The Asian Hawk Duology Armour Of God龍兄虎弟 Operation Condor飛鷹計劃

(GEEKJUICEMEDIA) Armour of God (Chinese: 龍兄虎弟; Jyutping: Lung4 hing1 fu2 dai6 lit. 'Big Brother Dragon, Little Brother Tiger') is a 1986 Hong Kong action adventure comedy film starring and directed by Jackie Chan, and written by Chan, John Sheppard and Eric Tsang (who also co-directed). It co-stars Alan Tam, Lola Forner, and Rosamund Kwan.[1][2][3] The film combines Chan's martial arts, comedy and stunts with an Indiana Jones-style adventure film theme. It is deemed a cult classic.[citation needed] Chan came the closest he had ever been to death in this film during a relatively routine stunt; he leaped onto a tree from a ledge, but the branch he grabbed snapped, sending Chan plummeting and cracking his skull.[4][5] The film was the highest-grossing film in Hong Kong at the time,[6] grossing an estimated US$16,300,000 (equivalent to $47,000,000 in 2024) at the box office in Asia and Europe. It was followed by the sequels Armour of God II: Operation Condor in 1991, and CZ12 in 2012. PlotJackie, a.k.a. "Asian Hawk", is a former musician who becomes an adventurer and treasure hunter. After successfully stealing a sword from an African tribe, he has the weapon auctioned before it is won by May Bannon, the beautiful daughter of Count Bannon. Jackie is reunited with his former bandmate Alan, who seeks his help as his girlfriend Lorelei has been kidnapped by an evil religious cult as a means of acquiring Jackie's services. The cult possesses two pieces of a legendary armour called the "Armour of God", and they intend to have Jackie bring them the three remaining armour pieces, including the sword. Jackie and Alan strike a deal with Count Bannon, who is in possession of the three armour pieces: they will borrow the armour pieces for their quest to rescue Lorelei with a promise to complete the armour for the Count, on the condition that May accompanies them. Jackie, Alan and May travel into Yugoslavia to find the cult's monastery. They infiltrate the hideout and secretly rescue Lorelei, unaware that the cult leaders have anticipated their arrival and brainwashed her to do their bidding. At May's rest home, Lorelei drugs Alan and has him steal the three armour pieces. Jackie sneaks back to the monastery and rescues his friends. As Alan and Lorelei make their escape, Jackie fends off against the cult members before discovering the Armour of God in a cave. Before he gets a chance to take the armour, he encounters the Grand Wizard, who unleashes his four female assassins on the adventurer. Exploiting their high-heeled shoes as their weakness, Jackie defeats the assassins in a gruelling fight. Jackie is then surrounded by the rest of the Grand Wizard's men, but he reveals a vest filled with sticks of dynamite under his jacket, threatening to blow himself up with the monastery. After a couple of bluffs, he accidentally lights up all the dynamite fuses. Discarding the explosives, he runs for his life as the detonations cave in the monastery, burying the entire cult and the Armour of God. He runs out of a cave and spots a hot-air balloon with Alan, Lorelei, and May aboard. In a daring move, Jackie does a base jump off the cave and lands on top of the balloon, ending the movie. CastJackie Chan as Jackie a.k.a. "Asian Hawk", a common treasure hunter and former member of the pop group "The Losers" (an allusion to 1970s Cantopop band The Wynners)[7]Alan Tam as Alan, a former member of The Losers who has moved on to a successful solo careerLola Forner as May Bannon, the daughter of a powerful European CountRosamund Kwan as Lorelei, Alan's girlfriend and a former member of the Losers who is a prominent fashion designerBožidar Smiljanić as Count Bannon, May's fatherKen Boyle as Grand Wizard, the leader of the evil religious cultJohn Ladalski as LamaRobert O'Brien as the African witch doctorBoris Gregoric as Jackie's representative at the auctionMars (extra) (uncredited)Kenny BeeCarina LauAnthony Chan Cameo : Marcia Chisholm Linda Denley Stephanie Evans Alicia Shonte Vivian Wickliffe ProductionArmour of God was filmed on location in parts of what was then Yugoslavia: Zagreb (Dolac Central Market), Upper town, Trnje (near the then-unfinished building of Croatian Radio Television), Croatia, narrow