// Asian Films

Are you new at watching Asian Films?

Start with these titles that to my opinion are the best:

The King and the Clown

South Korea - Drama / Historical

Directed: Lee Jun IK

Cast: Lee Jun ki, Kam Woo-seong, Jeong Jin-yeong, Kang Seong-yeon, Jang Hang-seon, Yoo Hae-jin, Jeong Seok-yong, Yoon Joo-sang, Choi Il-hwa, Woo Hyeon, Kim Jin-hyeok

Plot: An off-the-scale hit in Korea, this vivid historical drama pushes some very unexpected buttons. Sixteenth century Korea is going to the dogs under the tyrannical misrule of King Yeonsan, and street entertainers Jang-saeng and Gong-gil earn more than usual with a vulgar satire of the monarch's shortcomings. This gets them arrested, but they escape execution by coaxing a laugh from the king himself. No sooner are they installed as court jesters, though, than the deliciously feminine Gong-gil starts receiving urgent summonses to the king's private rooms... Next thing, they're in a jealous impasse, with the queen and the possessive Jang-saeng in one corner and the king and his new favorite in the other.

Duelist

South Korea - Drama / comedy / Romance

Director: LEE Myung-se

Cast: Kang Dong Won, HA Ji-won

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Plot: Once upon a time in Korea, the Minister of Defense, SONG Pil-joon, gets rid of his political opponent and assumes complete control of the armed forces. He goes on to stamp counterfeit money. Detective Nam-soon goes forthrightly undercover with her partner Detective Ahn to investigate the counterfeit money. She discovers one loyal henchman, Sad Eyes, a beautiful swordsman with a pale, blank face, is covering up Minister Song's tracks. Nam-soon and Sad Eyes confront each other in a series of duels – tirelessly chasing, being pursued and dodging each other. Inevitably, they fall in love. Each struggles to reconcile the desperate conflict between love and obligation to duty, as they square off to meet their fate in one last duel.

Maundy Thursday - Our Happy Time

South Korea - Drama

Directed: SONG Hae-sung

Cast: Kang Dong Won, LEE Na-young

Plot:: Yu-jeong, a suicidal young woman, is introduced to a man on death row named Yun-soo by her aunt, Sister Monica. Raised by an abusive father, Yun-soo has led a hard life. It got even harder when he was left in an orphanage with his younger brother after his father's suicide and his mother's abandonment. Growing up in the gutter, he became involved in a violent crime, for which he was convicted of three counts of murder. Yu-jeong, on the other hand, comes from a rich family. However, her childhood was marred by traumatic neglect, which has led to her self-destructive impulses. These two wounded souls slowly open their hearts and find the motivation to live on in each other's compassion. Yu-jeong realizes how spoiled her life has been compared to Yun-soo's, and embraces his guilt that would otherwise never be forgiven.

Old Boy

South Korea - Action / Drama

Directed: Park Chan-wook

Cast: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jeong

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Plot: One day in 1988, an ordinary man named OH Dae-su, who lives with his wife and adorable daughter, is kidnapped and later wakes up to find himself in a private makeshift prison. Dae-su makes numerous attempts to escape and to commit suicide, but they all end up in failure. All the while Dae-su asks himself what made a man hate him so much enough to imprison him without any reason. While suffering from his debacle, Dae-su becomes shocked when he watches the news and hears that his beloved wife was brutally murdered. At this very moment, Dae-su swears to take revenge on the man who destroyed his happy life.
Fifteen years have passed and Dae-su is released with a wallet filled with money and a mobile phone. An unknown man calls Dae-su and asks him to figure out why he was imprisoned. In front of bewildered Dae-su, a girl named Mido appears and she promises to help him seek vengeance after hearing about his 15 years in confinement. With Midos help, Dae-su begins to trace the guy and finally encounters the private prison where he discovers a cassette tape, which only says... "OH Dae-su talks too much" While Dae-su and Midos search goes on, Dae-su finally runs face to face with his kidnapper. The culprit says there will be no way to find out the reason of his imprisonment if Dae-su kills him now. Instead, he proposes a game. He tells Dae-su that if he discovers the reason for his imprisonment in five days, then he will kill himself. If not, he will kill Mido. Only five days are given to Dae-su to find out the reason behind the guys grudge against Dae-su. While doing so, hidden secrets about Dae-su and Mido's relationship are revealed.

