Marko Zorro is an impressive martial arts actor who has been in some great action movies most notably John Wick 4 and Undisputed 3 and he was stunt double for The Rock, Dwain Johnson in The Rundown.
In Fist of the Condor, he gets the dual roles here – two brothers who have become bitter enemies and as fighters from around the world are after the secret manual which reveals the secrets of the fighting arts of the Condor, one of the brothers has to battle to keep the book in safe hands.
Directed by Ernesto Díaz Espinoza the film has a great visual look and Zorro has never looked better showing off his charisma and fighting skills (The bar fight is excellently done). But the film is let down by building up anticipation for the final confrontation that never happens. (It does say part 1 in the titles but no one is sure if a part 2 will ever be made.).
The makers are obviously big fans of the traditional kung fu movies as every troupe is used from revenge for the death of a teacher, hard training with a master (this time a woman) in a mountain retreat and a warm-up before a big fight ala Bruce Lee v Chuck Norris in Way of the Dragon.
While the backdrop set in Chile is unusual it gets very cliche quickly even though the martial arts on display are top-notch. The choreography is very well shot and edited but the film does not have enough of it. One battle has a big build-up only to end very suddenly.
You also anticipate a great final confrontation but as mentioned the movie ends before it takes place. The film is an easy watch with its short running time of 80 odd minutes but ultimately disappoints with its lack of action.
Marko Zorro has definitely got the skills to lead a big action film and let’s hope he gets the chance to do so soon.
The Blu-ray released in the UK by Dazzler Media has a very good HD transfer and sound mix and good easy-to-understand subtitles (the language spoken is Spanish). Extras are non-existent, not even a trailer which is disappointing.
FILM – 6 PICTURE – 8 AUDIO – 8 EXTRAS – 0