corridors and the main gate of Motovun castle and Predjama Castle near Postojna, Slovenia. Filming was also undertaken in Graz, Austria, France, Spain and Morocco. During filming of the opening sequence, one scene called for Jackie Chan to jump from a wall to a tree branch. The first take went as planned, but Chan insisted on re-shooting the scene. On his second attempt, the branch broke, and he fell 5 metres to the ground below. His head hit a rock, cracking his skull and forcing a piece of bone up into his brain. Chan was flown to the hospital and was in surgery eight hours later. As a result, he now has a permanent hole in his head filled with a plastic plug and slight hearing loss in his right ear.[4][5] Actor Eric Tsang filled in as director following the accident.[8] Footage of the accident is shown during the film's ending credits. While shooting the hot-air balloon jump, Chan skydived out of a plane and landed on top of the balloon instead of jumping off a cliff as is seen in the film. For the shot of him jumping off the cliff, the crew rigged him up to a wire as he had no experience of BASE jumping.[5] Cynthia Rothrock was originally auditioned for the role of Amazon Fighter in the film. However, Rothrock turned down the role due to Chan's injury halting production of the film, before Rothrock was re-assigned to play as the lead actress in Yuen Biao's 1986 film Righting Wrongs. Rothrock was replaced by Marcia Chisholm. ReleaseArmour of God was released in Japan on 16 August 1986.[9] The film was released in Hong Kong on 21 January 1987.[10] ReceptionBox officeIn Hong Kong, the film grossed HK$35,469,408[10][11] (US$4,548,526).[12] It was the highest-grossing film in Hong Kong at the time.[6] In Japan, the film grossed ¥1.36 billion[9] (US$9.4 million).[13] In Taiwan, it grossed NT$13,504,585[14] (US$472,188).[15] In South Korea, it was the top-grossing foreign film of 1987,[16] with 208,462 ticket sales,[17] equivalent to an estimated ₩729,617,000[18] (US$886,999).[19] In Hungary, the film sold 464,200 tickets at the box office in 1988,[20] equivalent to an estimated €510,600 (US$603,785) in gross revenue.[21] In France, it sold 88,231 tickets in 1988,[22] equivalent to an estimated €326,500[21] (US$386,086). Combined, the film grossed an estimated US$16,300,000 (equivalent to $47,000,000 in 2024) in Asia and Europe. Critical responseThe film received positive reviews,[23][24] with an approval rating of 70% on Rotten Tomatoes based on ten reviews.[25] In 2014, Time Out polled several film critics, directors, actors and stunt actors to list their top action films.[26] Armour of God was listed at 81st place on this list.[27] VersionsIn Asia, some versions of the film had Alan Tam's song "Lorelei" playing during the end credits, whereas others had Jackie Chan singing "Flight of the Dragon (aka High upon High)". Tam and Chan recorded both songs in Cantonese and English and their English versions were featured in the export English dubs. In the United States, Armour of God did not receive a theatrical release.[28] The film's sequel, Armour of God II: Operation Condor (1991), was released under the simplified title Operation Condor. Armour of God was subsequently released direct-to-video by Miramax Films, but the title was changed to Operation Condor 2: The Armor of the Gods; at the time of its release it served as a prequel, despite being the first film. A new musical score was created for this release, and a new English dub (with the participation of Chan). Nine minutes of cuts were made to the Miramax version, including: The concert scene of Jackie's band The Losers.Jackie's dream sequence.The scene in which May, disguised as a prostitute, encounters a monk who wants to sleep with her.An extended version of the slapstick sequence in which Alan hides in May's room. The scene also includes a brainwashed Lorelei attempting to seduce Jackie. These same cuts were evident in the Spanish Region 2 release; however, DVD releases in Hong Kong, Australia and the rest of Europe are uncut. Awards and nominations1988 Hong Kong Film Awards Nomination: Best Action Choreography (Jackie Chan Stunt Team, Lau Kar-wing, Danny Yuen) Armour of God II: Operation Condor (Chinese: 飛鷹計劃; also known as Operation Condor in the United States and as Superfly