Essential Asian Films
New Chinese Wave, Hong Kong action and martial arts, Korean thrillers etc
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- DirectorRingo LamStarsChow Yun-FatYueh SunDanny LeeAn undercover cop infiltrates a gang of thieves who plan to rob a jewelry store.
- DirectorLee Jeong-beomStarsWon BinKim Sae-ronKim Tae-hoonA quiet pawnshop keeper with a violent past takes on a drug-and-organ trafficking ring in hope of saving the child who is his only friend.
- DirectorJung Doo HongJee-woon KimStarsLee Byung-hunShin Min-aKim Yeong-cheolThings go wrong for a high ranking mobster when he doesn't follow his boss's orders.
- DirectorJackie ChanChi-Hwa ChenStarsJackie ChanMaggie CheungBrigitte LinA virtuous Hong Kong Police Officer must clear his good name when the drug lord he is after frames him for the murder of a dirty cop.
- DirectorStanley TongStarsJackie ChanJackson LouAnnie WuThis fourth installment of Chan's Police Story film franchise has our hero trying to locate a missing nuclear warhead.
- DirectorStanley TongStarsJackie ChanMichelle YeohMaggie CheungA Hong Kong detective teams up with his female Red Chinese counterpart to stop a Chinese drug czar.
- DirectorJackie ChanStarsJackie ChanMaggie CheungKwok-Hung LamThe Hong Kong supercop must stop a group of blackmailing bombers, while the villains of Police Story (1985) are out for revenge.
- DirectorPrachya PinkaewStarsTony JaaPhetthai VongkumlaoPumwaree YodkamolWhen the head of a statue sacred to a village is stolen, a young martial artist goes to the big city and finds himself taking on the underworld to retrieve it.
- DirectorTony JaaPanna RittikraiStarsTony JaaSarunyu WongkrachangSorapong ChatreeA young Thai boxer learns the skills and inner meaning of martial arts.
- DirectorTony JaaPanna RittikraiStarsTony JaaDan ChupongSarunyu WongkrachangContinuing from Ong Bak 2's 1440s, Prince Tien fails to revenge his parents' murder by the evil new ruler. The beaten Tien is rescued. Can he bring peace to the kingdom?
- DirectorJackie ChanEric TsangStarsJackie ChanAlan TamLola FornerAsian Hawk (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.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsLeslie CheungChow Yun-FatLung TiA restauranteur teams up with a police officer and his ex-con brother to avenge the death of a friend's daughter.
- DirectorHark TsuiStarsChow Yun-FatTony Ka Fai LeungAnita MuiA man travels from China to Vietnam, on the brink of war with America, to retrieve his uncle and cousin but find complications when he falls in love with a female gangster with a dangerous ex.
- DirectorSoi CheangStarsTony JaaJing WuSimon YamWhile undercover officer Kit is taken prisoner by the syndicate, he befriends his keeper and discovers an organ trafficking ring.
- DirectorKing HuStarsPei-Pei ChengHua YuehChih-Ching YangBandits kidnap a governor's son and demand their imprisoned leader to be set free in exchange. The governor's daughter, a skilled martial artist, is sent to rescue him, but eventually finds herself overmatched and in need of assistance.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsTao-Liang TanJames TienJackie ChanA survivor of an attack on a rebel group opposing the Manchu invasion of China creates the Goose Fist fighting technique and tries for revenge on a traitor.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsPai WeiDamian LauKong LauA son tries to avenge his father, and gets two sword fighters to help him.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsJean-Claude Van DammeLance HenriksenYancy ButlerA woman hires a drifter as her guide through New Orleans in search of her missing father. In the process, they discover a deadly game of cat and mouse behind his disappearance.
