It shouldn’t be forgotten that Ernesto Diaz Espinoza’s new martial arts action adventure, Fist Of The Condor, remains up in the air as a concept to drive an even bigger story beyond the current movie that now exists. Indeed I think it would be the dopest thing to see a full-on trilogy or franchise of some sort stemming from the concepts at play here, and I say this not yet having seen the film since it began its festival run earlier this year.
Upon the empire’s fall to invading conquistadors, the 16th-century Incas quickly concealed a sacred manual containing the secrets behind their deadly fighting technique. But after centuries of careful safeguarding, the manual is again at risk of falling into the wrong hands, leaving its rightful guardian to battle the world’s greatest assassins to protect the ancient secrets within.
That’s the wind-up-and-the-pitch right out of genre staple Well Go USA who announced their acquisition of the pic. And not for nothing either, as the logline above not only lends a great deal of detail for the story that we haven’t read before from previous news outlets or notes, but also speaks directly to lead action star Marko Zaror’s own motivations as a martial artist and the founder of his own health beverage company, Ki-Way. His statement below as reported from Screenrant’s Brad Curran:
“This film represents my own journey as a martial artist to a great extent, particularly the winding but necessary path to overcoming my own perceived limits through the process of trial and error—and a great deal of introspection and perseverance…The story itself arose from delving into diverse approaches to nutrition, personal philosophy and training, as well as a personal desire to create a well-executed kung fu movie that also reverently portrays Latin American culture and values on-screen.”
As reported last month, Fist Of The Condor is launching its screening series as part of the Alamo Drafthouse Fantastic Fest Presents series starting next month; Folks in the tri-state area can catch the film at the Alamo Drafthouse theaters in Manhattan and Staten Island on April 4 and April 5 with Zaror in attendance for Q&As with audience members, followed by a subsequent rollout on Well Go USA’s Hi-YAH! platform beginning April 7.
With all that aside, the official trailer is finally here, and it’s everything we could want and possibly more. It’s Zaror in his element, in an epic story full of the stuff that we love if you’re a reader of this or any other zine that engages martial arts fandom. I advise rewatching Kiltro or Redeemer to bide your time, or even The Green Ghost or Mirage Man…or even John Wick: Chapter 4 when it comes out. Whatever you fancy!
29 days and counting…