in the Philippines) is a 1991 Hong Kong action-adventure film written and directed by Jackie Chan, who also starred in the film. It is the sequel to 1986's Armour of God. Compared to its predecessor, this film is more akin to the Indiana Jones film series in that it features Chan's character Jackie / Condor ("Asian Hawk" in the U.S. release) battling against a former Nazi to retrieve gold from an abandoned German base deep in the Sahara Desert. Armour of God II: Operation Condor is followed by the 2012 film CZ12. PlotHong Kong treasure hunter Jackie aka Asian Hawk, is summoned by Duke Scapio. At Duke's mansion in Madrid, Spain, Jackie is told of a story of German commander Hans von Ketterling and his regiment burying 240 tons of gold at a secret base in Africa's Sahara Desert before the end of World War II. The 18 soldiers involved in the operation disappeared under mysterious circumstances. By request from the United Nations, Scapio gives Jackie an unofficial mission to locate the base and recover the gold. Aside from acquiring the key to the base, he is partnered with Ada, an expert in African geography. Upon discovery of the gold, Jackie is promised one percent of the treasure, or roughly 2.5 tons of gold. One night, while snooping around the home of one of the base's caretakers, Jackie meets Elsa, a young German woman, after saving her from two Arab men—Amon and Tasza—who also search for the gold. The next day, he goes to a renowned locksmith and learns that the key is intricately designed for use with a special code. After evading an army of black cars chasing him across town, Jackie is asked by Elsa to let her join his expedition, as she is in search of von Ketterling, who was her grandfather. Arriving in the Sahara Desert, the expedition team picks up Momoko, a Japanese woman who is searching for the meaning of death. Their camp is attacked by black-veiled bandits who kidnap Elsa and Ada. Jackie and Momoko follow the bandits' trail to a slave market, where they save Elsa and Ada from being auctioned off as sex slaves. Meanwhile, the rest of the expedition team is murdered by a group of mercenaries led by a man who uses a wheelchair. After another run-in with Amon and Tasza, Jackie's group returns to their camp to discover their comrades slain, but Momoko recognizes a statue in one of Elsa's grandfather's pictures and leads them to an ancient temple. After bidding Momoko farewell, the trio enters the ruins, where they encounter a band of vicious tribesmen. While running for their lives, they fall through a loose floor of sand into a cavern, which is part of the secret Nazi base. They discover the mummified remains of Elsa's grandfather and look through his log book, revealing that the 18 soldiers under von Ketterling ingested cyanide pills and died inside the base upon completion of their mission. However, the trio only counts 17 bodies, with one soldier missing. The man who uses the wheelchair—arriving with his mercenaries and holding Momoko hostage—reveals himself as Adolf, the 18th soldier who murdered Elsa's grandfather after the latter made him a paraplegic for refusing to ingest the cyanide. A furious chase ensues between Jackie's group and the mercenaries throughout the base, which ends with the protagonists getting captured. Upon arriving at the vault, Jackie uses the key and a secret code from Elsa's grandfather's dog tag and opens it, revealing the elevator leading to the gold. Upon their discovery of the gold, the mercenaries turn their backs on Adolf with the intent of keeping the treasure to themselves. Adolf in turn locks in all of the mercenaries, except for two who chase Jackie to an underground wind tunnel. While Jackie battles the two mercenaries, Elsa and Ada flip random switches in the control room, activating the tunnel's turbine fan. As the three men hang on for their lives, Elsa and Ada attempt to switch off the fan, but they accidentally trigger the base's self-destruct sequence. Adolf tells the quartet that they can escape by having the turbine blow them through the ventilation duct, but he decides to stay to atone for his sins. The quartet gathers as much gold as they can, but the wind force only sends their bodies upward to the desert surface above before the base completely caves in. As the quartet walks