Asian Movies

[LeftEyeNine]

I'm the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Zatoichi, Hero type asian movie fan. I just drool while watching those movies with epic setting and twisted scenarios; action is not a must but doubles the fun.

I have watched -other than the three above- Fearless, Seven Swords, The Curse Of The Golden Flower.

Is there any I have missed regarding my taste in Asian movies ? Suggestions please.

[Fragony]

Not really the same type, 'Oldboy' is a great movie with a deliciously twisted story. My favorite asian movie is probably 'In the mood for love'. It has a level of tranquility western movies can't touch.

[LeftEyeNine]

I had seen "Oldboy", I agree on its supremacy.

[Fragony]

If you can handle the violence in Oldboy you should watch 'Audition'. 'Battle Royale' is good as well. Both are a bit too mean and violent for my liking but can't deny their brilliance.

[LeftEyeNine]

I'm not senseless against gore. Thanks anyway.

[Fragony]

Not so much the gore, but especially battle royale is relentlessly cruel. It's a fascinating movie but I am a total wuss for cruelty.

[Pannonian]

Emperor and the Assassin is the story of Jing Ke, who attempts to assassinate the King of Qin. House of Flying Daggers has a mouthwatering setpiece right at the beginning, and some good ones later. There's also Akira Kurosawa's oeuvre, such as Ran and Kagemusha.

[Geoffrey S]

Oh yeah, Ran is in my humble opinion easily the best movie ever made. There's something there for everyone, and particularly those who enjoy great movies.

[Moros]

Well you've got that trilogy of Yoji Yamada. They're all about the way of life in the 1860's of samurai. It's however not combat or spectacular fights that are central to this movie, rather the live and stuff.
but they're good films, they just are more about culture than blood.

[LeftEyeNine]

I just drool while watching those movies with epic setting and twisted scenarios; action is not a must but doubles the fun.

[Puzz3D]

I'm the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Zatoichi, Hero type asian movie fan.

Definitely, as already recommended by Pannonian, see House of Flying Daggers (2004).
I would also recommend:
Musa The Warrior (2001)
The Water Margin (1972) (124 minute restored version)
Tai ji: Zhang San Feng (1993).

[Conradus]

I certainly recommend House of Flying Daggers (also with the delicious Ziyi Zhang)

And more recently: The Banquet. Though certainly not as good as Hero or Crouching tiger, it has a surreal opening scene, Ziyi Zhang and resembles Hamlet.

[LeftEyeNine]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I know of House of Flying Daggers too.

What about The Banquet? Is it any action? Modern or classic setting ?

[Papewaio]

House of Flying Daggers has to have the worst ending I have seen. More like a WWE bout then anything great. Takeshi really could have done much better for starters. Most of the theater I was in was chuckling along the whole movie at the word play... but most groaned at the ending.

The biggest fantasy in Chinese fantasy movies is that the guy and girl hardly ever do get together. And this from the most populace country in the world...

[GeneralHankerchief]

I'm definitely going to recommend Siu nin Wong Fei Hung ji: Tit Ma Lau, AKA "Iron Monkey" as it is known in English.

The best fight scenes I have ever seen, and while most of the action takes place within the confines of a mid-1800s Chinese town, the action just gets better and better, leading up to the epic final showdown.

[Pannonian]

House of Flying Daggers has to have the worst ending I have seen. More like a WWE bout then anything great. Takeshi really could have done much better for starters. Most of the theater I was in was chuckling along the whole movie at the word play... but most groaned at the ending.

The biggest fantasy in Chinese fantasy movies is that the guy and girl hardly ever do get together. And this from the most populace country in the world...

The archetypal story of that type is Butterfly Lovers, of which Tsui Hark has made an adaptation. However, filmwise, Tsui Hark's and Ching Siu-Tung's Chinese Ghost Story is better known and received.

[Geoffrey S]

I'm definitely going to recommend Siu nin Wong Fei Hung ji: Tit Ma Lau, AKA "Iron Monkey" as it is known in English.

The best fight scenes I have ever seen, and while most of the action takes place within the confines of a mid-1800s Chinese town, the action just gets better and better, leading up to the epic final showdown.

Agreed. Love the bit at the end, saw it when I was quite young and was very impressed.

[Quirinus]

I'm more a fan of Hong Kong-produced films-- my personal favourite is Infernal Affairs, which was adapted by Martin Scorsese as The Departed. I still like the original far more, though. The recent Confession of Pain was pretty good too.

Lust, Caution and 2046 were interesting, and good in a different way from the first two titles I mentioned.

If you notice a similarity in the above movies, it's Tony Leung Chiu Wai. I'm a big fan of his work. He is IMO one of the most talented actors in Asia today. That guy is a chameleon-- he slips between different roles easily. Whether he's playing the suave playboy or a ragged, psychologically-unstable mole, his depiction is flawless, and he oozes charisma.

[Conradus]

What about The Banquet? Is it any action? Modern or classic setting ?

Setting in some ancient empire of China (think Hero or Crouching tiger)
The heir to the throne is in love with a girl (Ziyi Zhang) but the emperor marries her instead. The heir retreats into his art (acting). When his father dies, his uncle usurps the throne and also marries the empress. He wants his nephew dead and sends assassins. The empress warns him so he can escape and then he goes to the court. From then on it's almost like Hamlet, including a 'play in a play'.
It's a classic setting and there's some action, it only takes up a quarter or less of the movie. Found it very amusing, but might not be worth its full price.

[Geoffrey S]

Oh, and do look for The Host. Charming Korean creature movie, loved the quirky thing.

[Puzz3D]

Japanese samurai films all of which except one are available for rent through Netflix if you live in the USA:

The Seven Samurai (1954) would have to top the list of classics. It set the standard for all subsequent Samurai films. The restored version is 207 minutes.

