cityonfire.com | Enter the Eagles

	Enter the Eagles "Obviously, this film's goal was to glorify Shannon Lee." - Mighty Peking Man Enter the Eagles (1998) AKA: Bang! And Then You're Dead, Operation Phoenix, Operation Eagle Director: Corey Yuen Writer: Corey Yuen Cast: Shannon Lee, Michael F. Wong, Jordan Chan, Anita Yuen, Benny "The Jet" Urquidez Running Time: 91 min. Plot: Martin (Michael Wong) is a professional thief. He brings his three new assistants Walt, Casper, and Janick to see Karloff and his men at Castle Hill. Martin offers to steal the Czar's Prism, the largest diamond in the Republic from the Museum. In order to strengthen his power, he invites Mandy (Shannon Lee) to work with him. Availability: This title is available at HKflix.com Reviews RAGING GAIJIN'S REVIEW: "Enter the Eagles" is the prototype for a genre of Hong Kong film that has emerged since the 1997 hand-over back to China: the international action movie. Much like "Extreme Crisis" and "Hot War", this flick features plenty of English speaking roles for gweilos and non-gweilos alike, and a big budget put to the test by copious stunts and explosions. These movies don't exactly have a reputation for excellence but, to be fair, this is one of the better ones thanks to Corey Yuen's deft direction and over-the-top action. The stunt casting of Bruce Lee's daughter, Shannon Lee, ultimately has very little bearing on the quality of the film. To see her try and mimic her father's moves and mannerisms is a little awkward, to say the least, but she does just fine when throwing punches or firing a gun. Then again, Corey Yuen could make Steve Buscemi look like a bad-ass so it's to be expected. The other performances range from decent (Jordan Chan) to abysmal (just about everyone else). Michael Wong is as dull and lifeless as ever but since everyone else is speaking English he doesn't stick out as much. I didn't mind his presence as much as I have in the past so that's a good sign. It's always cool to see Benny "The Jet" in a movie just because he has such a history with the HK film industry. Yeah, you could use his face for gorilla cookies but, hey, he's playing a villain so it works. Most of the other foreigners in the movie don't exactly light up the screen either with their Eurotrash look, but I'll probably be dead before I see a Hong Kong movie actually use attractive-looking gweilos. So, none of the actors are all that spectacular, there's a ton of lame English dialogue, and the plot is a hokey affair about professional thieves and evil terrorist types. Obviously this movie has many faults. But you probably don't watch these kinds of movies for their dramatic content (at least I hope you don't). You watch them for the action. And in that respect, "Enter the Eagles" delivers in spades. There are plenty of martial arts battles, intense gunfights, and death defying stunt-work. And it's all captured by Corey Yuen's kinetic and fluid camerawork that at times recalls Tsui Hark. "Enter the Eagles" is a frantic and fun no-brainer. After a slow opening twenty minutes, this movie hits the ground running and doesn't look back. Forget the poor dubbing and hackneyed performances: sit back and enjoy the fireworks. This is Corey Yuen at his best, firing on all cylinders, aiming to please action fans worldwide. The movie itself is forgettable but the action is memorable in all the right ways. If you're in the need for a quick fix of HK-style mayhem, you could do worse than watch this flick on a rainy afternoon. After I'd watched it, I didn't regret it... which is a lot more than I can say for "Extreme Crisis"! PS - I do have to give Michael Wong kudos for one thing: there's a scene where he wields duel pistols and fills a terrorist named "Wussin" (hey, almost sounds like "Hussein") full of lead. Bravo! RAGING GAIJIN'S RATING: 6.5/10 JOE909'S REVIEW: This movie encapsulates what's good and bad about Hong Kong cinema. The good: lots of action, lots of stunts, lots of high-speed martial artistry. The bad: lame acting, lame plot, terrible dubbing, and main characters dying at the end for no damn good reason. The thing that bugged me most about this movie is the terrible acting by the gwailo actors. And on top of that, whoever dubbed their voices is even worse. The English dialog in this movie is voiced by some of the most inept actors I've ever had the misfortune to hear. Of course, it might even be the actors themselves doing their voices, as Michael Wong and Shannon Lee do theirs. And that's probably creepy-looking Benny the "Jet" doing his own. What a maroon. Why would anyone do business with this guy? Every time he gives you a suitcase of money, there's a 100% chance he's stashed a bomb