Fist of the Condor

No one watching Fist of the Condor should expect great acting performances. This action flick delivers exactly what its intended audience wants: impressive martial arts and other adrenaline-packed stunts. The movie's story is mildly entertaining.

If you’re looking for 85 minutes of old-school action and the best pure martial arts movie of the year, look no further.

Diez Espinoza and Zaror are at the top of their game.

Everything in Fist of the Condor is slippery, itself and its opposite. The twin gimmick is less a kind of Fight Club-style projection than it is a reflection of unavoidable divisions, both in and around the text.

Fist of the Condor hits hard, and Zaror is primed to be the next big thing in action flicks.

The joy is seeing the several fight sequences that emphasize the moves on display. The level of respect shown in the build-up to these bouts is also welcome, recalling the days of Bruce Lee.

There’s something compelling here, whether it’s the uniquely Chilean riff on genre formula or just its action star’s energy radiating as he broods and demolishes foes.


The brisk pacing (nine chapters in a movie that runs less than an hour and a half!) prevents things from getting stale. It all leads to a climactic battle that is the best of the film and one of the most satisfactory killing blows ever.



The gritty, unadorned fight scenes are exciting and creative, but the story barely holds them together.

Marko Zaror remains an amazing performer who dazzles with his physical dexterity. ... Beyond the dynamic martial arts sequences, which are reason enough to watch the movie, the story is solid. ... More, please.