REVIEW: ‘Armour of God 2: Operation Condor’ (1991)

Jackie Chan’s second foray into the Indiana Jones-inspired adventure genre is filled with exotic locales, a trio of beautiful ladies and numerous, outrageous trademark stunts and fight scenes. Yet without a more comprehensible plot, an appropriate soundtrack or Hollywood polish, this homage to Steven Spielberg’s work ranks comes up short.

Chan follows the formula set in ARMOUR OF GOD (1987). The film opens with some plotting unrelated to the main story where Chan enters a temple to pilfer a tribe’s three jade stones that end up being offered to him much to his surprise. But after nonchalantly drinking the tribe’s “sacred” water, he’s also offered the chieftain’s rather large daughter. This results in Chan’s quick getaway, thanks in part to a fantastic ride down the side of a mountain inside a large, inflated bubble.

From here the movie’s weakest point rears its ugly head as the story muddles through the main plot setup. Pretty much the same thing happened in the first film although it could have been blamed on Chan’s near-fatal fall from a tree and the long hiatus between shoots. In this case, its Chan’s fanatical level of control that sapped this film of some of its energy. He directed, produced, wrote, starred, and choreographed in what was at the time the most expensive film ever released in Hong Kong. While it may have been a learning experience for Chan that helped later projects, ARMOUR OF GOD 2 is too ambitious for the level of actual action that is contained within.

Of course, this doesn’t imply that the film isn’t entertaining. There are several standout stunts that are quite incredible. In addition to the opening scene, there is great car chase with Chan dodging cars and eventually climbing on a motorcycle that ends in a fantastic leap from the motorbike onto a crate suspended above water. Perhaps the most memorable is the final fight scene in a giant wind tunnel. Many of the other fights scattered throughout the film involve his female costars in mildly humorous situation comedy.

Despite a rather silly story and the fact that Chan simply takes on too much in this film, his trademark physical antics shine through. And I’m willing to bet you that you won’t likely see German “Fritz” helmets used as a fighting weapon in any another Hong Kong movie.