in there. It happens not once, but twice in the movie. Why the fuck would you continue to do business with a guy like that? In my "Blood Rules" review I said that Michael Wong was half decent, in that movie, at least. Judging from Enter the Eagles, I can see why Wong is so derided. His acting is consistently terrible throughout. I mean, he displays no emotion whatsoever, either in action or delivery. Shannon Lee isn't much better, and the fact that she has the gall to mimic her dad just makes things worse. Why didn't anyone on the set stop her? Did they think it would be funny? Cool? It isn't. It's embarrassing. Action and explosions aside, I should say the parts of Enter the Eagles I enjoyed the most were those with Jordan Chan and his girlfriend, who humorously go about Europe picking pockets. But his girl, like all of them do, wants more, so Jordan has to steal some McGuffin diamond. The same one, of course, that Wong et al plan to steal for Benny. The way Jordan gets into the museum and steals the diamond is both funny and crafty. But anyway, I don't want to come off too harshly on the movie. It's basically just a big, goofy exercise in hammy acting and over-the-top action, and if that's what you're looking for, then you won't be disappointed. JOE909'S RATING: 6/10 DAVE REIFFER'S REVIEW: Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee's real-life daughter, appears on screen for the first time in Enter The Eagles, an action-packed thriller directed by the legendary Corey Yuen. Martin (Michael Wong) is a professional thief who is joined by Mandy (Lee) along with some talented new assistants in an attempt to steal a valuable diamond from the Czech Republic museum. After the deed is done, Martin plans to sell the diamond to the evil Karloff. Things get complicated when two pickpockets decide to steal the prize first. What follows are enough chases, double-crosses, explosions, and kung fu fights to fill two movies. Because it features a mostly white cast and English dialogue, Enter The Eagles would serve as an excellent introduction to HK novices of what an action film should be. Don't get me wrong. This is not Gone With The Wind. This is an action movie. Those tired of the predictability of Hollywood action films and their stale cliches, I hope, will embrace this film for its audacity, imagination, and heart. Shannon Lee, though lacking many different facial expressions, proves she can kick butt convincingly with excellent quickness and agility, though I suspect that can also be attributed to director Corey Yuen's masterful filmwork. Michael Wong gives a typically stoic performance as the team's totally professional leader. And it is great to see Bennie "The Jet" Urquidez in a bad guy role again as the evil Karloff. Bennie and Shannon Lee's fight in a blimp at the end is a highlight. If there is any criticism for this movie, it is that sometimes there is too much action and little character development. The film's frantic pacing more than makes up for this, however. DAVE REIFFER'S RATING: 9/10 MIGHTY PEKING MAN'S REVIEW: "Enter the Eagles" is probably one of the most fast-paced HK-action films I've ever seen and also, one of the most Americanized (another being Jackie Chan's Who Am I?). The all-star cast only makes this movie better, most notably, the beautiful Anita Yuen and her sidekick, Jordan Chan (the only two people who don't speak english in this film). As always, Corey Yuen's fight choreography is fantastic as well as the many action/shoot-out sequences throughout. Peter Kam's uplifting Hollywood-style score flows well with the film. Obviously, this film's goal was to glorify Shannon Lee as "The Dragon's Daughter" which at times is laughably stupid. Seeing Shannon try to imitate her father (both facial expressions and sound) is something we just can't take seriously. Shannon does look good fighting on screen (and so did Keanu Reeve's in "The Matrix"), but the real talent behind her is Corey Yuen who has the magic to make ANYONE look like an on-screen fighter. ETE also suffers from many bad-acting "Gwailo" actors (including Benny "The Jet" Urquidez) and considering the fact that 90% of the film was filmed in english, expect lots of bad acting. As always, Michael F. Wong looks cool as ice on screen, but once he speaks he sounds as if he went to the same acting school as Don "The Dragon" Wilson. Well, maybe not THAT bad... For those of you hungry for a solid action-adventure film with no strings attached, you can't go wrong here. Just don't expect great acting or realistic action, after all, it is a Corey Yuen film. MIGHTY PEKING MAN'S RATING: 8.5/10

Enter the Eagles

"Obviously, this film's goal was to glorify Shannon Lee."

