Armour of God (1986) User Reviews (67)

great start, slow middle, awesome ending

[jake-179 · 8/10 · 15 November 2002]

This movie was actually made before "Operation: Condor." For some reason, they titled this movie as if it were a sequel. When Jackie decided to make this movie, he was being greatly influenced by the smash hit "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and wanted to make a movie in that adventure style. This movie could have been really, really great if it had been made entirely the way Jackie had it envisioned at the start of production.

The movie has a great beginning, and then it is destroyed by an agonizing slow middle, and then it picks up again with an action packed ending. The reason the movie has that horrible middle is because of the stunt that went wrong at the beginning of the film. As all Jackie fans know, this is the film that almost killed Chan. In the beginning action sequence, he does this awesome chase scene where he is bounding across the walls of a castle. In the first take, Jackie actually made it across. But being a perfectionist, he tried for a second take. The first take partially broke the branch of the tree he jumps on, and on the second take, the branch broke completely, sending Jackie crashing to the ground and busting his head on a rock.

I am mentioning all this because this is the reason the middle of the movie is so slow. Production could only be halted for a short time. They could not wait until Jackie had fully recovered. So, as soon as he was able to get out of bed, they re-wrote the middle part of the movie to exclude all the eye-popping stunts that Jackie had originally planned. They continued filming this lame, muddled attempt at a romance plot until Jackie was more healed.

Once Jackie was back to 100 percent, they started filming the movie the way they had originally intended: with amazing stunts and incredible action choreography. The end of the movie picks up with Jackie, his side kick, and the love interest, infiltrating a castle run by monks, and they try to steal a treasure guarded by fiesty amazon women who wear lots of '80s style makeup. As ridiculous as that all sounds, the fight scenes at the end are among the best that Jackie has ever done. Its really amazing and a lot of fun to watch just for the choreography aspect. Check out one of the hardest hits I have ever seen, when one of the amazons comes flying at Jackie from about 8 feet in the air, he kicks her in mid flight, and she spins completely around and slams HEAD FIRST in to the dirt! I don't care if there was a stunt pad there, it is a HARD LANDING! OUCH! There is no way the stunt person walked away from that unharmed.

The second movie "OPERATION CONDOR" was a lot better as a whole. That is one of my all time favorite Jackie Chan films, and I still watch it over and over again. But PART 2 (the first of the films) is definitely a must-see (despite the confusing title).

My recommendation is this: Get the movie, watch the first part until he escapes from the natives, then FAST FORWARD through the entire

middle, DO NOT BOTHER to watch it, it is totally irrelevant, and start watching again as they infiltrate the castle. You wont be sorry. Don't believe all the other bad reviews about this film.

Very Enjoyable

[no-skyline · 8/10 · 29 December 2005]

I really enjoyed this movie not just for the spectacular stunts but also the chemistry between Jackie Chan and Alan Tam. It's one of Jackie's most accessible Hong Kong films although it does sag a bit in the middle this is due to a severe accident Jackie had on set during the opening chase sequence. Filming couldn't be halted for long due to budget constraints so a lot of stunt sequences were dropped and more emphasis placed on the comedy (which is hit and miss in places).

There are some incredible sequences at the start (an action packed chase)and at the end of the film (infiltrating the enemy base and a crazy escape plan). In between is some so/so comedy romance moments, the interplay between Jackie and Alan works really well at times producing some great comedy moments Alan's unwillingness to fight and his clumsiness when he does so really add to Jackies clowning.

The bad guys are a bit of a letdown other than some supposedly female body guards who look like rejects from the Rocky Horror Show which produces an inventive and painful looking fight scene. The monks are fairly inept and it must be said what was really needed is a big boss at the end for Jackie to fight but other than these small complaint its a very enjoyable action flick.

Well worth a watch great action with a bit of comedy thrown in for good measure 8/10

Hong Kong car chases are underrated.

[lovemichaeljordan · 7/10 · 9 March 2023]

All the action is really good, but the rest is so dull. You have time to fall asleep between the cool parts of the film. The humor is sometimes good, but sometimes it's just a bunch of bad sexist jokes that only 80s Hong Kong can get away with.

Too bad so much crap has been mixed in with all the great action. Some of the action sequences are among the best you'll ever see, for example, the car chase and the opening scene. Fun and exciting to watch. It's extra fun seeing Hong Kong car chases. Most of their action movies feature phenomenal hand-to-hand combat, but fewer of them feature great car chases. The car chases are like the fights all done for real and few cuts are shown. The drivers actually pull off the stunts and don't need any editing to make it look good.

What happened to the original?

