Lie Tou (aka The Headhunter) (1982)

Not one of Chow Yun-Fat's proudest moments, Lie Tou (aka The Headhunter/The Long Goodbye) is a fairly average Hong Kong action thriller which is sunk by some atrocious dubbing and a talky, confusing script. Patient viewers (and fans of Chow's future work with John Woo and Ringo Lam) will enjoy the occasional fun action scene, but there's little here to hint at the superstar that Yun-Fat would become in the following decades.

Chow stars as Nguyen (or, in the English dub.. Andy!), a former soldier and Vietnam immigrant now living in Hong Kong as a film special effects technician - and part time assassin! Nguyen is, as usual, a killer with a conscience and is haunted by his experiences in the war, wishing only to pay for his family to join him so he can stop the killing. After falling for a beautiful TV reporter (Rosamund Kwan), the two discover that the film company that Nguyen works for has been manufacturing chemical weapons for the US. Eventually, Nguyen's past comes back to haunt him (in the form of Kim Tai-Yung, a fellow soldier out to murder him for abandoning him during the war), and someone eventually gets their head chopped off. Who will it be? You'll have to tune in!

Is the Headhunter a meditation on the long term effects of those traumatized by the Vietnam war? Or, is it simply a reaction to the dozens of "Vietnam Vet goes apeshit" movies coming out in the early 80s? While there are hints of a higher purpose, we're a long way from Taxi Driver and the story being told simply doesn't feel significant. The actors generally aquit themselves admirably, particularly Philip Chan as the unhinged Kim Tai-yung, but the dubbing negates most of the famous charisma that Yun-Fat brings to the table, and the reporter sub-plot is predictable. They even pull out the old gag of the reporter looking to make the big reveal to the police, only to find her evidence suspiciously missing.

It's in the unfortunately rare action scenes things do spring to life a bit, particularly during a string of assassinations early in the film. There are a few moments of actual martial arts action as well, though these are fleeting and sometimes hard to make out because of the dark photography. Director Shing Hon Lau shows some talent for building tension during these scenes, but generally his style is flat and uninvolving.

Part of the Millcreek 50 Martial Arts movie pack, The Headhunter is surprisingly presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and appears to be uncut. There are various cuts of the film floating around - the one retitled The Long Goodbye is significantly shorter - but thankfully this version is complete. Despite that good news, the image quality is a mess with washed out color, grain, and the image sometimes being so dark to be almost unwatchable. The score seems to be patched together from library music, which actually is enjoyable when you recognize the music from other sources. Cult movie fans will definitely recognize a piece from the original Dawn of the Dead.

While likely dull even in subtitled form, the dubbing here is appalling, making the long scenes of dialogue embarrasing. This is particularly crippling later in the film when (thanks to some not-so-shocking deaths) the film takes a turn for the melodramatic.

What might have been a solid entry in the slate of Vietnam themed exploitation films in the early 80s, The Headhunter is sunk by an unfortunate focus on the love story which takes focus away from the more enjoyable exploitation elements. These faults are compounded by the weak dub-job and unfortunate image quality. Unless you're a rabid Chow Yun-Fat fan this film and presentation simply isn't worth your time.

Eastern Condors (1986)

Eastern Condors is a Vietnam film pastiche that serves as a springboard for some eye popping stunts (and a few short kung-fu fights), but never gels as something more significant. Drawing inspiration from films like The Dirty Dozen and The Deer Hunter, it hits all the war-film buttons, but never transcends being merely a kung fu-laced series of homages.

The Dirty Dozen is obviously the central influence here, as the plot follows a collection of Chinese convicts dropped into Vietnam in the Mid-70s with the promise of freedom (and a hunk of cash) if they survive. Their mission is to destroy a hidden weapons depot that was accidentally left behind by the Americans before it can fall into the wrong hands. The rag tag bunch is led by Lieutenant Lam (the late Ching-Ying Lam, filling out the Lee Marvin role), and the convict Tung, played by martial arts legend Sammo Hung. Joining him is another action superstar, Yuen Baio as Weasel, a black market dealer and Academy Award winner Haing S. Ngor (The Killing Fields) as Weasel's possibly insane uncle.

The film climaxes with some quality fights taking place in the weapons depot, with the surviving members battling the lanky, fem Vietnamese colonel (played by Yuen Wah) and his elite soliders (including the great Billy Chow from Fist Of Legend). Up until this point the film had focused mainly on gunplay, but the martial arts demonstrations in the final twenty minutes are amazing. Yuen Baio, particularly, seems to be trying to find the most elaborate way to land on his own head. The supporting cast feature some familiar names for kung-fu fans, including the great Yuen Woo Ping (choreographer for The Matrix, Kill Bill, Fist Of Legend, etc.) and director Corey Yuen (The Transporter) in unfortunately minor roles.

Directed by Sammo Hung (who slimmed down significantly for the lead role), Eastern Condors is obviously trying really hard to break away from the mold of Mid-80s Hong Kong action films. While moments of humor squeak through, this is a grim and surprisingly violent story. While it borrows wholesale from The Dirty Dozen, that film spent a great deal of its time showing its collection of reprobates coming together as they went through their often grueling training. Eastern Condors throws the group right into the mission with only hints about their background. This lack of substance to the characters hurts the film when they start dying off and the audience is expected to care about their fates. There are simply too many faces and not enough time spent developing them.

Particularly wasted is Haing S. Ngor, who is shoehorned into the film in a role that doesn't really make any sense. His presence was obviously meant to give the film some weight, but instead is just confusing. Also, while the kung-fu sprinkled throughout the film is certainly impressive, it sometimes makes things feel a bit cartoonish. While I appreciate the restraint that Hung is showing as director, it's quite obviously pandering to the Kung Fu audience that are familiar with the talents of the main cast. Still overall it's quite a technical achievement, if a bit empty, and has some incredible stunt work leading up to the impressive final sequences.

The 20th Century Fox DVD is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and the print is clear, if a little grainy at times. The Mid-80s were a time that the budgets and production values for Hong Kong action films were on the rise and the film doesn't hold back with explosions or gunfire, all of which look impressive here. The film is available both dubbed and subtitled, though the subtitles seem to not be a direct translation (with, at the very least, characters being renamed).

Included are American and International trailers for Eastern Condors, as well as trailers for Magnificent Warriors, City Hunter, Naked Killer, Magnificent Butcher, Heart Of Dragon, Hong Kong 1941, In The Line Of Duty 4 and Duel To The Death.

Somewhat disappointing considering the talent involved, Eastern Condors contains enough bloody shootouts and acrobatic action to keep fans satiated, but never is quite able to achieve the greatness of some of its influences. Still a worthwhile film in the genre, however, and features some wonderful talent in small roles.