3-Iron

South Korea - Drama / Romance

Directed: Kim Ki-duk

Cast: Jae Hee, Lee Seung-yeon, Kwon Hyeok-ho

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Plot: Tae-suk drifts around on his motorcycle to find empty houses to stay in. He repeatedly lives like this until one day he sneaks into a rich home and meets a married woman named Sun-hwa, who has been suffering under the torment of her abusive husband. He witness her husband trying to rape her and swing golf balls at him and escape from the house with Sun-wha.

Im a Cyborg, but thats ok

South Korea - Romance / Comedy / Drama

Directed: Park Chan-Wook

Cast: Rain, Im Soo-jeong

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Plot: Young-goon, mentally deranged and frequently electro-charging herself with a transistor radio, has been admitted into a mental institution. Firmly believing herself to be a cyborg, she refuses to consume like a human being. Il-soon is another patient, who catches the eye of Young-goon and soon becomes a close friend. Il-soon is now confronted with the biggest task – to cure Young-goon’s mental problem and have her eat real food.

The Way Home

South Korea - Chronicles / Comedy / Drama

Directed: Lee Jeong-hyang

Mr Socrates

South Korea - Drama /Action

Directed: Choi Jin-won

cast: Shin-il Kang, Rae-won Kim, Ku Dong-hyeok, Jong-hyeok Lee

Plot: Mysteriously kidnapped...solitarily confined...how much more dangerous he could be?
Asking for money to his father imprisoned in jail, threatening a friend who became a murderer by mistake, stealing money from his friends ... Dong-hyuk (Kim Rea-won) is the worst scumbag you can ever imagine. Living a low-life like a street dog, one day, Dong-hyuk gets kidnapped by a mysterious gang. Being captured out of no reason, the gang trains Dong-hyuk in a secret and inhumane way repeatedly. Dong-hyuk tries to escape but fails, which makes the training more harsh and cruel than before. After finishing all the training, the gang orders Dong-hyuk to become a police detective as their secret connection.

Kung Fu Hustle

Chinese - Action / Comedy

Directed: Stephen Chow

It is 1940's China, and gangs rule the city. The most notorious of them all is the axe gang, lead by the insane Brother Sum. A slum called Pig Sty Alley is the only area safe from the Axes because the people there are so poor. Soon, wannabe gangster Sing and his pal Bone attempt to extort money out of a barber and fail, drawing the real Axe Gang to Pig Sty. However, it turns out that there are several kung fu masters living in the slum, and soon the two sides are enemies. As the plot thickens, Sing must decide- should he become a mobster, or save the day?

The Host

South Korea - Action / Thriller

Director: BONG Joon-ho

Cast: SONG kang-ho, BYUN Hee-bong, PARK Hae-il, BAE Doo-na

Plot: As it has for ages past, the Han River continues to pierce the very center of the capital city Seoul. But one day in 2000, through an "unfortunate incident," a mysterious creature is conceived in the waters of the river. As the creature slowly starts to grow in the depths of the river, people fail to sense signs of an impending disaster, devoting themselves to the Korea-Japan World Cup soccer finals, the presidential elections, and to their everyday lives. Then one day in 2005, in front of countless citizens taking a stroll and enjoying the weekend on the banks of the Han River, the creature reveals itself in a shocking display of horror.

Memories of Murder

South Korea - Crime / Drama

Directed: Bong Joon-ho

Cast: Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyeong, Kim Roi-ha, Park No-sik, Park Hae-il

Wo Hu

Chinese / Action - Crime

A Dirty Carnival

South Korea - Action / Crime

Directed: Yoo Ha

Cast: Jo In-Seong, Cheon Ho-jin, Nam Goong-min, Lee Bo-yeong, Jin Goo

Plot: Byung-doo, the No.2 man in a small-time organized crime gang, leads an aimless and wild life. Life is hard for him since he is the sole support of his mother and two younger siblings. However, when Mr. HWANG asks him to embark on a secret mission, Byung-doo realizes that this is one chance he should not let pass by. The mission is dangerous, but success would mean that Byung-doo would no longer have to worry about supporting his family...

