There has never been a better time to be a fan of Asian cinema. For all who complain about the American film industry's lack of originality, you need only look to the auteurs of the far East to quell your grumblings. Whether you're a seasoned veteran of Asian film, or a casual movie fan starving for a good story, this list has something to offer for everyone. So grab a side of Kimchi, a few spicy tuna rolls, a six pack of Tsingtao and queue that baby up!
Battle Royale
In this biting satire that takes place in the near distant future, the Millennium Educational Reform Act has been passed. It requires that a group of kids be selected to participate in the Battle Royal game where the students are forced to fight each other until there is only one left alive. Each kid is given a weapon and sent on their merry way to an abandoned island. The rest of the movie becomes a study in human nature, as the story is very similar to Lord of the Flies.
Audition
Takashi Miike is one of the most disturbing (and one of the most prolific) directors working today. Audition is one of his better, and more disturbing films. A widower stages a fake audition for the sake of finding himself a suitable young wife. He is instantly smitten with one particular girl – a girl whose past is shrouded in mystery. They go out on dates, and both seemingly fall for each other. Then, strange things begin to happen when the woman disappears altogether. What starts off as a romantic drama, spins deep into a suspenseful mystery as the protagonist tries to find her. It all leads to one explosive, gruesome ending.
Survive Style 5+
Absurd and surreal are the first two words that come to mind when describing this comedy that intertwines five very improbable stories in seemingly impossible ways. It would be almost pointless to describe in further detail what transpires on screen during this film. I like it when a movie challenges me to unearth its subtextual meaning, and this movie does just that. There's a frenetic energy that may leave you thinking the film is a bit off-balanced, but you'll reassess that thought by the end. Although eccentric, the movie never feels like it's being weird for the sake of weird (and there are some strange things afoot, indeed). In addition to its off the wall storytelling, this movie is stunning to watch, stylistic and colorful.
In the Mood for Love
I could have chosen a handful of other Wong Kar-Wai films but, this one happens to be my favorite. It's the most gorgeously shot and resonant of his works. In a fairly simple and straightforward story, two neighbors who have just moved into the same building learn that their respective spouses may be engaging in an extramarital affair with one another. This circumstance sets up a slow building tenseness of doomed love set to a hauntingly beautiful score. The movie is an exercise in restraint and subtlety with its arresting visuals that show the smallest of hand gestures cab be just as emotionally evocative as a Shakespearean soliloquy. Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung showcase an amazing chemistry as well.
Infernal Affairs
Being the film that The Departed is based upon, it had to have been pretty damned good to garner the attention of a living legend like Martin Scorcese. Although The Departed is probably a better movie as a whole (especially with Jack Nicolson's polarizing performance), winning Marty his first Oscar, Infernal Affairs manages to do a couple things better, the biggest being the amount of tension that is maintained throughout. The acting as a whole (except for Jack) was also better in the original. Andrew Lau and Tony Leung did a better job of showing just how much they are connected despite it all. However, I may be a bit biased, having seen Infernal Affairs long before The Departed.
Red Cliff
This film is John Woo's return to prominence. With a string of commercial flops in the Western world, Woo returned to his homeland to make this epic story of the culminating battle of the Three Kingdoms at Red Cliff. The battle sequences are some of the most expensive ever filmed in Chinese history and many tout this historical war drama as a Chinese Lord of the Rings in its grand scale of blockbuster storytelling.
Mother
Joon-ho Bong is second only to Chan Wook Park in Korean cinema. I could have easily put his earlier, more notable works on this list (Memories of Murder, The Host). Mother is one I just saw recently in the theater though, and it's the best movie I've seen all year. As a suspenseful psychological thriller, it accomplished everything that Scorsese didn't with Shutter Island. Hye-Ja Kim turns in a funny, sad, and heartfelt performance as the mother of a mentally challenged boy who is wrongfully convicted of a murder. No one else in town has the kind of faith she does in her son, so Mother sets out on an investigation of her own as to what really happened the night of the murder.
The Good, the Bad, the Weird
Sergio Leone would have been proud. This Korean western became the biggest budgeted movie of all time. It's everything a summer, popcorn actioner should be – brimming with humor, and filled with energetically choreographed action sequences. The opening scene in which a train is robbed is unlike any robbery you'll ever see, and it comes close to being topped halfway through during a sequence where an intense firefight takes place in, around, and above a large shantytown. The director also manages to mix in one of the funniest moments in the movie during this time as well – a testament to his ability. Kang-ho Song is hilarious, and an endlessly impressive actor who never ceases to amaze with his range.
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
I had considered putting Chan Wook Park's entire Vengeance Trilogy on this list, but thought it would be better if I made it fair to the other filmmakers. Also, many people are probably familiar with Oldboy and its greatness, but few have probably taken the time to see the other two installments. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is masterfully shot. The first half of the film focuses on a deaf and mute man. So the entire film is set up with minimal dialogue. Just before its midway point, the film switches protagonists to a grieving father. A series of unfortunate events leads to various parties in search of vengeance. This is where the greatest strength in the movie is on display. It becomes incredibly difficult to side with any of the characters, all of which end up committing despicable acts on one another. There are no purely good, or bad people in this story, only the genuinely flawed.
