What is the last non martial arts Asian movie you've watched?

[Rodolphe Dux]

An eye for an eye, 1990 by O Sing-Pui.

 

It’s messed up but it’s a fun crime movie, and it was brilliantly restored.

 

Recommended

Edited August 24, 2022 by Rodolphe Dux

[DiP]

Running Out of Time (1999) - 8.5/10

Johnnie To gets to direct this high-budget action thriller with slick direction and ace production values. What a great match-up of Lau Ching-Wan and Andy Lau (this was the first movie that I was impressed by his acting) too showcasing their rivalry to the extant of having you at the edge of your seat, and the story used for that is also a huge plus being told and executed refreshingly. Good mix of action and even humor combined with an excellent cast of supporting actors, including Benz Hui, Waise Lee, Yoyo Mung, and Lam Suet.

Vengeance (2009) - 7/10

This was Johnnie To's attempt at reinventing Exiled for the international market using some of the same actors -- Anthony Wong, Simon Yam, Lam Suet, Gordon Lam, Eddie Cheung -- and using a French lead actor in the mix. The result is good and entertaining only suffering from a weak plot twist in the third act. The acting here is only decent as To wasn't going for accolades for this one. To's movies are known to be quite monotonic so the story suits the acting from everyone nicely playing almost impersonal and stoic characters within the underworld circuit. Johnny Hallyday as the lead is a mixed bag as his acting skills are limited but possesses alot of charisma to carry the movie (I can see why To chose him specifically for the movie). If there's anything to marvel about the movie it's To's slick direction, the rich production values, and especially the inventive action scenes (gunfights in the forest, and the open grass field being my favorites).

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

17 minutes ago, DiP said:

Andy Lau (this was the first movie that I was impressed by his acting)

I don't get the whole "Andy Lau is not a good actor" thing... never did. Even his early performances, which is what gets the most flak. I think he's perfectly fine in those too. Maybe he was on auto pilot for some of them in the late 80's-early 90's, but when you make something like 15 movies a year, some under triad threats, I think it's excusable. But hey, art is subjective.

[DiP]

Prior to watching Running Out of Time for the first time (which was around 2005 or 2006, when I started getting into other kind of HK movies beside action), I'd only seen him in a few handful of movies. The aforementioned movie got me watching more Andy Lau movies. Eventually, I realized that his acting was already good in earlier movies such as the Lee Rock movies and Full Throttle.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

14 hours ago, DiP said:

Prior to watching Running Out of Time for the first time (which was around 2005 or 2006, when I started getting into other kind of HK movies beside action), I'd only seen him in a few handful of movies. The aforementioned movie got me watching more Andy Lau movies. Eventually, I realized that his acting was already good in earlier movies such as the Lee Rock movies and Full Throttle.

Oh, got it... thougt you meant all films up untill ROOT were underwhelming.

Also, not just directed at you... many people, perhaps more previously than now, thought he was shit, and just never understood that.

[Darth Kermit]

I like Andy Lau. I've only seen 6 films of his so far, but all impressed me, except maybe Drunken Master II because it's just a small role, and Infernal Affairs 3, which is just not too great altogether. But Infernal Affairs, Blind Detective, Shaolin, and especially A Moment of Romance I thought he was fantastic in.

[DiP]

8 hours ago, TibetanWhiteCrane said:

Oh, got it... thougt you meant all films up untill ROOT were underwhelming.

Also, not just directed at you... many people, perhaps more previously than now, thought he was shit, and just never understood that.

No problem. My thoughts of him as an overall actor at the time was based on his action and comedy roles but the more I watched many of his other movies the more he won me over.

