50 Best of Asian Movies - My Choice
by rwierzbicki | created - 24 Nov 2020 | updated - 23 Dec 2020 | PublicHere is my List of Choice of the best Asian Movies of last Years. Please, don't treat it as a Ranking List. I do not try to emphasis any Gradation of Value in that Choice. It is rather my personal Point of Suggestion those movie which are worth of seeing. However I prepare a 2nd List of Asian Movie Art Classics shortly. Enjoy! Ps. I decided to base this List on Asian Directors only. However, there are also many great Movies made by Western Film Makers as well related to Asian Cultures. This is gonna be a Subject for my next List of Proposals to see.
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1. 13 Assassins (2010)
R | 141 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yûsuke Iseya, Ikki Sawamura
Votes: 68,641 | Gross: $0.80M
2. 2046 (2004)
R | 129 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Several women enter a science fiction author's life over the course of a few years, after the author has lost the woman he considers his one true love.
Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Ziyi Zhang, Faye Wong, Gong Li
Votes: 61,809 | Gross: $1.44M
3. 3-Iron (2004)
R | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A transient young man breaks into empty homes to partake of the vacationing residents' lives for a few days.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Lee Seung-yun, Jae Hee, Hyuk-ho Kwon, Joo Jin-mo
Votes: 58,300 | Gross: $0.24M
4. A Moment to Remember (2004)
PG-13 | 117 min | Drama, Romance
A young couple's enduring love is tested when 27-year-old Su-jin is diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.
Directors: Park Kyung-Jin, John H. Lee, Kim Tae-Won | Stars: Jung Woo-sung, Son Ye-jin, Jong-hak Baek, Lee Seon-jin
Votes: 25,581
5. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
R | 114 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
After being institutionalized in a mental hospital, Su-mi reunites with her sister, Su-yeon, and they return to live at their country home. But strange events plague the house, leading to surprising revelations and a shocking conclusion.
Director: Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Lim Soo-jung, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Kap-su, Moon Geun-young
Votes: 68,306
6. After the Storm (2016)
Not Rated | 118 min | Comedy, Drama
After the death of his father, a private detective struggles to find child support money and reconnect with his son and ex-wife.
Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu | Stars: Hiroshi Abe, Yôko Maki, Satomi Kobayashi, Lily Franky
Votes: 12,770 | Gross: $0.27M
7. Audition (1999)
R | 115 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A 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.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura
Votes: 89,310
8. Boiling Point (1990)
Not Rated | 96 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Two disquieted junior baseball players seek revenge on the local yakuza for attacking their coach.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Yûrei Yanagi, Yuriko Ishida, Taka Guadalcanal
Votes: 7,502 | Gross: $0.00M
9. Burning (2018)
Not Rated | 148 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Jong-su bumps into a girl who used to live in the same neighborhood, who asks him to look after her cat while she's on a trip to Africa. When back, she introduces Ben, a mysterious guy she met there, who confesses his secret hobby.
Director: Lee Chang-dong | Stars: Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jeon Jong-seo, Kim Soo-Kyung
Votes: 76,426 | Gross: $0.72M
10. Chocolate (2008)
R | 110 min | Action, Drama
An autistic girl with powerful martial art skills looks to settle her ailing mother's debts by seeking out the ruthless gangs that owe her family money.
Director: Prachya Pinkaew | Stars: JeeJa Yanin, Hiroshi Abe, Pongpat Wachirabunjong, Taphon Phopwandee
Votes: 18,866 | Gross: $0.01M
11. Chungking Express (1994)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two 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.
Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Faye Wong
Votes: 95,917 | Gross: $0.60M
12. City of Life and Death (2009)
R | 133 min | Drama, History, War
In 1937, Japan occupied Nanjing, the Chinese capital. There was a battle and subsequent atrocities against the inhabitants, especially those who took refuge in the International Security Zone.
Director: Chuan Lu | Stars: Ye Liu, Wei Fan, Hideo Nakaizumi, Yuanyuan Gao
Votes: 11,722 | Gross: $0.12M
13. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Chang Chen
Votes: 281,720 | Gross: $128.08M
14. Dangerous Liaisons (2012)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
In Shanghai, an aging socialite's infatuation with her ex-boyfriend manifests itself as a risky game, where her former lover agrees to seduce, then abandon a naive young woman.