Daisy

South Korea - Drama / Romance

Directed: Andrew Lau

Cast: Jeon Ji-hyeon, Jeong Woo-seong, Lee Seong-jae

Plot: An elite Interpol agent Jeong-woo and a ruthless hitman Park-yi, both stationed in Amsterdam and are in love with the same young woman, Hye-young. Hye-Young is a simple sidewalk artist, with dreams of one day holding a real exhibition in a real gallery. Her pure love will draw these deadly men into a spectacular showdown in the process, revealing Hye-Young¡¯s hidden past.

Fly, Daddy, Fly

South Korea - Drama / Comedy

Director: CHOI Jong-tae

Cast: Lee Jun Ki, Lee Moon-sik

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Plot: An ordinary businessman in his forties, JANG Ga-pil returns home one day to find his daughter sexually molested by some schoolboys, including school boxing star KANG Tae-wook. Realizing that he has no background and money to fight back, he plans to stab KANG on the way to school. This fails miserably, but another student named GO Seung-suk agrees to teach Ga-pil to fight – in only 45 days.

My Sassy Girl

South Korea - Comedy

Directed: Kwak Jae-yong.

Plot: It is partially based on the true story told in a series of love letters written by Kim Ho-sik, a man who posted them on the internet.

A sweet Midwestern guy with his life planned out for himself is wooed, groomed, and ultimately dumped by a complicated, elusive girl.

Diary of June

South Korea - Drama - Crime

Dragon Tiger Gate

Chinese - Action

Directed: Wilson Yip

Cast: Donnie Yen, Nicholas Tse, Shawn Yue

Plot: Three young martial arts masters emerge from the back streets of Hong Kong to help the powerless fight injustice.

Bloody Tie

South Korea - Action / Crime

Directed: Choi Ho

Cast: Ryoo Seung-beom, Hwang Jeong-min, Kim Hee-ra, Choo Ja-hyeon

Plot: Here two men clash, Sang-do, a middleman for narcotics, and Lieutenant DO, a narcotics detective. Though in completely contrasting positions in life, the two men share an identical goal: to get hold of Jang-chul, the key figure in the dark world of narcotics in Korea. The two men begin a life-threatening battle.

One Missed Call

Japanese - Horror

Directed: Takashi Miike

Cast: Kou Shibasaki, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Kazue Fukiishi, Anna Nagata, Atsushi Ida, Mariko Tsutsui, Kumiko Imai, Keiko Tomita, Kayoko Fujii, Yoshiko Noda

Plot: People mysteriously start receiving voicemail messages from their future selves, in the form of the sound of them reacting to their own violent deaths.

City of Violence

South Korea - Action

Directed: RYOO Seung-wan

Cast JUNG Doo-hong, RYOO Seung-wan, LEE Beom-soo

Plot: Tae-su, a detective fighting organized crime, returns to his hometown for his high school friend Wang-jae's funeral. At the funeral, he meets his old friends Pil-ho, Dong-hwan and Seok-hwan and they reminisce. Suspecting something fishy about Wang-jae's death, Tae-su and Seok-hwan start investigating it each in his own way. Both of their investigations lead to a land development project that Pil-ho is directing and the two embark on a difficult battle...

Shadowless Sword

South Korea - Action / Historical

Directed: Kim Yeong-joon

Cast: Lee Seo-jin, Yoon Soy, Lee Gi-yong, Shin Hyeon-joon

Plot: AD 927. After the prince of Balhae was assassinated, LIM, a former official, sends YEON So-ha, a female warrior to escort Prince DAE Jeong-hyun from his 14-year exile back to Balhae, where he would ascend to the throne and restore order to the kingdom. The pair, however, find the journey to Balhae a perilous one. In this epic struggle of good and evil, the fate of a nation hangs in balance.