Review: Condor’s Nest

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

Condor’s Nest
Directed by Phil Battenberger
MBG Films; Lost Galleon Films; Icon Film Distribution;
Voltage Pictures; Strike Media
102 minutes; 2023
www.facebook.com/condorsnestmovie/  
www.Strike-Media.com

German Nazis (as opposed to those who marched in Charlottesville and stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021) living in South America have long been a trope…well, at least since the end of World War II, anyway. It has come up in the likes of the book The Boys from Brazil (1976) by Ira Levin and the film that followed (1978), and a particularly gruesome pilot episode from the anthology show, “Night Gallery” (1969) called “Escape Route.”

To give a bit of a background, in the real world, the German Condor Legion was a mostly-air force unit of Nazis who fought in the Spanish Civil War in the mid-1930s (thank you Wikipedia). While this has no relation to this particular film, which was filmed in Greensboro, NC, it explains from where the name originated.

Jacob Keohane

Basically, this is an action revenge film. As the trailer shows, in the extended prologue, an American war plane shot down in hostile territory, runs into a group of classic ruthless Nazis, led by SS Colonel Bach (Arnold Vosloo, who played the title character in 1999’s The Mummy and its 2001 sequel, The Mummy Returns). He brutally has the US crew killed, mostly by his own gun, with a lone survivor,

The main crux of the story takes place in various locales in South America, including Argentina and Paraguay, ten years after the events in the prologue, as the sole survivor plane crash, Will Spaulding (Jacob Keohane) is on a one-man revenge mission to kidnap, torture, and kill as many escaped Nazis as he can find while searching for Bach.

Arnold Vosloo

On a psychological and socio-political level, he is so full of anger and thirsty for revenge, he does not realize that he has become what he is hunting, on some level. He is so compromised that he is willing to lie to save a Nazi, Albert Vogel (Al Pagano), from justice to gain information on his target, but cannot see the paradox. He is blinded by his hatred.

When he and Vogel joins forces with Israeli spy Leyna Rahn (Corinne Britti) who wants to bring atomic scientist Vogel to Jerusalem to hang, the search heats up. It also does not help that even the Germans are trying to kill Vogel before he gets to Russia, led by the vicious Fritz Ziegler (Jackson Rathbone, who was Jasper in the Twilight “saga”).

Corinne Britti

Various enemies become compadres is a well-used trope and this uses it multiple times. There is double cross after double cross throughout the story, as Will sets to get Bach, who is hanging out with Heinrich Himmler (James Urbaniak, who played Robert Crumb in 2003’s American Splendor) in said Condor’s Nest, which obviously takes up Act 3 (you do not need a fortune teller or psychic to know this, or even a spoiler notice, as it is in the damn title, fer chrissake).

Held up in the Condor’s Nest (a really nice chateau) is an elite bunch of head Nazi’s planning the Fourth Reich, led by Himmler. Actually, the historical Himmler supposedly died in Europe and never made it to South America, but it works for the story, so why not, right? I mean, they said the same about Adolf, and he was “killed” in Inglorious Basterds (2009); poetic license is a beautiful thing.

Al Pagano

There is the high-action conclusion that is reminiscent of a Rambo film, or something with Schwarzenegger, or perhaps out of The Dirty Dozen (1967), a film I thoroughly enjoyed as a young’n. The film is full of violence, especially gunfire, but surprisingly very little blood nor, it seems, South American characters.

What it does have, however, is lots of cameos that include Jorge Garcia (who will always be remembered for “Lost”) as a bartender, Michael Ironside (1981’s Scanners, 1997s Starship Troopers, and so many great others), and Bruce Davison (1971’s Willard and the X-Men franchise). Even Vosloo’s role can be considered one, though he is one of the main foci of the storyline.

Bruce Davison (right)

Many social and political issues are brought up, such as a hatred for Jews, and the effects of revenge on both the revenger and the revengee, with the border between them a gray area (yes, they even use the cliché – and I’m paraphrasing – “We’re not so different, you and me”). Along with the action, this look at a culture of hatred, especially in the present political times, is also well handled. There is also a nice touch of Germanic mysticism and eugenics.

The scenery is stunning, from impoverished surroundings and historic buildings, to natural wonders likes rivers and forests. Even Peru’s Machu Picchu makes a brief appearance.

The actors are all on their A game, though Davison seems almost uncomfortable wearing the swastika armband, which I respect. I have to admit, I would have loved to hear him yell, “Tear ‘em up!” even if it was in German.

As for the director, Phil Battenberger specializes in war films, from the Civil War (the upcoming Without Consequence through Vietnam (Point Man in 2018). He handles conflict in interesting ways that makes the story compelling here, and keeps the interest without being over the top.

Condor’s Nest is available on iTunes, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Microsoft Store, Rakuten TV and Sky Store, and on disc in April.

IMDB listing HERE