Other Arika Kurosawa samurai films which are all excellent:

Rashomon (1950) a crime drama about perception of events.
Throne of Blood (1957) Kurosawa's take on Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Hidden Fortress (1958) a tale of adventure.
Yojimbo (1961) a ronin samurai plays both sides of feuding clans aganst each other.
Sanjuro (1962) a ronin samurai uses his skill to correct wrongdoing in this action/comedy adventure.
Kagemusha (1980) is about how the clan handled Takeda Shingen's death. (180 minutes restored version)
Ran (1985) Kurosawa's take on Shakespeare's King Lear. Get the Criterion Edition or the Fox Lorber Masterworks Edition. Avoid the earlier (1998) poor video quality Fox Lorber release.

Some other Samurai films I've seen which I think are very good:

Samurai I, II, III (1954, 1955, 1956) are about Musashi Miyamoto.
Harakiri (1962) is about the cruelty of the feudal code towards samurai in peacetime.
Sword of Doom (1966) is about a samurai who rejects the new social values as the samurai social class declines. It was supposed to be a trilogy, but parts 2 and 3 were never filmed.
Samurai Rebellion (1967) is about a samurai father and son who defy a request of their clan's daimyo involving the son's wife.
Samurai Banners (1969) is historical fiction about one of Takeda Shingen's generals, Kansuke Yamamoto. The various clan banners depicted are all historically accurate.
Shinsengumi (1969) is a highly accurate retelling of a few ronin samurai who train about 300 students for the purpose of protecting the Shogun in his conflict with the Emperor during the final years (1863-1868) of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Goyokin (1969) classic tale of revenge. The new DVD from Media Blasters has poorly done english subtitles, but good video quality. The final showdown in this movie is rather understated.
Zatochi (1989) This is essentially an over the top action picture, but very entertaining. It is the last of the 26 film Zatochi series featuring Shintarô Katsu as the Blind Swordsman. I've seen the recent The Blind Swordsman: Zatochi (2003), but thought it was too comical.
Heaven and Earth (1990) is about the historical battles between Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen. A very large Battle of Kawanakajima is staged in the film. Some people find this movie boring. It's out of print and hard to find.
The Twilight Samurai (2002) is a drama about a low level samurai left to care for two daughters and his mother in the late samurai period and a dangerous task that his clan wants him to undertake.
When the Last Sword Is Drawn (2003) deals with a Samurai who is having difficulty supporting his family during the period of the rise of the Emperor and the fall of the Shogun.
The Hidden Blade (2004) drama about a low level samurai and the caste system in late feudal Japan with a sub-plot concerning a boyhood friend involved in the conflict between the Shogunate and the Emperor. The plot is basically the same as The Twilight Samurai, but with more emphasis on romance/drama.
Samurai Fiction (1998) is a satire of classic samurai films. The crew and action choreographer assembled to make this film were veterans of classic samurai films. Watch this one after you've watched some of the B&W classics.

[Beefy187]

Once upon a time in China series casting Jet Li is good action film to watch.

[LeftEyeNine]

A bunch of very good recommendations, lads. Keep it going !

[aimlesswanderer]

Joinst Security Area is an excellent film, it explores the complicated relationship between North and South Korea, is very dramatic and suspenseful.

Avalon is an interesting film, directed my Mamoru Oshii, but filmed in Poland, about a virtual world called Avalon where you can battle tanks and helicopters.

[Beirut]

Shogun Assassin.

I love those crazy samurai movies with heads and arms and legs flying off.

I don't know what movie it came from, but there was this crazy evil samurai type who had the greatest weapon ever. Picture a Frisbee ring (a hollow Frisbee) with razor teeth on the inside edge, a net bag attached to it, and the whole thing on a yo-yo string. The evil dude throws the Killer Frisbee Ring, it lands on some poor shmoo's head, so now the ring is around the guy's neck and the net bag is over his head, the poor shmoo gets a terrified look on his face, then the evil dude pulls the yo-yo string attached to the Killer Frisbee Ring and it comes right back to him with the poor shmoo's head in it. Then the evil samurai dude takes the guy's head out and screams at it.

It was the coolest thing I ever saw.

[Pannonian]

Shogun Assassin.

I love those crazy samurai movies with heads and arms and legs flying off.

I don't know what movie it came from, but there was this crazy evil samurai type who had the greatest weapon ever. Picture a Frisbee ring (a hollow Frisbee) with razor teeth on the inside edge, a net bag attached to it, and the whole thing on a yo-yo string. The evil dude throws the Killer Frisbee Ring, it lands on some poor shmoo's head, so now the ring is around the guy's neck and the net bag is over his head, the poor shmoo gets a terrified look on his face, then the evil dude pulls the yo-yo string attached to the Killer Frisbee Ring and it comes right back to him with the poor shmoo's head in it. Then the evil samurai dude takes the guy's head out and screams at it.

It was the coolest thing I ever saw.

A mythical Chinese weapon called a xue di zi, supposedly used during the Qing dynasty. Here's a film featuring it.

Wiki for flying guillotine.

[Beirut]

ROFLMAF!

Thanks for that. That's priceless. I must have seen the movie with the Xue di zi when I was about 12.

*YouTube is your friend. https://youtube.com/watch?v=z8kPzL7QoPY

[drone]

Shogun Assassin.

I love those crazy samurai movies with heads and arms and legs flying off.

I saw Shogun Assassin when I was young (13?), before I knew about the Lone Wolf and Cub comics. Thoroughly entertaining, especially the deadpan voice of the kid in narration. The Pram o' Death had a high coolness factor.