[tony-clifton · 19 April 2003]

First let me say there are two English dubbed versions of this movie. The first version is a faithful translation of the original complete with all the original scenes. Overall the first version is actually more exciting because of the music - the music makes all the actions scenes more heart-pounding and is an excellent example of how sound can affect a scene. I found the current US-released English version less of an adrenaline rush because of the droll music in the action scenes.

Furthermore, I found the original English-dubbed version much funnier. There's something charming about the original text - Jackie is actually more arrogant and aloof in the original version, and it helped create a more exciting "mercenary" feel to Jackie's character, rather than the more confusing humanitarian/treasure-hunter feel to the new version. Jackie treats Alan Tam's character more harshly and with some funny sarcastic comebacks. In the new version, the witty come-backs were replaced with patient words!

Lastly, the most notable change in the new version is the entire "Lorelei wants the armour in the house" scene is entirely missing. In the original version, May goes to Jackie's room to look at his baby pictures (Jackie asks May to look at them to get out of the situation where he and Alan were caught in May's bedroom), and both of them are shocked to see Lorelei on his bed. May storms off in disgust. Meanwhile Lorelei goes into the bathroom to prepare the serum, and Alan walks into the bedroom. Jackie has to cover Lorelei and lies to Alan that it is May that is in the bathroom. Both Jackie and Alan go out into the hall and bump into May, and Jackie has to cover his tracks by pretending that Alan knows that Lorelei is in Jackie's bedroom. Naturally May responds with disgust that "they are such good friends that they share everything, even girlfriends". Then Alan gets suspicious because May was in the hall not the bathroom, he goes into Jackie's bedroom to see if the bathroom is connected to May's bedroom, and then gets jabbed by Lorelei (which is where the new version cuts back in).

The new version is a more streamlined version, and certainly the story flows better. There is actually a romance between May and Jackie which I prefer, whereas in the original version May remains angry with Jackie after she slaps him and they never get past that stage - especially after she gets the impression that Jackie "shares" Lorelei with Alan!

I was really disappointed, because I had the original English-dubbed version and it was one of my all-time favourite Jackie Chan movies because of Jackie's arrogant character which was a huge departure from the usual benevolent roles that Jackie plays, and because of the music which really made the difference in the action scenes for me. Alas, my original version was a video tape that grew fungus and was therefore ruined - and I have no idea how to get that version again!

Jackie's voice in the original English version was dubbed by someone else (the same person that dubbed the English versions for all his movies in the 80s) - and it sounds a lot better than Jackie's real voice which he uses in the new version. Funny thing is the voices actually sound alike sans accent.

Good... but might've been so much better.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 27 June 2007]

This is the film that nearly cost Jackie Chan his life: an early stunt went terribly wrong and he ended up bashing his head hard on a rock. In order to allow Jackie to fully recover from his injuries, much of the planned action was replaced with romantic comedy, and the film unfortunately suffers for it. The result is a fairly enjoyable romp, which starts and ends with some great sequences, but drags rather badly in the middle.

Chan plays The Asian Hawk, an adventurer who risks his life to help old pal Alan when his girlfriend Lorelei (Rosamund Kwan) is kidnapped by a religious cult. The cult wish to exchange the girl for a valuable treasure, the fabled Armour of God, but Jackie and Alan attempt a daring rescue instead...

Kicking off with a spectacular opening sequence, which sees JC performing some impressive acrobatics before sliding down a steep hill pursued by a tribe of spear wielding natives, Armour of God certainly begins well. And a great car chase soon after makes one believe that they could be witnessing a 'solid-gold' Chan classic. However, after these initial blasts of action, it isn't until the end of the film that we get to see more breathtaking movie mayhem, with the middle section consisting of barely passable comedy and poor romantic subplots.

Fortunately, Chan is back on form for the final battle in a cavernous fortress, and we get to see some truly outstanding martial arts as he takes on scores of nasty monks, and, in the film's highlight, a quartet of leather-corset-wearing she-bitches. The action here is hard-hitting and well worth the wait, with loads of poor baddies on the receiving end of some very painful looking kicks and punches.

To top it all off, the movie ends with one of the phoniest looking stunts ever, as Chan supposedly leaps off a cliff onto a hot air balloon—a moment so poorly executed that it borders on brilliance.

It's a real shame that this film could not be made as it was originally intended, 'cos it might have been truly astounding. As it is, Armour of God is worth seeing—just don't expect to be fully entertained for the whole of its duration.

