Dan Smith's Top 125 Films from East Asia
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- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsTatsuya FujiwaraAki MaedaTarô YamamotoIn the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill one another under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
- DirectorSean EllisStarsJake MacapagalJohn ArcillaAlthea VegaThis riveting crime thriller follows Oscar, a recent emigrant to Manila who gets pulled into a harrowing world of corruption and violence when he takes a job as an armored car driver to support his family (in Tagalog w/ English subtitles).
- DirectorTakashi ShimizuStarsMegumi OkinaMisaki ItôMisa UeharaA mysterious and vengeful spirit marks and pursues anybody who dares enter the house in which it resides.
- DirectorWilson YipStarsDonnie YenSimon YamLouis FanDuring the Japanese invasion of China, a wealthy martial artist is forced to leave his home when his city is occupied. With little means of providing for themselves, Ip Man and the remaining members of the city must find a way to survive.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsDaveigh ChaseSuzanne PleshetteMiyu IrinoDuring her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsRyo IshibashiEihi ShiinaTetsu SawakiA widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.
- DirectorsWai Keung LauAlan MakStarsAndy LauTony Leung Chiu-waiAnthony Chau-Sang WongChen Wing Yan, a policeman, successfully infiltrates a gang while Lau Kin Ming, a tried member, becomes a mole in the police force. However, things change when both of them must seek each other out.
- DirectorXiaogang FengStarsHanyu ZhangChao DengWenkang YuanA soldier fights to gain recognition for comrades who died during the Chinese Civil War.
- DirectorNa Hong-jinStarsKim Yoon-seokHa Jung-wooSeo Young-heeA disgraced ex-policeman who runs a small ring of prostitutes finds himself in a race against time when one of his women goes missing.
- DirectorWong Kar-WaiStarsBrigitte LinTakeshi KaneshiroTony Leung Chiu-waiTwo melancholic Hong Kong policemen fall in love: one with a mysterious female underworld figure, the other with a beautiful and ethereal waitress at a late-night restaurant he frequents.
- DirectorHideo NakataStarsNanako MatsushimaMiki NakataniYûko TakeuchiWhen her niece is found dead along with three friends after viewing a supposedly cursed videotape, reporter Reiko sets out to investigate. She finds the tape, watches it and receives a phone call informing her that she'll die in a week.
- DirectorYoo-jin KimStarsYang Dong-geunJung Jin-youngHan Chae-youngTwo detectives investigate a string of horrific murders in Seoul and zero in on a sadistic gang leader who carries an actual ball and chain.
- DirectorIm Sang-sooStarsJeon Do-yeonLee Jung-jaeYoun Yuh-jungA man's affair with his family's housemaid leads to dark consequences.
- DirectorHideo NakataStarsHitomi KurokiRio KannoMirei OguchiA mother going through a divorce moves into a run down apartment with her daughter. A persistent leak from above, visions of a missing girl, and other eerie phenomena become increasingly menacing as clues to a past tragedy come to light.
- DirectorYoon Jong-binStarsChoi Min-sikHa Jung-wooCho Jin-woongOn the verge of being fired, a corrupt customs official finds a haul of drugs and teams up with a vicious gangster to become the most powerful crime partnership in Busan.
- DirectorKang Woo-sukStarsSul Kyung-guLee Sung-jaeKang Shin-ilA detective plays cat-and-mouse with a banker who brutally murdered his own parents.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsJo Min-sooLee Jung-JinWoo Ki-hongA loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsChow Yun-FatDanny LeeSally YehA disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore the vision of a singer he accidentally blinded.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsChieko BaishôTakuya KimuraTatsuya GashûinWhen an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking castle.
- DirectorMakoto ShinkaiStarsKenji MizuhashiYoshimi KondouSatomi HanamuraTold in three interconnected segments, Takaki tells the story of his life as cruel winters, cold technology, and finally, adult obligations and responsibility converge to test the delicate petals of love.
- DirectorsPeter Ho-Sun ChanWai-Man YipStarsJet LiAndy LauTakeshi KaneshiroChina, 1860s: Having his army slaughtered, General Qingyun joins 2 bandit leaders in raids on rebels and in blood oath. They form a Qing loyal army with eyes on rebel held Suzhou and Nanjing.
- 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.
- DirectorsBanjong PisanthanakunParkpoom WongpoomStarsAnanda EveringhamNatthaweeranuch ThongmeeAchita SikamanaWhen Jane and Tun run over a girl in a car accident, they speed away immediately from the crime scene. However, Tun, a photographer, soon discovers strange shadows in his photos, which unsettles them.
- DirectorsDanny PangOxide Chun PangStarsAngelica LeeChutcha RujinanonLawrence ChouA blind girl gets a cornea transplant so that she will be able to see again. She gets more than she bargained for upon realizing she can also see ghosts.