- Mighty Peking Man

Enter the Eagles (1998)

AKA: Bang! And Then You're Dead, Operation Phoenix, Operation Eagle

Director: Corey Yuen

Writer: Corey Yuen

Cast: Shannon Lee, Michael F. Wong, Jordan Chan, Anita Yuen, Benny "The Jet" Urquidez

Running Time: 91 min.

Plot: Martin (Michael Wong) is a professional thief. He brings his three new assistants Walt, Casper, and Janick to see Karloff and his men at Castle Hill. Martin offers to steal the Czar's Prism, the largest diamond in the Republic from the Museum. In order to strengthen his power, he invites Mandy (Shannon Lee) to work with him.

Availability: This title is available at HKflix.com

Reviews

RAGING GAIJIN'S REVIEW: "Enter the Eagles" is the prototype for a genre of Hong Kong film that has emerged since the 1997 hand-over back to China: the international action movie. Much like "Extreme Crisis" and "Hot War", this flick features plenty of English speaking roles for gweilos and non-gweilos alike, and a big budget put to the test by copious stunts and explosions. These movies don't exactly have a reputation for excellence but, to be fair, this is one of the better ones thanks to Corey Yuen's deft direction and over-the-top action.

The stunt casting of Bruce Lee's daughter, Shannon Lee, ultimately has very little bearing on the quality of the film. To see her try and mimic her father's moves and mannerisms is a little awkward, to say the least, but she does just fine when throwing punches or firing a gun. Then again, Corey Yuen could make Steve Buscemi look like a bad-ass so it's to be expected.

The other performances range from decent (Jordan Chan) to abysmal (just about everyone else). Michael Wong is as dull and lifeless as ever but since everyone else is speaking English he doesn't stick out as much. I didn't mind his presence as much as I have in the past so that's a good sign. It's always cool to see Benny "The Jet" in a movie just because he has such a history with the HK film industry. Yeah, you could use his face for gorilla cookies but, hey, he's playing a villain so it works. Most of the other foreigners in the movie don't exactly light up the screen either with their Eurotrash look, but I'll probably be dead before I see a Hong Kong movie actually use attractive-looking gweilos.

So, none of the actors are all that spectacular, there's a ton of lame English dialogue, and the plot is a hokey affair about professional thieves and evil terrorist types. Obviously this movie has many faults. But you probably don't watch these kinds of movies for their dramatic content (at least I hope you don't). You watch them for the action. And in that respect, "Enter the Eagles" delivers in spades. There are plenty of martial arts battles, intense gunfights, and death defying stunt-work. And it's all captured by Corey Yuen's kinetic and fluid camerawork that at times recalls Tsui Hark.

"Enter the Eagles" is a frantic and fun no-brainer. After a slow opening twenty minutes, this movie hits the ground running and doesn't look back. Forget the poor dubbing and hackneyed performances: sit back and enjoy the fireworks. This is Corey Yuen at his best, firing on all cylinders, aiming to please action fans worldwide. The movie itself is forgettable but the action is memorable in all the right ways. If you're in the need for a quick fix of HK-style mayhem, you could do worse than watch this flick on a rainy afternoon. After I'd watched it, I didn't regret it... which is a lot more than I can say for "Extreme Crisis"!

PS - I do have to give Michael Wong kudos for one thing: there's a scene where he wields duel pistols and fills a terrorist named "Wussin" (hey, almost sounds like "Hussein") full of lead. Bravo!

RAGING GAIJIN'S RATING: 6.5/10

JOE909'S REVIEW: This movie encapsulates what's good and bad about Hong Kong cinema. The good: lots of action, lots of stunts, lots of high-speed martial artistry. The bad: lame acting, lame plot, terrible dubbing, and main characters dying at the end for no damn good reason.

The thing that bugged me most about this movie is the terrible acting by the gwailo actors. And on top of that, whoever dubbed their voices is even worse. The English dialog in this movie is voiced by some of the most inept actors I've ever had the misfortune to hear. Of course, it might even be the actors themselves doing their voices, as Michael Wong and Shannon Lee do theirs. And that's probably creepy-looking Benny the "Jet" doing his own. What a maroon. Why would anyone do business with this guy? Every time he gives you a suitcase of money, there's a 100% chance he's stashed a bomb in there. It happens not once, but twice in the movie. Why the fuck would you continue to do business with a guy like that?