Crackerjack action movie filled with adventure , humor and breathtaking fights

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 2 December 2012]

Long Xiong Hu Di (original title) or ¨Armour of God¨ is a Chinese/Yugoslavia co-production with plenty of action , humor , lots of cool, Jackie style action , being filmed in Croacia and one of Jackie's best . Jackie Chan in his greatest adventure ever ! Jackie Chan and his bumbling sidekick (Tam) are sent on a quest through Europe to find a mysterious treasure held by a shadowy organization of monks . Here Jackie is a ex-member or a musical band , in fact , the musical sequence with the band "The Losers" is a spoof of the Hong Kong rock band "The Wynners" (they include Alan Tam, Anthony Chan, and Kenny Bee, all three appear in the movie). This Raymond Chow-Golden Harvest production deals with an adventurer , Indiana Jones-alike , and his partner , as two friends attempt to save the damsel in distress (Rosamund Kwan) , meanwhile they face off an evil cult . The pair join forces with the millionaire's daughter (Lola Forner who formerly acted in ¨Wheels and meals¨ or ¨Supercamorristas¨) . Jackie Chan plays an ex-singer-turned-fortune-hunter, whose ex-sweetheart is abducted by a sinister organization . An old friend of Jackie's, turns to him for help to rescue his lover ; they along with a female companion in tow set out in pursuit the nasties . Entertainment , comedy and amusement abound , culminating with a spectacular attack in the hideout fortress of the nasty band led by a monk and his evil thugs along with various leather-clad women.

Chinese action comedy full of over-the-top struggles , thrills , ingenious stunts , laughs , slapstick , tongue-in-cheek and excitement . Here Chan plays an Indian Jones-style explorer who must find legendary suit of armour to rescue his ex-fiancée from a sect . This bemusing movie is packed with adventure , car pursuits , intrigue , unstopped action , overwhelming stunt-work and lots of fights but with abundant humor . Jackie Chan is top notch as one army man fighting a group of heinous villains and as always he makes his own stunts like is well showed , though also contains numerous obviously cheated stunts . While filming the stunt where he leaps from a wall onto a tree, the branch Jackie Chan grabbed a hold of broke and he hit his head on a rock, nearly killing him and leaving him with a permanent thimble-sized hole on the right side of his head , the fall also left him hard of hearing in one ear . Watch the outtakes at the final to see the mishap that nearly wounded Chan . Awesome , incredible stunts and brief comic touches , as usual ; the picture is better constructed than Chan's predecessors films , including an ending battle in a cave is a knockout . The lighting-paced storyline slows down at times , marred by extremely silly spots , but frantic action sequences make up for it . Spotlights movie include spectacular brawls , car chases including bounds and leaps , impressive and interminable fights , a breathtaking final struggle between Jackie Chan and several monks and warrior women ; in addition other fine action sequences in overwhelming style . This is an acceptable action movie distinguished by nicely cinematography of the spectacular sequences , and contains agreeable sense of humor as well as previous entries . Jackie Chan usually forms couple to notorious actresses as Maggie Chung and Michelle Yeoh and this time to Rosamund Kwan .

This is a passable action movie distinguished by fight sequences , noisy action and packs silly sense of humor as well as Jackie's subsequent entries . This was the first of the Operation Condor movies, but was entitled Operation Condor 2 because it was released in the U.S. after the second film . The second part titled ¨Armour of God : Operation Condor¨ in which sends Chan off to Europe and Africa in search of enormous Nazi gold cache . The picture achieved enough success in China and around the world . However , Jackie Chan's failed at Box-office in his American debut ,¨Battle creek brawl¨ . Chan is a hard-working actor and director throughout his long and varied career . Jackie usually teams up to prestigious Chinese actor Sammo Hung , a fine action star in their own right and also had an American career as successful ¨Martial Law¨ TV series . Both of them starred together several films as ¨Heart of Dragon (1985)¨ which was directed by Sammo . Chan pays overt homage to two of his greatest influences as Charles Chaplin and Harold Lloyd . Jackie went on playing ¨Cannoball¨ , ¨The protector¨ and "Rumble in the Bronx", until getting all American success with ¨Shangai Knights¨ , ¨The tuxedo¨ , ¨Around the world in 80 days¨ and ¨Rush hour¨ trilogy , and the recent ¨Karate kid¨. Of course , his biggest hits were ¨The Police story¨ series that won the Golden Horse Award, a Chinese version of the Oscar , the first was titled ¨Police story(1985)¨ directed by the same Chan , it was a perfect action film for enthusiast of the genre ; the following was ¨Police story 2(1988)¨ also pretty violent and with abundant humor touches . It's followed by ¨Supercop¨ or ¨Police story 3¨ and finally , ¨Police story IV : Crime story¨ . The picture was well produced by the great Asian producers Raymond Chow and Golden Harvest production and compellingly directed by Jackie Chan . Rating : Acceptable and passable , the picture has its sensational moments here and there , but also with abundant humor touches mostly provided by its agile star , super Jackie Chan . It's a perfect action film for enthusiast of the genre , being filled with great struggles , stunts and spectacular battles .