across the desert, they once again encounter Amon and Tasza. With their common lack of a water supply, they finally overcome their differences and try to find water in the Sahara desert. CastJackie Chan as Jackie, a.k.a. "Asian Hawk" / "Asian Condor"Carol Cheng as AdaEva Cobo de Garcia as ElsaShôko Ikeda (池田昌子) as MomokoAldo Sambrell as Adolf (as Aldo Brel Sánchez)Ken Goodman as Adolph's Guard #1Steve Tartalia as Adolph's Guard #2Vincent Lyn as Adolph's Guard #3 (as Lyn Percival)Bruce Fontaine as Adolph's Guard #4Wayne Archer as Adolph's Guard #5 (as Archer Wayne)Brandon Charles as Adolph's Guard #6Low Houi Kang as Adolph's Guard #7Peter Klimenko as Adolph's Guard #8Christian Perrochaud as Adolph's Guard #9Jonathan Isgar as TaszaDaniel Mintz as AmonBožidar Smiljanić as Duke ScapioMark King as Duke's Guard #1Bryan Baker as Duke's Guard #2Charles Yeomans as Man with Stolen Clothes Jackie Chan stunt teamBenny LaiMars [1] [2] ProductionArmour of God II: Operation Condor was filmed primarily in Madrid, Spain, and Morocco. The opening scenes where Asian Hawk went powered paragliding was shot in Tagaytay over Taal Lake, Cavite, Philippines. The scene where he stole the gem from the cave tribe and escaped by zorbing was shot in Mount Macolod in Cuenca, Batangas. The hotel scene where Dodo Cheng is in bath towel and other gun fight scenes in Morocco was shot in Hong Kong on a hill overlooking Sha Tin. Four tons of sand was imported from the Middle East and the entire hotel set was set up. Bangladeshi and Indian extras were hired to act as Moroccans. According to his book I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action, while filming the underground base chase scene, Chan was supposed to swing to a platform with a long chain, but he lost balance and fell to the ground face-first, dislocating his sternum.[3] In a 2013 interview with CBC, Chan said he was impressed being recognized even in remote areas in Africa. While shooting the film in Southern Morocco he said: "When I was in...in Morocco, middle of nowhere in the desert, all the children look at me, just, uh, put the drunken master pose. I said, 'Wow...'"[4] ReleaseArmour of God II was released in Hong Kong on 7 February 1991. In the Philippines, the film was released as Superfly by First Films on 4 December.[5] Project A would later be misleadingly re-released by First Films as its sequel Superfly 2 on 17 September 1992.[6] Box officeChan said in his biography that the film cost HK$115 million (US$15 million), the most expensive Hong Kong film at the time.[7] In its Hong Kong theatrical release, the film grossed HK$39,048,711. It was Hong Kong's second highest-grossing film of 1991.[8] It had its North American release in 1997. On 1,523 North American screens on its opening weekend, it grossed US$4,731,751 ($3,088 per screen), on track to a US$10,405,394 final gross.[9] The film grossed US$13,713,829 in territories outside of North America, for a worldwide total of US$24,119,223 (equivalent to US$53,808,838 adjusted for inflation in 2021).[10] Critical receptionThe film has received mostly positive reviews.[11][12][13][14] It holds a 71% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 34 reviews; the film has an average rating of 6.5/10.[15] Awards and nominations1992 Hong Kong Film Awards Nomination: Best Action Choreography VersionsThe film was originally released in Hong Kong in 1991 with a Cantonese soundtrack and a running time of approximately 106 minutes. An uncut export version of the film was released in the United Kingdom by Entertainment in Video. The VHS was released in 1993, and the DVD in 2001. In 1992, Dimension Films acquired the U.S. rights. The company did not release the film theatrically until 1997 under the title Operation Condor; this version has a newly commissioned English dub/score and 15 minutes deleted from the final cut. This version was released on LaserDisc and DVD in 1999.[16] In 2004, Intercontinental Video Limited released an uncut version in Hong Kong. The DVD is anamorphic and includes the Cantonese-language soundtrack with English subtitles. In 2020, 88 Films Ltd released the original Hong Kong version and the previously unreleased extended 117 minute version on Blu-ray in the UK.

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