Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Hired by a Spanish baron, Hong Kong treasure hunter Jackie, a.k.a. "Asian Hawk" and his entourage seek WWII Nazi gold buried in the Sahara Desert.
Operation Condor is a fun, energetic Jackie Chan vehicle that blends Indiana Jones-style adventure with Chan's signature acrobatic stunt choreography. The plot is thin and largely serves as connective tissue between set pieces, and the acting beyond Chan is fairly broad and campy. Cinematography is competent and makes good use of the Sahara locations and the elaborate action sequences. Its novelty comes from Chan's unique physical comedy and stunt work fused with a treasure-hunt framework — not wholly original but executed with a distinctive Chan flair. The ending delivers a satisfying if somewhat rushed action climax typical of the genre.