- DirectorKing-wai CheungStarsStephy TangRachel LeungZeno KooAngela is a cop in charge of the murder of a married couple. Her father, who suffers dementia, has always been a pain in her neck. Sensitive from pregnancy, Angela discovers strange aspects of the murder while investigating Connie, a high school girl who turns herself in. Connie, born with a heart defect, is close with Eric, her gay classmate. Upset by her violent, perverted father and indifferent mother, Connie conspired with Eric to commit the crime. With Angela's crises-her husband, and her father with Alzheimer's-at its core, the film follows Connie's testimony on the shocking murder. The film resembles a documentary, rather than crime or detective movie, as it reenacts what has happened bluntly and faithfully. It is probably due to the director's background in documentary film. The opening sequences from the distant view of Hong Kong to a lone old man lost in the streets, and the dark and gloomy flashbacks from Connie's testimony read as the sentiment of today's Hong Kong.
- DirectorTsai Ming-liangStarsKang-sheng LeeKuei-Mei YangYi-ching LuAn alcoholic man and his two young children barely survive in Taipei. They cross path with a lonely grocery clerk who might help them make a better life.
- DirectorKiyoshi KurosawaStarsMasato HagiwaraKoji YakushoTsuyoshi UjikiA frustrated detective deals with the case of several gruesome murders committed by people who have no recollection of what they've done.
- DirectorHideo NakataStarsHitomi KurokiRio KannoMirei OguchiA mother and her 6-year-old daughter move into a creepy apartment whose every surface is permeated by water.
- DirectorTsai Ming-liangStarsChen Chao-jungKang-sheng LeeKuei-Mei YangThree lonely young denizens of Taipei unknowingly share an apartment used for sexual trysts.
- DirectorFelix ChongStarsChow Yun-FatAaron KwokJingchu ZhangHong Kong police are hunting a counterfeiting gang led by a mastermind code-named "Painter". In order to crack this true identity, the police recruit gang member Lee Man to unmask "Painter's" secret identity.
- DirectorHong Sang-sooStarsPark Choong-seonKim Eui-sungJo Eun SookAbout desires and lives of four characters in diverse circumstances. A poor novelist, a cheating wife, a mysophobic husband and a ticket girl.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsLee Yeong-aeLee Byung-hunSong Kang-hoAfter a shooting incident at the North-South Korean border DMZ leaves two North Korean soldiers dead, a neutral Swiss and Swedish team investigates what actually happened.
- DirectorHun JangStarsSong Kang-hoThomas KretschmannYoo Hae-jinA widowed father and taxi driver who drives a German reporter from Seoul to Gwangju to cover the 1980 uprising, soon finds himself regretting his decision after being caught in the violence around him.
- DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsJeon Do-yeonSong Kang-hoLee Dong-yongA woman moves to the town where her dead husband was born. As she tries to fit in, another tragic event overturns her life.
- DirectorKang Je-kyuStarsHan Suk-kyuChoi Min-sikYunjin KimSouth Korean agents Ryu and Lee are tracking a female assassin from North Korea who has mysteriously disappeared. With new killings and the theft of a deadly bomb, time is running out to catch her.
- DirectorJee-woon KimStarsLee Byung-hunGong YooSong Kang-hoKorean resistance fighters smuggle explosives to destroy facilities controlled by Japanese forces in this period action thriller.
- DirectorEric ValetteStarsEdward BurnsShannyn SossamonAna Claudia TalancónSeveral people start receiving voice-mails from their future selves - messages which include the date, time, and some of the details of their deaths.
- DirectorKim Seong-hunStarsLee Sun-kyunCho Jin-woongJeong Man-sikAfter trying to cover up a car accident that left a man dead, a crooked homicide detective is stalked by a mysterious man claiming to have witnessed the event.
- DirectorJohnnie ToStarsLouis KooSuet LamTony Ka Fai LeungRival gang leaders are locked in a struggle to become the new chairman of Hong Kong's Triad society.
- DirectorLee Sang-geunStarsJo Jung-SukIm Yoon-ahKo Du-shimA rock climber tries to save the day when a mysterious white gas envelops an entire district in Seoul, South Korea.
- DirectorHan Jae-rimStarsSong Kang-hoLee Jung-jaeBaek Yun-shikAbout Nae-kyung who is able to assess the personality, mental state and habits of a person by looking at his face. Because of his abilities, he gets involved in a power struggle between Prince Sooyang and Kim Jong-Seo.
- DirectorIm Kwon-taekStarsChoi Min-sikAhn Sung-kiYoo Ho-jeongIn a time of political and social unrest in nineteenth-century Korea, an uncouth, self-taught painter explores his natural talent amidst the repressive world around him.
- DirectorJingle MaStarsTony Leung Chiu-waiCung LeJeeJa YaninThe rivalry between two bounty hunters intensifies as they both attempt to track down a destructive device known as the "Hand of God."
- DirectorYunsung KangStarsKim Rae-wonWon Jin-ahJin Seon-kyuJang Se Chool is the boss of a gang. He has been in love with Kang So Hyun for the past 3 years, even though she constantly rejects him and tries to push him away. Having had enough, she tells him that she can't be with him because she wants to be the first lady of Korea.
- DirectorKim Yoon-seokStarsYum Jung-ahKim So-jinKim Hye-junTwo teenage girls struggle through their dysfunctional parents' affair.
- DirectorCheuk Pan LeeStarsHanna ChanSabrina CheungCeci ChuiWhen the paths of a gifted female student, a cellist, an autistic teenager, a police officer, a prostitute, a teacher and a dog are entwined the very night a human head is discovered, attempting to crack the intriguing case leads to keywords all starting with the letter 'G'. As the investigation continues, the complexity of the lives of Hong Kong people, the desperation faced by both locals and immigrants living in Hong Kong today are slowly uncovered and a suspenseful multifarious Hong Kong story is revealed.
- DirectorNoo-ri ParkStarsRyu Jun-yeolYoo Ji-taeJo Woo-jinGet caught up in the tale of a new stock broker who dreams of becoming rich. Those dreams make him susceptible to a stock market scam that threatens to get him in trouble.
- DirectorHong Sang-sooStarsKim Tae-wooUhm Ji-wonGo Hyun-jungDelightfully comic exploration of the emotional and social geography of an art-house film director.
- DirectorYoon Jong-binStarsHa Jung-wooGang Dong-wonLee Sung-minA period action film centered on a militia group who turn against an unjust nobility.
- DirectorLok Man LeungKim-Ching LukStarsAaron KwokTony Ka Fai LeungCharlie YeungThe police department has long been untouchable until tonight when hijackers kidnap 5 highly trained officers. Cryptic messages from the hijackers expose a mole within the task force.
- DirectorPatrick TamStarsAaron KwokCharlie YeungIan Iskandar GouwAfter his mother flees the family home, a son turns to thieving in order to support his father, an abusive sort who is addicted to gambling.
- DirectorPhilip YungStarsAaron KwokJessie LiMichael NingHuman nature begins where truth ends Welcome to the murder without a body
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsTatsuya NakadaiAkira IshihamaShima IwashitaWhen a ronin requesting seppuku at a feudal lord's palace is told of the brutal suicide of another ronin who previously visited, he reveals how their pasts are intertwined - and in doing so challenges the clan's integrity.
- DirectorKihachi OkamotoStarsTatsuya NakadaiMichiyo AratamaYûzô KayamaThrough his unconscionable actions against others, a sociopath samurai builds a trail of vendettas that follow him closely.
- DirectorHsiao-Hsien HouStarsShu QiJack KaoChun-hao TuanThe ethereally beautiful Vicky recalls her romances with Hao Hao and Jack in the neon-lit clubs of Taipei.
- DirectorXue BaiStarsYao HuangSunny SunCarmen SoupStudying in Hong Kong but living in Shenzhen (the port city of Mainland China), Peipei has spent 16 years in her life travelling between these two cities. To realize the dream of seeing snow in Japan with her bestie, Peipei joins a smuggling gang and uses her student identity to smuggle iPhones from Hong Kong to Mainland. Her family life and friendships begin to fall apart. The daily life of Peipei starts to get out of control.
- DirectorHark TsuiStarsJoey WangMaggie CheungWenzhuo ZhaoTwo snake spirits become human and learn about love and suffering. A monk discovers his own weaknesses and finds that morality is not as simple as he had thought.
- DirectorYoon Ga-eunStarsKim Na-yeonKim Si-AhJoo Ye-rimA girl from a troubled family befriends two younger girls and begins to feel a sense of normalcy as they go adventuring at the seaside.
- DirectorWon Shin-yeonStarsYoo Hae-jinRyu Jun-yeolJo Woo-jinOver a 4 day period, a fierce battle takes place between Korean independence militias and imperialist Japanese forces in Manchuria, China. The militia includes a master swordsman and an expert marksman.
- DirectorBora KimStarsPark Ji-huKim Sae-byeokJeong In-giSeoul 1994, in the year the Seongsu Bridge collapsed, 14-year-old Eunhee wanders the city searching for love.
- DirectorJung Ji-wooStarsKim Go-eunJung Hae-inPark Hae-joonIn 1994 during the IMF crisis, two people meet while exchanging stories on a radio program. They fall in love, but can't quite seem to get the timing right.
- DirectorSang-Hyo YookStarsShin Ha-kyunLee Kwang-sooEsomSe-Ha is intelligent, but confined to a wheelchair, while Dong-Goo is tall and athletic, but has a mental age of 5. Although not blood-related, Se-Ha and Dong-Goo navigate their way through life by filling in for each other's shortcomings.
- DirectorSeung-wan HongStarsMoon So-riPark Hyung-sikJo Soo-hyang"The Juror" is about the justification of a court of jurors who discuss an unexpected event.
- DirectorJoo-hwan KimStarsPark Seo-joonAhn Sung-kiWoo Do-HwanAn MMA fighter helps an exorcist fight evil.
- DirectorHideo NakataStarsRin AsukaShin'ya HamadaAiri MatsuyamaWhen Kyoko was a child her stepfather sexually abused her. She took refuge in the world of fantasy and multiple personalities. Kyoko has three flat-mates now one of whom is a lesbian who is into Kyoko. In turn, Kyoko is beginning to be horny. Unfortunately, this is not helping Kyoko's precarious mental state.
- DirectorMari AsatoStarsKen'ichi AbeKengo KôraYûgo MikawaNaoto was ignored by other people. During his school days, Chihiro was the first person who called his name. Naoto dreams of seeing her again and tries to find her. Finally, after 11 years, he locates her, but she is a totally different person now. Naoto becomes obsessed with her. Naoto sneaks into her house and stays under her bed.
- DirectorJung-Wook KoStarsKim FeelJung Hae-kyunJeong Hee-tae"The Culprit" is about a man named Yeong-hoon who tracks his wife's killer and the tale of his search for justice.
- DirectorShôgo FuruyaSatoshi KonStarsTôru EmoriYoshiaki UmegakiAya OkamotoOn Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo discover a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.
- DirectorShun'ya ItôStarsMeiko KajiRie YokoyamaYayoi WatanabeAfter being used and betrayed by the detective she had fallen in love with, young Matsu is sent to a female prison full of sadistic guards and disobedient prisoners.
- DirectorTakashi ShimizuStarsYûkaKarinaKippei ShînaA Japanese actress begins having strange visions and experiences after landing a role in a horror film about a real-life murder spree that took place over forty years ago.
- DirectorFruit ChanPark Chan-wookTakashi MiikeStarsBai LingLee Byung-hunKyoko HasegawaAn Asian cross-cultural trilogy of horror films from accomplished indie directors.
- DirectorBanjong PisanthanakunParkpoom WongpoomStarsAnanda EveringhamNatthaweeranuch ThongmeeAchita SikamanaA young photographer and his girlfriend discover mysterious shadows in their photographs after a tragic accident. They soon learn that you can not escape your past.
- DirectorKim Ki-youngStarsKim Jin-kyuJeung-nyeo JuEun-shim LeeA composer and his wife are thrown into turmoil when a housemaid becomes more than they bargained for.
- DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsYun Jeong-hieLee Da-witKim Hee-raA sixty-something woman, faced with the discovery of a heinous family crime and in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, finds strength and purpose when she enrolls in a poetry class.
- DirectorChan-ok ParkStarsKim Bo-kyungLee Bong-gyuLee Dae-yeonTeenager Eun-mo suspects her brother-in-law is responsible for her sister's death. Perhaps more unbearable than her grief and anger is the irreconcilable love she feels for him.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsKim Ki-dukOh Yeong-suJong-ho KimA boy is raised by a Buddhist monk in an isolated floating temple where the years pass like the seasons.
- DirectorJeong-hyang LeeStarsYoo Seung-hoEul-boon KimHyo-hee DongThis is the story of a 7-year-old boy, Sang-woo, born and raised in the big city, and his mute grandmother, who has spent her whole life in a small rural village.
- DirectorKi-hyeong ParkStarsKim Gyu-riYun Ji-hyePark Jin-heeIn a Korean school, students are regularly beaten and mistreated by their teachers. However, the spirit of one pupil, who died ten years ago, periodically returns in the guise of a new girl, thus able to gain a revenge on the culprits.
- DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsSol Kyung-guKim Yeo-jinMoon So-riFollowing a man's suicide, time traverses back to reveal six chapters of his life on why he committed suicide.
- DirectorJae-eun JeongStarsBae DoonaLee Yo-wonOk Ji-youngIn the port city of Icheon, five female friends struggle to stay close while forging a life for themselves after high school. When one of the group, upwardly-mobile Hae-ju, moves to Seoul, the other girls deal with the loss in different ways. Feeling most rejected, shy Ji-yeong finds comfort in her new friendship with rebel Tae-hee.
- DirectorYoung-seok NohStarsSong Sam-dongSang-yeop YukKang-hee KimHyuk-Jin has just broken up with his girlfriend and decides to take a trip to Jeongseon in the province of Gangwon-do. The next day, his friends are too hung over to get up, so Hyuk-Jin makes his way to his destination alone. A trip of opportunity takes a cruel and unexpected turn as misunderstanding and crossed paths occur over and over again.
- DirectorRyûsuke HamaguchiStarsSachie TanakaHazuki KikuchiMaiko MiharaA slow-burning epic chronicling the emotional journey of four thirty something women in the misty seaside city of Kobe.
- DirectorYoon Ga-eunStarsChoi Soo-inHye-in SeolSeo-Yeon LeeA bullied girl becomes friends with a new kid during a break, but when classes start up again, their new friendship is nearly ruined when the bullying continues.
- DirectorYoon Ga-eunStarsKim Na-yeonKim Si-AhJoo Ye-rimA girl from a troubled family befriends two younger girls and begins to feel a sense of normalcy as they go adventuring at the seaside.
- DirectorEdward YangStarsNien-Jen WuElaine JinIssei OgataEach member of a middle-class Taipei family seeks to reconcile past and present relationships within their daily lives.
- DirectorIshirô HondaTom MontgomeryStarsTadao TakashimaKenji SaharaYû FujikiA UN reporter covers the appearance of a prehistoric monster that emerges from hibernation, while a pharmaceutical company seeks publicity with a monster of their own.
- DirectorIshirô HondaJun FukudaStarsAkira KuboJun TazakiYukiko KobayashiIn 1999, a race of she-aliens, the Kilaaks, brainwash Earth's monsters into attacking major cities, prompting a team of astronauts to stop the invaders while the monsters battle Ghidorah.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsAkira TakaradaYuriko HoshiHiroshi KoizumiWhen entrepreneurs refuse to return Mothra's egg to Infant Island, its people must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help when Godzilla arises near Nagoya.
- DirectorShôhei ImamuraStarsKen OgataRentarô MikuniChôchô MiyakoChronological exploits of Iwao Enokizu, a murderous thief on the run.
- DirectorHsiao-Hsien HouStarsTony Leung Chiu-waiShu-Fen HsinSung-Young ChenThe story of a family embroiled in the "White Terror" that was wrought on the Taiwanese people by the Kuomintang government after their arrival from mainland China in the late 1940s.
- DirectorKim Ki-youngStarsKim Jin-kyuJeung-nyeo JuYe-chun LeePrior to the adoption of Confucianism, it was the tradition to abandon one's parents on a mountainside if they were over 70 years of age. In the ancient kingdom of Goryeo, now modern Korea, a nobleman defies this tradition when he refuses to leave his mother to starve to death.
- DirectorHa Gil-jongStarsNam-hyeon ChoiKim Hee-raHa Jae-YoungThe story is set in the 1970s during the period of military dictatorship. Schools were frequently closed down and society seemed to face bleak prospects on all fronts. Nonetheless, Byung Tae, a college student, enjoys pursuing romance at group "meetings" or blins dates. It is during one of these ventures that he meets Young-ja, a French Literature student.
- DirectorKim Ki-youngStarsWon NamkungGye-hyeon JeonYoun Yuh-jungThe lives of a composer and his wife, who live on a chicken farm, are thrown into turmoil when a femme fatale joins their household.
- DirectorKim Ki-youngStarsJeon Moo-songYeong-hie NaJi-mee KimThis is a remake of the classic "The Housemaid" (aka Hayo). This time it takes place on a chicken farm run by the wife. This gives a new animal horror to add to Kim's trademark rats (see The Insect Woman). Kim also gives the philandering husband a clock fetish. Before he has sex with the maid for the first time, he winds up a wall of clocks. These chime the hour in a cacophonous crescendo that matches the pace of their sexual passion. As in the first movie, most of the characters are murdered or commit suicide, including the children.
- DirectorKim Ki-youngStarsJeong-il LeeJi-mee KimAm ParkA suicidal woman recalls her memories of sexual abuse while on a train ride. On route, she meets a man who may be the key to finding a reason to live.
- DirectorKim Ki-youngStarsSam-hwa KimYong-su JoAm ParkTwo lovers are forced into suicide as the only way to maintain their forbidden love.
- DirectorKim Ki-youngStarsHwa-shi LeeJeong-cheol KimYun-seok ChoiAn investor planning on developing a tourist resort begins an investigation into the legends of the mysterious Io Island in the hope of exploiting its unspoiled beauty.
- DirectorLee Man-heeStarsJeong-suk MoonKim Jin-kyuSeong-ja BangA man wants to leave his mistress so he can marry the daughter of the director of the hospital. However, complications ensue and the devil in this man is released.
- DirectorYong-Gyu YoonStarsKi-jong ByeonHeon-yong OhSeung-min NamDo-seong is a child monk who lives at a small mountain temple with the head monk, learning the teachings of Buddha. He becomes attached to a young widow who comes to pray at the temple, and the childless widow entreats the head monk to let her raise Do-seong as her own son.
- DirectorKang-cheon LeeStarsKyeong-hie NoYe-chun LeeKim Jin-kyuA group of communist guerillas encounter jealousy and rivalry among themselves because of the presence of the female compatriot while one of their members plots to desert their band
- DirectorShin Sang-okStarsHak KimChoi Eun-hieHae-won JoA country bumpkin (Dong-shik) goes to Seoul in order to bring his older brother (Young-shik)back to the country. Little does he know Young-shik is a petty crook involved with a prostitute (Sonia) who is servicing American GIs. Then Sonia comes onto Dong-shik...
- DirectorKang Dae-jinStarsSeung-ho KimShin Yeong-gyunJeong-sun HwangA man tries to raise his two sons and two daughters under some of the most adverse conditions known to man. The father operates a horse-drawn cart, but in a city that is modernizing after the destruction of the Korean War, automobiles are making carts obsolete. The children are experiencing difficulties as well. The eldest son has flunked the bar exam twice and is not hopeful of passing it a third time to become a lawyer. The eldest daughter is mute and married to an abusive husband. The younger daughter tries to pose as a rich university student to move up in life. The youngest son has a penchant for petty theft.
- DirectorHong Eun-wonStarsAeng-ran EomJeong-sun HwangSeok-hun KimA husband is jealous because his wife is a judge, an occupation high on the social ladder. His stepmother harasses the judge, using his jealousy against her. And his sister also has no intention to give peace to her sister-in-law. But the judge tries her best to do her two duties as a judge and as a wife.
- DirectorKim Soo-yongStarsSeung-ho KimJeong-sun HwangJi-mee KimThe story takes place on a mountain slope where defectors from North Korea live. These families have a serious gap between the parents and their children.
- DirectorLee Man-heeLee Man-Hee-IStarsKim Eun-OkAn Eun-SukKim Gyeong-RaTwo lovers face a bleak future in 1960s Seoul.