Indiana Jones in Jackie Chan's own inimitable style

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 21 July 2015]

Made during the mid 1980s, a period which I consider to be the most productive (in terms of entertainment value) in Jackie Chan's overall filmography, ARMOUR OF GOD is another hit and a perfectly-paced movie, offering up varied locations, some wonderful action sequences, tons of stunts and breathtaking martial arts work. Little does it matter that the film has a lightweight and undemanding plot, which uses the Indiana Jones films as a basis and throws in lots of odd interludes (the Chinese rock band, the evil/comedy monks) before forgetting about it at the end in favour of crazy action.

In many ways this has much the same formula as Jackie's other films from the time, pairing him up with a bumbling sidekick (this time played by Alan Tam), who shares plenty of comic interplay with the Chan man, and bringing in female beauty Lola Forner (WHEELS ON MEALS) as a romantic interest. There's a lot of comedy in this movie which, whilst being very Chinese in tone, is still pretty funny in places, including the middle of the film which is a bedroom farce very much in the Jackie Chan style and nowhere near as lame as some people claim it to be.

The action sequences are dotted in throughout the film to highlight the plot and each one tops the last. Beginning with a major hill-sliding event, ARMOUR OF GOD takes in an excellent cross-town car chase, utilising a number of cars and motorbikes, a huge jump which is as good as the bus jump in SPEED, and tons of destruction, my personal favourite being the jeep rolling down the town square steps which is perhaps THE best crash I've seen on film. The martial arts is as good as ever, as it should be considering Jackie Chan was at the height of his physical prowess when this was made, but kept to a relative minimum until the action-packed ending which doesn't disappointment.

The action incorporates a wild food fight and plenty of extra-fast martial arts fighting which is some of the best filmed. Later, there's another memorable scene in which Chan must battle four ball-breaking Amazon women, and a hilarious joke involving a vest of dynamite which had me laughing out loud to myself (the first time in a Chan flick). Chan is likable, Alan Tam makes a good comic foil (and doesn't have to embarrass himself by too much fighting, being an non-martial artist), Forner is the icy beauty once more and there are some weird-looking bad guys to add to the fun. The film is topped off by a jump onto a hot air balloon which is also highly impressive, and if you watch the closing credits you'll see that Chan nearly died after hitting his head on a rock - thank goodness he survived and went on to make more enjoyable movies like this one.

One of Jackie's classics

[callanvass · 8/10 · 15 June 2016]

This is one of Jackie's most enjoyable films. It's basically Jackie Chan playing Indiana Jones, only with more slapstick. That said, it's very effective. The action scenes are fantastic. I'm not gonna spoil all of them, but I'll give you a hint of what to expect. We get an insane opening with some death-defying stunts from Jackie (Including one that almost killed Jackie) , some exciting car chases that will have action fans foaming at the mouth, and great fight scenes that are filled with creativity. Jackie's fight with the 4 leather women at the end is exhilarating. It's one of the reasons why Jackie's films in the US pale in comparison to films like this. The slapstick is a lot of fun to watch. You even get to see Jackie sing! The love triangle provides some good laughs as well. Jackie Chan is fun as always, but his character is kind of a dick in this movie. He's a likable one, though. Jackie always makes you laugh. His chemistry with Alan Tam is good. Lola Farmer (May) is my favorite out of the two ladies. Rosamund Kwan was solid as well.

This is one of my favorite films of Jackie's. It's exciting, funny, and has everything you could possibly want.

Great Jackie Chan Action!

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 28 January 2016]

Jackie Chan and his bumbling sidekick are sent on a quest through Europe to find a mysterious treasure held by a shadowy organization of monks.

I made the mistake of watching the sequel to this film first. They are both good, and it really makes little difference what order you watch them in (just as the "Police Story" films have little chronology). But it would have been nice to meet the character of Asian Hawk sooner.

I love the idea of Chan as an Indiana Jones type. Fighting people throughout China and Hong Kong (or the Bronx) is great, but this traveling the world stuff is even better. There are plenty of bizarre cultures ready to stop a kung fu fighter from stealing their priceless artifacts.

Armour Of God

[a_baron · 9/10 · 8 June 2018]

Jackie Chan specialises in playing the likeable idiot. Here he plays the straight man, for a bit, but is soon in it up to his neck. In fact he is in trouble from the very beginning, and an old friend who turns up like the proverbial bad penny doesn't help. A cult of evil and totally ruthless monks are out to conquer the world or some such, when they are not having it off with local prostitutes. There is the little matter of the armour he has been tasked to retrieve, and other stuff that may go above your head, but forget the silly plot, this is Chan at his vintage best with ridiculous over-the-top comic book fight scenes and breathtaking stunts galore.

Stupid but enjoyable

[JaydoDre · 7/10 · 28 January 2015]

Ahahahaha! Armour of God is one of the silliest movies I ever had to pleasure of watching. Where else will you see Chinese people in tight 70s suits with 80s hair and eyes wide open, as if trying not to be Asian, as well as machine-gun-wielding monks? Early in the movie there is a shootout scene and it is an absolutely amazing piece of work. A bunch of monks gun down a lot of people, while a cheesy 80s pop song is being performed in the background, and they do the killing in a choreographed manner, almost to the beat of the song. Oh you have to see it, it is glorious. And all of that unnecessary violent effort is only to kidnap someone in order to make the main character do something for them that they don't want to pay for. That's the premise, people. And this goofy light-headedness is how the whole story is treated.

Of course, many people watch Jacky Chan for the acrobatics and yes, the fight choreography as well as various driving stunts are very good. The characters travel to a lot of different places and it is fun to travel with them. The visuals are memorable.

But the things worth liking about this movie, besides the silly antics of Jacky Chan, are a bit more superficial and depend a lot on the viewer's taste. The main female lead, played by Lora Forner, is very pretty, possibly the prettiest actress I have seen on film, except for Zeta-Jones of course (I love you, call me). The car Jacky Chan drives looks cool and has James Bond style gadgets. Finally, the song when the credits start rolling is pretty good, in a typical cheesy 80s kind of way (you have to get the right version of the film, as there are several versions of the credits song).

All of these features, combined with the silly overacting and violence, makes this a pretty cool movie for kids, which is why it has taken a special place in many young men's hearts, at least in the East (Russia specifically). Think about it, the makers are almost going down a checklist: hot chick, fast car, violence, adventure, jumping around and silly acting with slapstick - all the things boys are into.

The dialogue can be really poor. Of course, there is always a possibility that the subtitles are just bad and that it works better in Cantonese, which is the language the movie is actually in, but I doubt it because the writing is just too shallow and the acting that accompanies it is just too silly and physical.

The actinggosh. Jacky Chan tries, but sometimes he fails. Alan Tam, who plays a singer, and is a singer in real life, is a much better actor in this. He overacts, but at least it works, and it is to him that we owe the catchy though cheesy tunes in this movie.

I feel like I like this movie for all the wrong reasons, but I still like it.

Still Offers One Of Jackies Greatest Endings!!

[Movie-Misfit · 8/10 · 14 April 2020]

Without a doubt one of Jackie's most internationally known films, and while not perfect, it still brings me great joy and such a feeling of nostalgia over 30 years later!

It's no secret that this was the film that almost cost Jackie his life. Even after completing a simple stunt perfectly in one take, Jackie wanted to try one more take of leaping from a wall to a branch, swinging over to safety on the next wall...

But he was not to make it.

Crashing down onto the ground below, he smashed his head on a rock bringing a stop to the production (then directed by Eric Tsang), and almost his life! Thankfully, one of the worlds top surgeons was in Yugoslavia during the time of the accident and was able to save the legend's life, allowing Jackie to bring us many more years of incredible entertainment, and of course, a long and happy life.

This, to me, would also be a big reason as to why things move along a little slow for the first hour of Armour Of God in terms of typical Jackie Chan action. Yes, we have that fun and acrobatic opening with Jackie sealing the sword from some natives (leading to the aforementioned accident), and his getaway where his hair grows long by the time he slides to the bottom of the hill; and there is of course the violent shooting and kidnap of Laura (Rosamund Kwan) before a fun car chase and brief scuffle with monks as Lola Forner (from Wheels On Meals) joins the team, but all-in-all, it just feels slow...

And I don't mean boring slow, there is a number of comedy sequences that keep things ticking, but there's also a bizarre nightmare sequence of Jackie getting chased by his car as Alan and Rosamund wave to him as a happy couple, as well as a prolonged scene of Jackie trying to woo Lola as Alan Tam tries to look through her bags. It just goes on a little too long and really slows things down quite a bit. Maybe they were giving Jackie time to heal, but thankfully, its all made up for during the last 30 minutes of all-out stunts, martial arts action and one of Jackie Chan's greatest fight scenes in the finale!

This last battle, from the monks dining hall until he hits that hot-air balloon, is so exciting and so well choreographed, you can't help but forgive the hiccups along the way. When I was a kid, this was one of my weekly hires from the video store, and while the UK video release was cut by 6 minutes (which did help as a youngster), I totally fell in love with the film and Jackie of course. For years I was bouncing bubblegum off walls and doors, perfecting the gum-style of the Asian Hawk and how he eat it...

While I am all for the uncut, original language version, this added 6 minutes does hold it back a bit, as it now seems dated. But still, when the action happens, its hard to deny the man his dues as - even after life-saving head surgery - Jackie Chan still shows that he is the king of Hong Kong action comedies, giving a showcase that still blows me away today!

With such intricate choreography and dedicated stuntmen, Jackie and his team deliver an end fight scene that stand stall as one of his best. Busting some incredible moves in the dining hall battle, Jackie then moves on to face 4 extremely tall and muscle-bound black women who don't hold back. Now, granted that throughout the whole fight sequence, 6 of them were his stuntmen and 3 were women, but regardless - it still looks amazing!!

This was also the movie that was to see the fantastic Cynthia Rothrock go toe-to-toe with Jackie as the final boss, but after his aforementioned accident, Golden Harvest moved her on to Righting Wrongs (Above The Law) with Yuen Biao, so the battle of all battles was not to be (although we still got one of Hong Kong's greatest action films with Righting Wrongs!).

Closing with an incredible stunt with Jackie jumping from a cliff onto a hot-air balloon, we see things out with an amazing collection of NG's including the footage of that dreaded accident that nearly ended a hero...

Avoid the US edited version by all means!

Overall: Though slightly dated, Armour Of God still highlights one of Jackie's greatest fight scenes with incredible stunt-work that still entertains today. And we can't forget about its awesome soundtrack also!

Wynners and sinners

[ebiros2 · 7/10 · 24 November 2011]

This is the movie that almost got Jackie killed. Actually I'm amazed that he's still alive after all the daredevil stunts he's done.

The evil cult is after the remaining three pieces of armour of god. Hawk (Jackie Chan) is an ex singer turned treasure hunter. His old acquaintance Alan (Alan Tam) comes to ask him to save his girlfriend Lora (Rosamund Kuan) who got kidnapped by the evil cult. He asks for armour of god that Jackie recently recovered from native tribes. Collector of armour of god's daughter joins Hawk and Alan on the quest for the remaining armour of god.

The middle part of this film is boring. It's a filler to give Jackie time to recover from his injury. Then comes the exciting ending. So fast forward through the middle if it's too slow for you.

Famous Hong Kong rock band Wynners appears at the opening with their name changed to the "Losers". Premise being that Jackie used to be the singer of that band. The real life singer of Wynners of course is Hawk's (Jackie) old friend Alan (Alan Tam). This is why there're Alan Tam songs inserted in this movie.

There's this crazy stunt where the car Jackie and Alan are in flies across the freeway followed by a motorcycle. Stunt like this rarely shows up even in James Bond movies, but happens frequently in Jackie Chan movies. Towards the end of the movie I see an explosion going off just few feet away from the actor and him getting blown away from middle of the stair case down to the ground. That's got to hurt.

Jackie Chan's father is shown for the first time at the end of the movie looking down on him after he got injured.

It's a good movie that gets better towards the end. The combination of Chan, Tam, and Kuan works in this movie that adds different elements to this movie.

Not much of a plot, but get a load of the stunts!!

[Libretio · 4/10 · 8 October 2005]

ARMOUR OF GOD (Long Xiong Hu Di)

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Sound format: Mono

Fortune-hunter Asian Hawk (Jackie Chan) travels to an ancient monastery in central Europe where his ex-girlfriend (Rosamund Kwan) is being held to ransom by a deadly cult who want Chan to deliver fragments of an all-powerful religious artefact.

Forever remembered as The Movie In Which Jackie Chan Almost Lost His Life™ (footage of the accident is even played over the closing credits, just to prove it!), this thinly-plotted action-adventure boasts a series of death-defying stunts (watch out for a truly breathtaking car chase early in the film) and brilliantly choreographed fight scenes, set against the backdrop of various far-flung European locations. Chan draws most of the limelight away from co-stars Alan Tam and Lola Forner, and the 1.85:1 image seems a little cramped in places (Chan was forced to adopt the narrower frame favored by original director Eric Tsang, who withdrew from the project following Chan's near-fatal mishap), but the movie still has much to recommend it. Dimension's rescored, re-edited US version - titled OPERATION CONDOR 2: THE ARMOR OF THE GODS (!) - should be avoided at all costs. Followed by ARMOUR OF GOD II: OPERATION CONDOR (1991).

(Cantonese dialogue)

A very good martial arts film with a few flaws

[otacon23dav · 8 May 2003]

This is one of Jackie Chan's best films. A good display of his acrobatics and fight skills at the beginning of the film to fighting 4 woman with high heels at the end. This was my first Jackie Chan film I saw that made me watch his other films.

The basic story is that an evil cult who wants all 5 pieces of the armor of god(I can't remember why they want it) knows only one person who is able to get the pieces, the "asian hawk"(Chan). They only have 2 pieces of the armour and to get Jackie to get the other 3 pieces, they kidnap his former girlfriend, lorelei(Kwan) who he still has feelings for, even though his best friend,Alan(tam) is dating her. Jackie and Alan must work together to try and find the armour and save her.

