Leofwine_draca
CONDORMAN is a SUPERMAN spoof tainted by association with Walt Disney. The Disney association means that this is a film with a scattershot approach, a mixture of highly dated special effects scenes with humour of the lowest and most obvious variety and a rather twee and 'safe' approach that means nobody really gets badly hurt or killed despite the preposterousness of the plot.Michael Crawford is an obvious choice for the stunt-heavy lead role. His work in SOME MOTHERS DO 'AVE 'EM has provided a template for him to perform various physical feats without the aid of a stuntman, and in that respect he doesn't disappoint. His grating American accent isn't the best, but then neither is Oliver Reed's Russian one. Speaking of Reed, he plays the villain of the piece, but is entirely distracting given the deep red colour of his skin throughout the production. He looks like he's about to blow a gasket any second.The plot is some Cold War nonsense in which Condorman and his pals go up against the might of the Russian empire. Aside from a few obvious Superman-inspired bits, this feels more like a James Bond spoof, with high speed car chases, exaggerated fight scenes, gadgets and the like. Sadly, it's all very cheesy and dated, and only fans of early '80s cinema are likely to get a kick out of it.
Andrew Goss
This was in the days before seat-back screens in airliners, "the" film was unavoidable. This one began with a bunch of people in an office talking, then, I think, some of them were somewhere else, talking. No laughs, no action, no clue as to why anyone should care about what comes next, and the production standards of an end-of-the-line "Murder She Wrote" after they moved it to New York. It did not help that I have never appreciated Crawford's acting, he gives me the creeps. If this was a kids' film why did it start off so slow and boring? Maybe the rest of it was better. I don't intend finding out. I'm glad so many people loved it, but there should be an "unsuitable for adults" classification for stuff like this.
MARIO GAUCI
Being a superhero flick made by Walt Disney Productions, one couldn’t expect the violent thrills associated with the genre – but, then, neither was it the kiddie-oriented fare I was dreading. In fact, it’s more espionage stuff (the narrative occurs in a variety of European locations) in clear imitation of the James Bond extravaganzas, complete with multi-purpose car, than outright fantasy (the hero is a mild-mannered cartoonist and the “Condorman” outfit emerges to be decidedly quaint, getting very little mileage into the bargain!).Still, it’s engaging and pleasant-looking for what it is – though the simplistic “Condorman” theme wouldn’t rank among famed composer Henry Mancini’s most memorable pieces. The cast enters gleefully into the absurd spirit of the thing: Michael Crawford as the unlikely hero; Barbara Carrera as a luscious defecting Russian agent (she would eventually feature in the “Odd Bond Out” of that series i.e. NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN [1983]); Oliver Reed, a bit glum but at least non-hammy as the chief villain; James Hampton as Crawford’s C.I.A. agent pal; Jean-Pierre Kalfon as Reed’s top henchman, a one-eyed menace; and Dana Elcar as the C.I.A. operative who unwittingly puts “Condorman” on the map.Typically, we get a number of disguises (at one point, both Crawford and Hampton don the garbs of Arab sheiks!), chases (on land and sea) and stunts (directed by the ubiquitous Remy Julienne) – not to mention romance (Crawford, of course, falls for Carrera and models his fictional “Laser Lady” character on her!). Incidentally, while we’re obviously not treated to an action prologue here like in the Bond films, we’re given an animated sequence instead – which is a nice way of acknowledging the film’s comic-strip aspect. Finally, I wouldn’t say that CONDORMAN is hilarious…but it does contain one good in-joke – a crack by Hampton that “not everyone in the C.I.A. is Robert Redford”, clearly a reference (and a very apt one given the title!) to that star’s own espionage venture THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1975).
johnd-64
One of the most talented actor's of his era stars in the lead role. Perhaps we could say that the other actors' were being given a chance. There was no lack of ambition in making the film. Some of the on-location scenes are truly stunning. Although the special effects are starting to appear dated they are none the less original and brilliant. The concept of the film is a cross between a comic book hero and a secret agent who failed O'Level spying. It has the humour of the Morecambe and Wise show and the special effects of an early Bond film. A worthy flick that will appeal to everyone from young to not-so-young. It contains humour, gadgets, one-liners and plenty of action and is certainly not as predictable as one might think.
AD