[Darth Kermit]

I guess this counts enough since it's Tsui Hark and Ringo Lam, but I watched Maximum Risk, Double Team, Knock Off, Replicant, and In Hell recently. Thought they were all great and I enjoyed them all about equally, thought each one for different reasons. I'm almost done with Ringo Lam's filmography, and he has definitely secured his spot as one of my 5 favorite directors. Tsui Hark is at least in my top 20, though the only film of his I've seen that blew me away was Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain. Although I do want to revisit Better Tomorrow III eventually after I get a bit more of a taste for his style. Gonna watch the China films soon from Criterion.

[BigDruDogg]

I've been watching some of my Korean Cinema backlog lately, finally got around to checking out Parasite, and The Wailing. Gonna watch Train to Busan next

[DiP]

On the Run (1988) - 9/10

Out of all movies I've seen Bill Yuen in, I believe nothing else has come close to what he displays here in terms of sheer acting skills. Ok, maybe Righting Wrongs but that movie was more on the lighty side alongside incredible and fancy modern day fighting and a nice touch of subject matters of morality vs justice. This story however, is very dark and harsh and doesn't hold back. That and extremely violent and brutally ugly. Bill Yuen makes this whole movie but let's not forget all the other key actors in the cast that also brought their A-game in the movie: Pat Ha as the excellent cold-blooded contract killer with a bit of heart, Charlie Chin as the dirty and senseless cop, Lo Lieh, Philip Ko Fei, and Yuen Wah as the greedy henchmen. Heck, even child actress Chan Cheuk-Yan (had notable roles in Mr. Coconut, Wild Search, and Fatal Termination) as Bill's daughter is good.

Edited October 3, 2022 by DiP

[Darth Kermit]

Rewatched School on Fire the other day with friends. I first watched it with the HK blu, and didn't know it was censored. But this time I watched an uncut reconstruction, which added back in all the cut moments of violence, which I think improved the picture, especially the last shot of the climax. The way Ringo handles violence in his films is extremely impressive. They are ultraviolent, but they have a sense of disgust at the violence. Even when it leads to some sense of justice it's still repulsive. It is now my favorite Ringo Lam film and firmly establishes him as my 2nd favorite director behind John Woo. My friends also loved it, and one of them said he loved it more than any of the films I'd shown them before, being City on Fire, Hard Boiled, The Killer, and Police Story.

[Yihetuan]

Hua Tuo and Cao Cao - Dir. Zumo Huang [1983] (China)

I really enjoyed the historical authenticity and very good character driven tale of the famous Three Kingdoms folklore. It's available subbed on YT on Siegiman's channel and he even includes a visual gallery of the various historical props and set-design in the film (with names & commentary).

https://imgur.com/gallery/tQxE3P0

 

[DiP]

Painted Faces (1988) - 8/10

[Darth Kermit]

Just watched Hard Boiled and on the Run back to back. My 4th time with Hard Boiled, which has claimed it's spot as my second favorite film ever, and first time with On the Run. 10/10 for On the Run. Brutal, depressing, neonoir that holds nothing back. Gonna be thinking about that one for awhile. Definitely Yuen Biao's best that I've seen so far. Up there with Righting Wrongs and Eastern Condors.

[legendarycurry]

Watched in the last couple of days:

Bamboo House Of Dolls (1973) 6/10
Sex And Zen (1991) 6,5/10
Sex and Zen 2 (1996) 7/10
Intimate Confessions Of A Chinese Courtesan (1972) 5/10
Black Magic (1975) 4/10
Black Magic 2 (1976) 6/10
Centipede Horror (1982) 8/10
Lover Of The Last Empress (1995) 6,5/10
Erotic Ghost Story Trilogy (1990-1992), 7/10,4/10 and 3/10
A Chinese Torture Chamber Story (1994) 7/10
A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2 (1998) 5/10

Posted reviews for each of these (Plus Robotrix!) on the review Thread/Topic

I am currently sick so I am watching lots of movies
 

[legendarycurry]

Just watched Ancient Chinese Whorehouse from 1994. It was complete and utter garbage in my opinion.

