Armour of God II: Operation Condor: Deluxe Limited Edition – 88 Films (UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1991
Director: Jackie Chan
Writers: Jackie Chan, Eric Tang
Cast: Jackie Chan, Carol Cheng, Eva Cobo de Garcia, Shôko Ikeda, Daniel Mintz, Aldo Sambrell, Božidar Smiljanić  

Release Date: June 23rd, 2025
Approximate Running Times: 107 Minutes 10 Seconds (Hong Kong Version), 117 Minutes 10 Seconds (Extended Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (Both Versions)
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese (Both Versions), LPCM Stereo Cantonese (Hong Kong Cut), LPCM Mono English (Hong Kong Cut), LPCM Mono Cantonese/English Hybrid (Hong Kong Cut)
Subtitles: English (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region B (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: £35.00 (UK)

"The Asian Hawk is back! Undeterred by nearly dying while making the first Armour of God, Jackie Chan returned to battle for a sequel that's bigger, better, and even more daring. This time, Jackie's intrepid treasure hunter is on the hunt for some Nazi gold, but recovering it will not be easy, let alone safe." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD - Both Versions, Blu-ray - Both Versions) 

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand-new 4K restorations from the Original Camera Negative of the original 107-minute Hong Kong Cut and the 117-minute Extended Cut presented in Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range (HDR10 Compatible)."

Armour of God II: Operation Condor, the Hong Kong cut, comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 58.9 GB

Feature: 58.3 GB

Armour of God II: Operation Condor, the extended cut, comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 59.2 GB

Feature: 58.5 GB

Though 88 Films Armour of God II: Operation Condor 2020 Blu-ray was one of the best-looking Jackie Chan releases, this new release bests that one in every way. The sources for both versions look excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, and image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic. That being said, this release represents another outstanding 4K upgrade from 88 Films.

Armour of God II: Operation Condor, the Hong Kong cut, comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.5 GB

Feature: 34.8 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Armour of God II: Operation Condor, the extended cut, comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 31.8 GB

Feature: 31.1 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese, LPCM Mono English, LPCM Mono Cantonese/English Hybrid), 4/5 (LPCM Stereo Cantonese)

The Hong Kong version comes with four audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese (the original theatrical mix), a LPCM stereo mix in Cantonese (the Hong Kong home video mix from the 1990s), a LPCM mono mix in English (the classic dub), and a LPCM hybrid Cantonese/English mono mix. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language tracks and a second English subtitle track for Cantonese text when watching the English language track. The extended version comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese, and removable English subtitles.

All of the audio tracks sound excellent. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Range-wise, all four audio tracks sound great. That said, the two mono tracks offer a better sound experience than the stereo track. 

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc with the Hong Kong cut include an archival audio commentary with filmmaker Arne Venema and Hong Kong film expert Mike Leeder and an audio commentary with NY Asian Film Festival’s Frank Djeng and filmmaker FJ DeSanto.

There are no extras on the 4K UHD disc with the extended cut.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc with the Hong Kong cut include the original theatrical trailer (3 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese text with removable English subtitles), a re-edited 2K trailer (3 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese text with removable English subtitles), English-language theatrical trailer (2 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a Japanese TV spot (17 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a Japanese theatrical trailer (37 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a stills gallery with music from the film playing in the background, Project Eagle credits sequence (41 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with film critic Victor Fan titled Broader Horizons (22 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Bruce Fontaine titled Martial Arts Mercenary for Hire (20 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Ken Lo titled Magnificent Bodyguard (12 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Vincent Lyn titled Fighting with the Condor part one (20 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Vincent Lyn titled Fighting with the Condor part two (25 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Arne Venema and Mike Leeder, and an audio commentary with Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a rigid slipcase, a double-sided poster, six art cards, and an 80-page perfect-bound book with cast & crew information, an interview conducted by Thorsten Boose titled Diana Weng’s Hidden Treasures: Digging Deep with Jackie Chan’s Dialogue Coach, an essay titled On the Road Again: Jackie Goes Globe Trotting written by David West, and archival images.

Summary:

With Armour of God II: Operation Condor, Jackie Chan returns as the world-renowned treasure hunter Asian Hawk. And this time around, he is looking for 2.5 tons of gold, which are in an abandoned Nazi base in the Sahara Desert.

Just like its predecessor, Armour of God II: Operation Condor opens with a spectacular sequence in which Jackie Chan once again does daring stunts that most of his contemporaries would never attempt. This opening sequence is just the first of several chase sequences in Armour of God II: Operation Condor.

Asian Hawk is on a motorcycle being chased by several cars; along the way, he helps save a baby in a carriage who narrowly escapes a collision with a semi truck, and this sequence culminates with all of the car-chasing Asian Hawk ending up in the water while he jumps off of his bike and grabs ahold of a net carrying cargo. This is another standout chase sequence.

It should not come as a surprise that Jackie Chan steals the show. He once again delivers a superb performance that is perfectly suited to his strengths as an actor and martial artist. His character, Asian Hawk, is always finding himself in precarious situations; this is a type of character that Jackie Chan would return to throughout his career.

Besides Jackie Chan, the rest of the cast is outstanding, especially the trio of women who are aiding Asian Hawk in his quest for gold. Carol Cheng (Her Fatal Ways) plays Ada, an expert in African geography; Eva Cobo de Garcia (Matador) plays Elsa, the granddaughter of the Nazi who buried the gold; and Shôko Ikeda plays Momoko, a free-spirited woman searching for the meaning of life.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where Armour of God II: Operation Condor does not deliver and then some. The well-executed narrative is a good balance of action and humor, with some melodrama thrown in for good measure. And in the case of humor, Jackie Chan once again delivers in spades. In a scene where Asian Hawk and his three female companions are dying of thirst in the desert, they drink the water Asian Hawk has hidden from their captors; he acts like he is hugging them, which looks more like they are lusting for him in a sexual way.

The action sequences in the film are truly exceptional and should not be overlooked. Just when you think to yourself, "I can’t believe they were able to do that," the next action sequence somehow surpasses the last one. The most remarkable action sequences take place when the team infiltrates the Nazi base where the gold is stored; notably, a moment involving jet propulsion stands out as the most memorable action sequence. Ultimately, Armour of God II: Operation Condor is a rare example of a sequel that is better than its predecessor.

88 Films gives Armour of God II: Operation Condor an impressive release; both versions have never looked or sounded better, and there is a wealth of insightful extras. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer