Asian cinema I recommend
I have been a fan of Asian cinema for a few years now. If, like me, you want to try something different to Hollywood, please check out the films in my list.
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- DirectorKwang-Hyun ParkStarsJeong Jae-yeongShin Ha-kyunKang Hye-jeongSoldiers from both sides of the Korean divide live among villagers who know nothing of the war.Titled "Welcome to Dongmakgol" when I saw it. A brilliant and unusual film - a mix of M*A*S*H and Brigadoon.
- DirectorErik MattiStarsPiolo PascualGerald AndersonJoel TorreInspired by a real-life scandal in which prison inmates are temporarily released from prison to work as contract killers on behalf of politicians and high ranking military officials.Filipino crime thriller set in a prison. Action packed and a strong story.
- DirectorAndrew LauAlan MakStarsAndy LauTony Leung Chiu-waiAnthony Chau-Sang WongA story between a mole in the police department and an undercover cop. Their objectives are the same: to find out who is the mole, and who is the cop.Amazing complex thriller. Real nail-biting story. This is the the best cop/gangster film I know. Re-made by Scorsese as The Departed. Two sequels that are just as good.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoKim Sang-kyungKim Roe-haIn a small Korean province in 1986, two detectives struggle with the case of multiple young women being found raped and murdered by an unknown culprit.If you just check out one film from this list make it this one. I can't describe how much I love this film. Made by the fantastic director Joon-ho Bong - see all of his films. He is brilliant.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoByun Hee-BongPark Hae-ilA monster emerges from Seoul's Han River and begins attacking people. One victim's loving family does what it can to rescue her from its clutches.Monster movie to end them all. Humour and thrills. Directed by Joon-ho Bong.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsKim Hye-jaWon BinJin GooA mother desperately searches for the killer who framed her son for a girl's horrific murder.Brilliant companion piece to Memories of Murder. Another film from the unsurpassable Joon-ho Bong.
- DirectorGareth EvansStarsIko UwaisAnanda GeorgeRay SahetapyA S.W.A.T. team becomes trapped in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs.Action all the way. Remade in Hollywood as Dredd!
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTatsuya NakadaiAkira TeraoJinpachi NezuIn Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.A beautiful and thrilling film from the superb Akira Kurosawa.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsChoi Min-sikYoo Ji-taeKang Hye-jeongAfter being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must track down his captor in five days.Had to be on this list.
- DirectorHideo NakataStarsNanako MatsushimaMiki NakataniYûko TakeuchiA reporter and her ex-husband investigate a cursed video tape that is rumored to kill the viewer seven days after watching it.Great scary supernatural.
- 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.Funny and gripping.
- DirectorTakeshi KitanoStarsTakeshi KitanoKippei ShînaRyô KaseThe boss of a major crime syndicate orders his lieutenant to bring a rogue gang of drug traffickers in line, a job that gets passed on to his long-suffering subordinate.Could have picked any number of Beat Takeshi films, but this Yakuza outing is a great place to start.
- DirectorNa Hong-jinStarsLee Yoo-miHa Jung-wooLee Hee-joonWhen the attempt to kill a professor goes wrong, a series of violent events are triggered which force a taxi driver to run for his life.Involving characters and packed with thrills. Made by a director I'm just getting into, Hong-jin Na.
- DirectorHan-min KimStarsChoi Min-sikRyu Seung-ryongCho Jin-woongAdmiral Yi Sun-sin faces a tough challenge when he is forced to defend his nation with just 13 battleships against 300 Japanese enemy ships in the Battle of Myeongryang.Epic historical war film.