I recommend watching the original 94min version in Chinese(with english subtitles of course) than the u.s. english dubbed 86min version. Also this movie is where Jackie nearly died - Jumping to a tree on which the branch broke and fell onto a rock.

A good humoreous martial art film with alright fight scenes and a not bad plot. 8/10 for me. Recommended mainly for Jackie chan fans.

...did anybody notice he had a really short crop at the start of the movie and 10 minutes in it was semi-long already...anybody?

[bcheng93 · 7/10 · 19 March 2014]

OK, the reason his hair turned from short to long in just 10 minutes at the start of the movie is because he got really injured, it was almost fatal jumping on the tree escaping from the natives. Jackie always had a superstition that if he would ever have short hair it would be literally life threatening...it was something supernaturally evil and based on eastern Asian superstition and the supernatural. well...i think Jackie looks better with short hair but that's the last we will ever see of that short hair so enjoy the 10 minutes or so of it in this movie.

i actually had the good fortune to see this in the movie theater 2-3 times and it makes a big difference...until now where you can watch a hd version on a decent sized flat screen. Jackie's pre-USA movies which were hk based were so much better and enjoyable in my opinion and the fights were so much livelier. this movie has one of my top 5 fights all time and also my top 15. the top 5 is with the franciscan monks and the top 15 was with the 5 really athletic and oversized darkskinned ladies who were just absolute killers...HAHAHA.

there were a lot of holes in the plot, but who cares, i'm not really watching it for the plots. it was a little slow in spots as i have watches the 97 min. version which is the longest and the best. the movie had a really really beautiful leading lady in Rosamund Kwan and Alan Tam played Jackie's sidekick. throw in the reigning Ms. Spain for that year as another sidekick, some crazy cult of caucascian monks intend on domination and literally two of the best fight brawl sequences you will see in a kung fu movie and just let the adventure begin.

Enjoyable and classy

[khan_rado · 7/10 · 20 November 2015]

A very enjoyable action comedy that impresses with every second of it. A fortune hunter helps his friend to save a girl with whom they happen to be both in love. Although this doesn't sound like much of a story, it is, nevertheless, interesting one. The film doesn't only show how the story develops but also has a moral side to it. It presents the friendship between the main characters as the real high valued treasure.

The film has interesting dialogues and a lot of funny situations. The fight scenes are very well choreographed as it can be expected from a Jackie Chan film. There are some daring stunts that can stop one's breath and a car chase executed with perfection.

Overall, an action film that contains classy humour and nice fight scenes.

Uneven Jackie.

[gridoon · 6/10 · 21 October 2003]

"Armour of God" features incredible chase sequences, amazing stuntwork and creative use of various props in the fight scenes. The problem is with the "linking material", which is weak and sometimes even boring. So it's not the best film to start with if you've never seen a Jackie Chan movie before. Unfortunately, I watched the 88-minute version with the corny English dubbing - try to avoid that one if you can. (**1/2)

Operation Condor prequel

[FiendishDramaturgy · 8/10 · 20 January 2004]

Okay, I'm thoroughly confused.

The prequel was released in 1987, but the movie it prequelled was released in 1991? How? But okay, we must move on.

This is a fairly good movie, considering you can't tell whether it's supposed to prequel Operation Condor, or sequel it. On the box, it's billed as a prequel, but I must say it did feel more like a sequel, even though Jackie appears to be...younger...? I don't know, I'm still confused. But that not withstanding, this was a fun adventure with excellent martial arts, a good story, and some other nice elements.

The dialog was a bit stiff and unprofessional, but the story and the great action/martial arts sequences more than make up for that.

There were some very good landscape/skyline shots here, as well. The photography was well done, the copy I have is clean and clear, and the filmography was nicely done, giving you good, interesting angles and the like.

All in all, I did enjoy this production. Not was well as I did Operation Condor, but it was still quite enjoyable. Some elements were better in this than in the "original," but somehow it was not as fun, though the story was better here.

I dunno. I'm so conflicted. *LOL*

I've got to rate it an 8.0/10 from...

the Fiend :.

Quite surprising, but not particularly smooth...

[TheHande · 7/10 · 18 July 2006]

Armour of God delivers us classic Jackie with a few cool twists. This was made at a time when Jackie's forte was still fight-choreography though his specific style of comedy is also very much present. What surprised me the most is that Jackie is not the straight-forward good-guy like in most of his films (though it's hard to tell at times). The film does good in spite of its sometimes rather tacky humour.

What I love about this film is the honest 80s feeling if the plot is rather weird at times. Regardless, much of the film is excellent and Jackie fans are sure to love it.

Not the best in the bunch, but a swell classic.

