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Asian Movies Recommendations for My American Friends

· 8 min read

Since I get asked this question a lot, here's my current list. It's not meant to be an exhaustive list, just a collection of my personal favorites that I think my American friends may enjoy as well in recent years.

  1. Let the Bullets Fly, China, 2010, IMDB 7.2, directed by Wen Jiang, action/thriller

China's answer to Christopher Nolan's Inception, only better. It's directed by Wen Jiang, China (mainland)'s most talented film director, who left Yimou Zhang and Xiaogang Feng in dust with this period epic. Being an entertaining roller-coaster ride, it's also highly complex with profound and subtle references that challenge the most intellectual ones in Chinese audience. For non-Chinese, it'll be impossible to pick up the cultural and historical references and the many sub-plots, but you should still watch it just so that you can claim you've watched the one movie that absolutely defines the pinnacle of Chinese (mainland) film achievement.

I wish I could list more Mainland China movies on this list, but there ain't too many to speak about yet. The market has been growing like a rocket, which is a different matter.

  1. Kung Fu Hustle, Hong Kong, 2004, IMDB 7.8, directed by Stephen Chow, kungfu action

Stephen Chow is widely regarded as all-time best and most gifted Chinese film maker there has been. My generation grew up with his movies and quotes. Unfortunately he's also extremely underrated as a movie director and actor, despite his already massive commercial and critical success. It's similar to how Prince is so underrated as a gifted guitar shredder and musician in general despite of being already a superstar of superstars.

Kung Fu Hustle displayed Chow's undeniable talent in full glory. It's a wonder to behold.

  1. A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora's Box, 1995, IMDB 7.9; A Chinese Odyssey Part Two: Cinderella, 1995, IMDB 8.1, Hong Kong, directed by Jeffrey Lau, fantasy/romantic action

Do not be fooled by the cheesy posters on IMDB. This is the No.1 Chinese cult movie of all-time that singled-handedly defined my entire generation of those born in the 70s in China. 1995 became the most magical year in movie history not because of Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, but because of Lau/Chow's A Chinese Odyssey (released in two parts in the same year). If you think Tarantino's quotes in Pulp Fiction or Kar Wai Wong's quotes in Ashes of Time are uber-cool, they don't come even close to the ones in this movie.

When this movie took over Mainland China's colleges by storm in the form of pirated VCDs in 1995-1996, it was considered mainstream and norm among college students to read and recite its entire script, line by line. Other than Casablanca (1942), I don't know of any other movie that has achieved such a legendary God-like status among such a broad audience. Its spectacular commercial failure in 1995 in Hong Kong only proved how visionary Lau/Chow were and how much they were ahead of their time. While everybody thought they were making another summer pop-corn comedy flick, they created an avant-garde postmodernism masterpiece with an epic time-travel love story that is still being talked about and missed by Chinese to this date.

For non-Chinese, unfortunately it'll be a given that you will have no clue of what this movie is so great about. Most Chinese could not understand it when it first came out. No translation would do justice to the original quotes, like many other Stephen Chow movies, which is really a shame.

  1. Election, Hong Kong, 2005, IMDB 7.1, Triad Election, Hong Kong, IMDB 7.4, both directed by Johnnie To, gangster action

It's actually a two-part movie. Simply put, this is the Godfather 1 & 2 in Hong Kong, in the setting that defines Hong Kong cinematic scene (triad society), with outstanding performance by an amazing cast.

The movie is epic, profound, brutal, and very, very poetic.

  1. Kill Zone - S.P.L., Hong Kong, 2005, IMDB 7.2, directed by Wilson Yip, kungfu gangster action

Donnie Yen is unquestionably the No.1 kungfu star that has filled the void left behind by Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Especially after Ip Man (2008), even the most die-hard fans of Chan and Li would have to agree that Yen has convincingly surpassed them as the best Chinese kungfu star.

Yen has been making kungfu films for many years, but it was 2005's SPL that firmly established him as the superstar of the current generation. It featured an alley-fighting sequence that is generally considered the best one-on-one fighting scene of all time (yes you heard me right). It also featured a landmark duel between Yen and the great Sammo Hung Kam-Bo at the climax.

  1. Monga, Taiwan, 2010, IMDB 7.0, directed by Doze Niu, gangster action/thriller

Gangster movies is a thing for Hong Kong, and Taiwan is never known for this genre. Doze's Monga in 2010 changed all that. This movie catapulted him from a C-list actor to A-list director, an amazing feat that was just as epic as Robert Downey Jr's comeback in Iron Man.

  1. The Host, South Korea, 2006, IMDB 7.0, directed by Joon-ho Bong, monster horror

While Hollywood's monster movie genre has been largely following the script written by Spielberg since the 90s, Joon-ho Bong presented some kind of monster movie that was quite a different and refreshing treat. The opening sequence is simply breath-taking.

The movie is really about family love and how ordinary people overcome insurmountable obstacles to redeem themselves - a classic hero's journey story. It featured versatile and talented Kang-ho Song, the best Asian actor of this generation, in my opinion (yes, better than Tony Leung from Hong Kong).

  1. Memories of Murder, South Korea, 2003, IMDB 8.1, directed by Joon-ho Bong, crime thriller

It's often considered the best movie there has been from South Korea. South Korea's movies, collectively have been the best out of Asia in the last ten years. That's enough of a reason to check this one out.

Kang-ho Song starred, of course.

  1. Sex Is Zero, South Korea, 2002, IMDB 6.8, directed by Je-gyun Yun, high-school comedy

American Pie, South Korea version, but much better. It is outrageously funny. However, be prepared for wild mood shift.

  1. Fuyajo, Japan, 1998, IMDB 7.2, directed by Chi-Ngai Lee, gangster thriller

This list would not be complete without mentioning Japanese movies. However, I just haven't watched enough Japanese movies in recent years to speak intelligently here - shame on me. Japanese movie deserves to be in the league of its own.

Very few people have watched or heard about Fuyajo, not to mention understanding its extremely convoluting plot. It didn't help that five languages were frequently spoken throughout the movie, despite of this being a Japanese production. I have been a great admirer of this movie for many years. It's a hidden gem that pierces through the deepest corner of Tokyo, in a very sad love story.

This is the best movie by Takeshi Kaneshiro. The movie was almost tailor-made to leverage his multi-cultural backgrounds. Kaneshiro, for those of you who do not know, is universally hailed as the most handsome male Asian star for the past 15-20 years. Both men and women are crazy for him.

Buy me a coffee ☕