In my "Blood Rules" review I said that Michael Wong was half decent, in that movie, at least. Judging from Enter the Eagles, I can see why Wong is so derided. His acting is consistently terrible throughout. I mean, he displays no emotion whatsoever, either in action or delivery. Shannon Lee isn't much better, and the fact that she has the gall to mimic her dad just makes things worse. Why didn't anyone on the set stop her? Did they think it would be funny? Cool? It isn't. It's embarrassing.

Action and explosions aside, I should say the parts of Enter the Eagles I enjoyed the most were those with Jordan Chan and his girlfriend, who humorously go about Europe picking pockets. But his girl, like all of them do, wants more, so Jordan has to steal some McGuffin diamond. The same one, of course, that Wong et al plan to steal for Benny. The way Jordan gets into the museum and steals the diamond is both funny and crafty.

But anyway, I don't want to come off too harshly on the movie. It's basically just a big, goofy exercise in hammy acting and over-the-top action, and if that's what you're looking for, then you won't be disappointed.

JOE909'S RATING: 6/10

DAVE REIFFER'S REVIEW: Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee's real-life daughter, appears on screen for the first time in Enter The Eagles, an action-packed thriller directed by the legendary Corey Yuen.

Martin (Michael Wong) is a professional thief who is joined by Mandy (Lee) along with some talented new assistants in an attempt to steal a valuable diamond from the Czech Republic museum. After the deed is done, Martin plans to sell the diamond to the evil Karloff. Things get complicated when two pickpockets decide to steal the prize first. What follows are enough chases, double-crosses, explosions, and kung fu fights to fill two movies.

Because it features a mostly white cast and English dialogue, Enter The Eagles would serve as an excellent introduction to HK novices of what an action film should be. Don't get me wrong. This is not Gone With The Wind. This is an action movie. Those tired of the predictability of Hollywood action films and their stale cliches, I hope, will embrace this film for its audacity, imagination, and heart.

Shannon Lee, though lacking many different facial expressions, proves she can kick butt convincingly with excellent quickness and agility, though I suspect that can also be attributed to director Corey Yuen's masterful filmwork. Michael Wong gives a typically stoic performance as the team's totally professional leader. And it is great to see Bennie "The Jet" Urquidez in a bad guy role again as the evil Karloff. Bennie and Shannon Lee's fight in a blimp at the end is a highlight.

If there is any criticism for this movie, it is that sometimes there is too much action and little character development. The film's frantic pacing more than makes up for this, however.

DAVE REIFFER'S RATING: 9/10

MIGHTY PEKING MAN'S REVIEW: "Enter the Eagles" is probably one of the most fast-paced HK-action films I've ever seen and also, one of the most Americanized (another being Jackie Chan's Who Am I?). The all-star cast only makes this movie better, most notably, the beautiful Anita Yuen and her sidekick, Jordan Chan (the only two people who don't speak english in this film). As always, Corey Yuen's fight choreography is fantastic as well as the many action/shoot-out sequences throughout. Peter Kam's uplifting Hollywood-style score flows well with the film.

Obviously, this film's goal was to glorify Shannon Lee as "The Dragon's Daughter" which at times is laughably stupid. Seeing Shannon try to imitate her father (both facial expressions and sound) is something we just can't take seriously. Shannon does look good fighting on screen (and so did Keanu Reeve's in "The Matrix"), but the real talent behind her is Corey Yuen who has the magic to make ANYONE look like an on-screen fighter. ETE also suffers from many bad-acting "Gwailo" actors (including Benny "The Jet" Urquidez) and considering the fact that 90% of the film was filmed in english, expect lots of bad acting. As always, Michael F. Wong looks cool as ice on screen, but once he speaks he sounds as if he went to the same acting school as Don "The Dragon" Wilson. Well, maybe not THAT bad...

For those of you hungry for a solid action-adventure film with no strings attached, you can't go wrong here. Just don't expect great acting or realistic action, after all, it is a Corey Yuen film.

MIGHTY PEKING MAN'S RATING: 8.5/10