- DirectorDerek Tung-Sing YeeStarsDaniel WuCecilia CheungAlex FongHong Kong nihilism. December 22, a street quarrel leads to the death of a gang leader's son. Next day, he seeks revenge on his brother, a rival boss. He calls on Liu, a fixer, to import a hit man from the mainland. Lai Fu, a tough and youthful hick, arrives with a day pass. The cops, led by the morose Milo, hear about the killer; they open a full-scale Christmas Eve operation to find the warring brothers and Lai Fu. Lai Fu rescues a hooker, Dan Dan, from a sadist and asks her to help him find his way around Mongkok. By nightfall, Liu has double crossed Lai Fu, the brothers are hiding, the cops are everywhere, and Lai Fu and Dan Dan are on the run. Peace on earth, good will to all?
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsHitoshi TakagiNoriko HidakaChika SakamotoWhen two girls move to the country to be near their ailing mother, they have adventures with the wondrous forest spirits who live nearby.
- DirectorMamoru HosodaStarsRiisa NakaTakuya IshidaMitsutaka ItakuraA high-school girl named Makoto acquires the power to travel back in time, and decides to use it for her own personal benefits. Little does she know that she is affecting the lives of others just as much as she is her own.
- DirectorJae-young KwakStarsCha Tae-hyunJun Ji-hyunIn-mun KimA young man sees a drunk, cute woman standing too close to the tracks at a metro station in Seoul and pulls her back. She ends up getting him into trouble repeatedly after that, starting on the train.
- DirectorYôjirô TakitaStarsMasahiro MotokiRyôko HirosueTsutomu YamazakiSoon after buying an expensive cello, Daigo learns that his orchestra is disbanding. He moves back to his hometown with his wife, where he answers an ad for what Daigo thinks is a travel agency but is, in actuality, a mortuary.
- 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.
- DirectorOxide Chun PangStarsAaron KwokKai-Chi LiuTak-Bun WongA private detective is drawn into a complex murder mystery when he is hired to track down a missing young woman.
- DirectorKwak Kyung-taekStarsYu Oh-seongJang Dong-gunSeo Tae-hwaFour childhood friends go their separate ways, two go off to college while the others become rival gangsters.
- DirectorSong Il-gonStarsKam Woo-seongJung SuhKang Kyung-hunA recently widowed TV producer is drawn to an isolated cabin in a mysterious woods.
- DirectorSergei BodrovStarsTadanobu AsanoAmadu MamadakovKhulan ChuluunThe story recounts the early life of Genghis Khan who was a slave before going on to conquer half the world in 1206.
- DirectorJohnnie ToStarsLouis KooSimon YamNick CheungAs election time nears, current Triad chairman Lok (Yam) faces competition from his godsons. At the same time, Jimmy (Koo) looks to increase his business relations with mainland China.
- 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.
- 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.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsLung TiLeslie CheungChow Yun-FatA reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.
- DirectorHun JangStarsSong Kang-hoGang Dong-wonKo Chang-seokA fired South Korean agent and a deserted North Korean spy meet by chance after six years and start a business partnership, each with the intention of stealing information from the other.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsYôji MatsudaYuriko IshidaYûko TanakaOn a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami's curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.
- DirectorYimou ZhangStarsZiyi ZhangTakeshi KaneshiroAndy LauA romantic police captain breaks a beautiful member of a rebel group out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.
- DirectorCheol-soo JangStarsSeo Young-heeJi Seong-wonMin-ho HwangA woman subject to mental, physical and sexual abuse on a remote island seeks a way out.
- DirectorsRingo LamJohnnie ToHark TsuiStarsLouis KooSimon YamHonglei SunTold in three 30-minute segments, three friends seek out the buried treasure of a mysterious stranger.
- DirectorDerek Tung-Sing YeeStarsAndy LauDaniel WuLouis KooA special agent has for 8 years been deep undercover in Asia's lucrative organized crime trade as he plays protégé to one of the key players, Banker. Now, Nick has but he has started to feel loyalty to his new environment and to the money.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsMayumi TanakaKeiko YokozawaKotoe HatsuiPazu's life changes when he meets Sheeta, a girl whom pirates are chasing for her crystal amulet, which has the potential to locate Laputa, a legendary castle floating in the sky.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsChow Yun-FatTony Leung Chiu-waiTeresa Sun-Kwan MoA tough-as-nails cop teams up with an undercover agent to shut down a sinister mobster and his crew.
- 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.
- 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.
- DirectorJung Byung-gilStarsJeong Jae-yeongPark Shi-hooJung Hae-kyunLee Du-Seok publishes an autobiography describing murders he committed after the statute of limitations expires. A detective and one of the victims' mother search for the author while an anonymous person claims to be the real killer.
- DirectorSeok-beom KangStarsKim Byeong-OkJi Dae-hanPark Eun-hyeReleased from prison, Taesik goes to live with an adopted mother. He takes a job and tries to live a quiet life with his new family. His efforts are threatened when a politician seeks to knock the family restaurant down to build a mall.
- DirectorNorio TsurutaStarsHiroshi MikamiNoriko SakaiMaki HorikitaA newspaper predicts the deaths of a man's (Hiroshi Mikami) family members and friends.
- DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsLee Byung-hunChoi Min-sikJeon Gook-hwanA secret agent exacts revenge on a serial killer through a series of captures and releases.
- DirectorPark Hoon-jungStarsLee Jung-jaeChoi Min-sikHwang Jung-minAn undercover cop finds it difficult to play both a cop and a goon.
- DirectorPeter Ho-Sun ChanStarsDonnie YenTakeshi KaneshiroTang WeiA papermaker gets involved with a murder case concerning two criminals leading to a determined detective suspecting him and the former's vicious father searching for him.
- DirectorRingo LamStarsChow Yun-FatYueh SunDanny LeeAn undercover cop infiltrates a gang of thieves who plan to rob a jewelry store.
- DirectorPil-sung YimStarsCheon Jeong-myeongEun Won-jaeShim Eun-kyungAfter meeting a mysterious girl on an dark stretch of road, a young salesman is invited to a beautiful house with bizarre secrets and no way to escape.
- DirectorWilson YipStarsDonnie YenXiaoming HuangSammo Kam-Bo HungCentering on Ip Man's migration to Hong Kong in 1949 as he attempts to propagate his discipline of Wing Chun martial arts.
- 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.
- DirectorYoung-Sung SohnStarsHa Jung-wooPark Hee-soonJang HyukElite attorney Kang Seong-Hee goes up against a top prosecutor over a case involving a man accused of killing his wife.
- DirectorWon Shin-yeonStarsLee Byung-joonOh Dal-suShin Hyun-takOn a day trip through countryside, aspiring opera singer In-jeong flees to woods to escape advances of her lecherous professor and mentor, Yeong-sun.
- DirectorKim Ji-hoonStarsKim Sang-kyungSul Kyung-guSon Ye-jinA Christmas Eve party at a luxury residential building takes a horrific turn when a fire breaks out.
- DirectorKim Han-minStarsChoi 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.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneEijirô TônoTatsuya NakadaiA crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsNam-mi KangJeong-nam ChoiHye-Sook GoAfter being wrongfully imprisoned for thirteen years and having her child taken away from her, a woman seeks revenge through increasingly brutal means.
- DirectorJuly JungStarsBae DoonaKim Sae-ronSong Sae-byeokA young police officer is sent to work in a small village and takes in a teenager to protect her from her abusive stepfather.
- DirectorLee Jeong-beomStarsSul Kyung-guJo Han-sunNa Moon-heeA small-time crook, Jae-moon goes after the man who killed his mentor a few years earlier. Jae-moon meets Chi-gook, a retired taekwondo practitioner who becomes his partner and goes to the killer Dae-sik's hometown. Chi-gook and Jae-moon devise a plan to kill Dae-sik, but as the day of reckoning approaches, Jae-moon meets Dae-sik's mother, Jeom-sim, who reminds him of his hometown. As he sees Jeon-sim worrying over her son, he can't proceed to kill him. However, the encounter of Dae-sik and Jae-moon takes places on the village's field day.
- DirectorYoshifumi KondôStarsYoko HonnaIssei TakahashiTakashi TachibanaA love story between a girl who loves reading books, and a boy who has previously checked out all of the library books she chooses.
- DirectorsGordon ChanDante LamStarsAnthony Chau-Sang WongMichael WongStephanie CheTung is a street cop in Hong Kong who's friends with a Triad named Fai. Fai hires a hit man to murder a business rival; the hit goes wrong and Fai, implicated in the incident, goes on the run.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsKim Ki-dukOh Yeong-suJong-ho KimIn the midst of the Korean wilderness, a Buddhist master patiently raises a boy while teaching wisdom and compassion through experience and endless exercises.
- 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.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsTony Leung Chiu-waiJacky CheungWaise LeeWhen three close friends escape from Hong Kong to war-time Saigon to start a criminal's life, they all go through a harrowing experience which totally shatters their lives and their friendship forever.
- DirectorDante LamStarsNicholas TseJingchu ZhangNick CheungA traffic accident changed their lives forever. In capturing wanted criminal Zhang Yidong, Sergeant Tang Fei (Nicholas Tse) was involved in a gunfight and car accident that put the criminal in a coma. But in the process he also crippled an fellow officer, and mistakenly shot dead the elder daughter of public prosecutor and single mother Gao Min (Zhang Jingchu). Unable to handle the guilt, Tang Fei succumbs to a fog of pain. Gao Min, meanwhile, pours all her love and attention to her younger daughter Ling. Three months later, the criminal Zhang Yidong awakens from his coma. Gao Min, who had been working hard on bringing him to justice, insists he stand trial immediately.
- DirectorsJohnnie ToKa-Fai WaiStarsChing-Wan LauAndy OnKa-Tung LamA rookie cop teams up with a former detective with a supernatural gift to hunt down a serial killer.
- DirectorIsao TakahataStarsTsutomu TatsumiAyano ShiraishiAkemi YamaguchiA young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.