. That's the good stuff you remember. -- Rating: $5.00
Tom Graney -- 1997 Hollywood Outsider