The eight highlights of this immortal adventure/action prototype

[AndreiPavlov · 10/10 · 31 January 2007]

To me this movie remains the very first with Mr Jackie Chan chronologically. It has some pure magic of adventure and style. Being a child, could not believe my eyes when "Asian Hawk" was fighting a load of cult members and then - black women in close-fitting outfit. The movie has not become outdated. It's still alive and kicking.

One day "Operation Condor" was shown on our TV. Good, but nowhere near the original "Armour".

Being back on track, just want to add that "The Armour of God" is one solid outstanding piece of cinema with a few incredible highlights. Nothing like this can be found in any other film on this planet. Here they are.

1. Jackie fighting off a tribe of aboriginals and ruining their "sacrifice ceremony" (an insane riding down the green hills upon the shield included).

2. Cult members in black Arabian clothing with our good old kalashnikovs in their hands performing a kidnapping mission and shooting a reporter in the eye (right through the glasses). It all is backed up by some dance-pop and looks like a music video. Does it sound politically correct? 3. Jackie and his friend escaping the deadly car attack by driving off in a smart Mitsubishi gadget on wheels leaving a vast explosion behind.

4. Jackie starting an unforgettable fight with the evil monks in a spacious refectory. To me this scene is an absolute caprice. It just goes "bang!", "clank!", "dong!", "Aaaargh!", "sweeesh!", etc. The Jackie's kick that sends one of the cult leaders back in space on the knees and then still roundabout back on the floor in slow-mo is a touch of platinum.

5. Jackie communicating with some women that look like black acrobatic witches and sound like sirens. The communication goes with the help of fists, feet, knees, and high heels. To say that these women are queer is to say nothing.

6. Jackie talking some nihilistic trash about money and spitting out a chewing gum at the end of his fundamental speech.

7. Jackie blowing the whole in-rock "monastery" to pieces and flying from a cliff down onto a balloon (it looks so ridiculous and phoney but that's all right).

8. Music playing throughout the whole film and adding a special flavour: some hot rock tunes are in play during the chase scenes, some dance-pop goes off during the notorious kidnapping, a sweet melodramatic song sounds when the trio are travelling, and a highly energetic song ends it all with an optimistic touch.

This movie must be in top 10 among the best adventure/action flicks. Every single minute of this movie is hot and bombastic. It's a pity that Mr Jackie Chan was injured during the production and, suppose, could not unleash even more hysterical acts upon us.

10 out of 10. Thank you for attention.

Really slow middle saved by great fun fights

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 22 September 2013]

Jackie Chan is an Indiana Jones type adventurer. We first see him taking a sword from a primitive tribe. OK it could be seen as culturally insensitive, but let it go. Enjoy it for its fun. An evil organization of monks wants what's called the Armour of God. To get Jackie to search for the Armour, they kidnap an old friend played by Rosamund Kwan. Rosamund's boyfriend is Alan. Together with Jackie and Lola Forner, the three travel to find the Armour.

The middle is terribly slow. The jokes don't really work. Lola Forner is a stiff actress and has no chemistry with Jackie Chan. And they badly needed the chemistry to make any of it work. Luckily once they get to the monks' hideout. The action picks up again. Jackie has some fun playing with a big stick. It saves the movie from being a complete disaster.

Fun and fast

[Koceny · 8/10 · 14 May 2021]

This movie is so goofy and fun that it deserves high points just for that. Pure 80's entertainment.

Jackie meets Indy

[rutt13-1 · 7/10 · 20 June 2001]

A pretty cool "Raiders of the Lost Ark" type adventure, with some jaw-dropping stuntwork, and kung fu. Check out Jackie taking on those vicious black women near the film's finale!!!! I have to admit, some of it's really goofy, and parts are a touch slow, but it's the man! The villains are absolutely hilarious, and Alan Tam's pretty funny, plus, of course the ever-lovely Rosamund Kwan! Very enjoyable.

There are no bad Jackie Chan films but this one is not good either

[stamper · 5/10 · 19 November 2000]

This really is one of Chan's ‘worst' films, though it is still acceptable. There are of course a few fighting scenes, which by the way are not memorable. Further they are a few comedic element, but either they are too goofy or they are not so funny that you roll out on the floor laughing. These two ‘failures' of the film then show you how ‘bad' the script actually is and that was it, for my hope to watch a good film. The most memorable scenes in this film are the gum eating scenes. Everything in here is just OK, nothing more and I really felt while watching this film, that the directing Jackie Chan still had a lot to learn (something I cannot say of Operation Condor – Armour of God 2). While I am on the subject, if you have seen Operation Condor, do not watch this one, but if you have already seen this film, you must watch Operation Condor, for otherwise you will not believe how much more superior a second part can be.

5 out of 10