[DiP]

Detective Vs Sleuths (2022) - 7.5/10

[Drunken Monk]

Breaking News (2004) - I've only really dipped my toes into Johnnie To's filmography so thought I'd pick up the recent slew of his films that hit Blu Ray. Breaking News blew me away. This is FANTASTIC. Tense, interesting, paced perfectly... It delivers a perfect crime thriller. The fact that it includes a "media war" only adds to the intrigue. Big fan of this one.

Exiled (2006) - A slower, more artistic film from To. Exiled might not be everyone's cuppa tea since it doesn't really explain itself that well. It leaves the audiences to dissect things themselves. But beyond that, this film is incredible. A contemporary western that's all about brotherhood and loyalty. It's deep and interesting. Throw in some absolutely ballistic action sequences and you have yourself  a real gem. I love the "blood clouds" effect in this one. All in all, a wonderful film. Different but wonderful. 

[legendarycurry]

Red Dust (1990) 6/10. Dropped a review in the review topic/thread.

[legendarycurry]

Just finished Bride With The White Hair and I reviewed it elsewhere on this forum too. 6/10 from me.

[laagi]

On 10/3/2022 at 5:03 AM, Darth Kermit said:

Rewatched School on Fire the other day with friends. I first watched it with the HK blu, and didn't know it was censored. But this time I watched an uncut reconstruction, which added back in all the cut moments of violence, which I think improved the picture, especially the last shot of the climax. The way Ringo handles violence in his films is extremely impressive. They are ultraviolent, but they have a sense of disgust at the violence. Even when it leads to some sense of justice it's still repulsive. It is now my favorite Ringo Lam film and firmly establishes him as my 2nd favorite director behind John Woo. My friends also loved it, and one of them said he loved it more than any of the films I'd shown them before, being City on Fire, Hard Boiled, The Killer, and Police Story.

Up there with Full Contact. Definitely one of his best movies!

[morpheus]

Full Contact (1992)

Ringo Lam directs Chow Yun Fat.  Goodness, its been 30 years.  Ann Bridgewater looks hot, Simon Yam was....convincing in his role.

 

[Yihetuan]

Crossing the Border - Zhaoguan - Dir. Huo Meng [2019] (China}

A charming simple road trip movie about a grandfather taking his grandson on an adventure to visit his old friend who is in ill health. Yes, there is some poignant moments dealing with the grandfather's difficult time during the Cultural Revolution but it's all told in a matter of fact slice of life way. There's a generation gap with the grandkid but it's not played for laughs, rather just a reflection of reality of a 77 yr old man trying to bond with a 7 yr old boy. A film that by the time the credits roll, you unwittingly have a broad smile on your face and wish their story would continue as you want to see how their lives play out. I enjoyed it so much that I bought the blu ray which is as most Diskino releases is not cheap! But worth it for me to have this film in my permanent library.

[DarthKato]

"Ju-On: The Grudge(2002)": Far superior to the already great American-remake. I really enjoyed finally seeing this movie recently. 

[Yihetuan]

Hansan: Rising Dragon - Dir. Kim Han-min [2022] (Korea)

The second film in a planned trilogy honoring the legacy of famed Korean naval commander, Admiral Yi Sun-shin. If you enjoyed the first film, The Admiral: Roaring Currents, then you'll pretty much like this one as well. This is a prequel which starts approximately 5 years before Roaring Currents and as the title suggests, it's based on the historical battle of Hansan Island.

The first half is filled with numerous character introductions, a side plot involving espionage and stolen plans and some land battle scenes but that's just the calm before the storm until the explosive and dynamic sea battle action. The CGI was impressive and the magnificent scale of the battle sequences was breathtaking at times. Hats off to the action director and special effects crew. Yes, I did miss Choi Min-sik playing Admiral Yi this time around as actor, Park Hae-il pretty much just stares stoically out to sea in most every scene but I watch these type of films not for its character development or historical accuracy but for the action. I can confidently say this film delivers on that premise. I am eagerly anticipating the final film in the trilogy.