Director: Hur Jin-ho | Stars: Cecilia Cheung, Jang Dong-Gun, Ziyi Zhang, Shawn Dou
Votes: 2,074 | Gross: $0.05M
15. Fireworks (1997)
103 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Nishi leaves the police in the face of harrowing personal and professional difficulties. Spiraling into depression, he makes questionable decisions.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Kayoko Kishimoto, Ren Ôsugi, Susumu Terajima
Votes: 33,213 | Gross: $0.23M
16. Hero (2002)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A defense officer, Nameless, was summoned by the King of Qin regarding his success of terminating three warriors.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang
Votes: 187,705 | Gross: $53.71M
17. I Wish (2011)
PG | 128 min | Drama
Twelve-year-old Koichi, who has been separated from his brother Ryunosuke due to his parents' divorce, hears a rumor that the new bullet trains will precipitate a wish-granting miracle when they pass each other at top speed.
Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu | Stars: Kôki Maeda, Oshiro Maeda, Ryôga Hayashi, Seinosuke Nagayoshi
Votes: 7,942 | Gross: $0.15M
18. In the Mood for Love (2000)
PG | 98 min | Drama, Romance
Two neighbors form a strong bond after both suspect extramarital activities of their spouses. However, they agree to keep their bond platonic so as not to commit similar wrongs.
Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Siu Ping-Lam, Tung Cho 'Joe' Cheung
Votes: 167,028 | Gross: $2.73M
19. Infernal Affairs (2002)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A story between a mole in the police department and an undercover cop. Their objectives are the same: to find out who is the mole, and who is the cop.
Directors: Andrew Lau, Alan Mak | Stars: Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Eric Tsang
Votes: 131,530 | Gross: $0.17M
20. The Eternal Zero (2015– )
361 min | Drama, Mystery, War
The story of Saeki Kentaro, who continues to fail the National Bar Examinations and lose sight of the goal of his life, and his old sister Keiko, who is a freelance writer looking up their ... See full summary »
Stars: Osamu Mukai, Mikako Tabe, Kenta Kiritani, Ryôko Hirosue
Votes: 75
21. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)
R | 120 min | Biography, Drama
A fictionalized account in four chapters of the life of celebrated Japanese writer Yukio Mishima.
Director: Paul Schrader | Stars: Ken Ogata, Masayuki Shionoya, Hiroshi Mikami, Junya Fukuda
Votes: 13,799 | Gross: $0.44M
22. First They Killed My Father (2017)
TV-MA | 136 min | Biography, Drama, History
Cambodian author and human rights activist Loung Ung recounts the horrors she suffered as a child under the rule of the deadly Khmer Rouge.
Director: Angelina Jolie | Stars: Sareum Srey Moch, Phoeung Kompheak, Sveng Socheata, Mun Kimhak
Votes: 20,455
23. Hello Stranger (2010)
130 min | Comedy, Romance
A couple meet in South Korea. They have fun together, but when they fall in love, everything changes.
Director: Banjong Pisanthanakun | Stars: Chantavit Dhanasevi, Nuengthida Sophon
Votes: 3,137
24. Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (2014)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama
A jaded Japanese woman discovers a hidden copy of Fargo (1996) on VHS, believing it to be a treasure map indicating the location of a large case of money.
Director: David Zellner | Stars: Rinko Kikuchi, Nobuyuki Katsube, Kanako Higashi, Ichi Ômiya
Votes: 12,426 | Gross: $0.62M
25. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
R | 99 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
In Shanghai, China in the 1940s, a wannabe gangster aspires to join the notorious "Axe Gang" while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.
Director: Stephen Chow | Stars: Stephen Chow, Wah Yuen, Qiu Yuen, Siu-Lung Leung
Votes: 150,946 | Gross: $17.11M
26. Last Life in the Universe (2003)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A suicidal, obsessively compulsive Japanese librarian is forced to lie low in Thailand with a pot-smoking woman coping with the recent loss of her sister.
Director: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Sinitta Boonyasak, Takashi Miike, Laila Boonyasak
Votes: 11,561 | Gross: $0.03M
27. Like Father, Like Son (2013)
Not Rated | 121 min | Drama
Ryota is a successful workaholic businessman. When he learns that his biological son was switched with another boy after birth, he faces the difficult decision to choose his true son or the boy he and his wife have raised as their own.
Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu | Stars: Masaharu Fukuyama, Machiko Ono, Yôko Maki, Lily Franky
Votes: 28,168 | Gross: $0.28M
28. Lust, Caution (2007)
NC-17 | 157 min | Drama, History, Romance
During World War II era, a young woman, Wang Jiazhi, gets swept up in a dangerous game of emotional intrigue with a powerful political figure, Mr. Yee.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Tang Wei, Joan Chen, Leehom Wang
Votes: 45,547 | Gross: $4.60M
29. My Way (2011)
R | 137 min | Action, Drama, War
In World War II-era Korea, rival runners, one Korean (Jang Dong-gun) and one Japanese (Joe Odagiri), go to war together against the Soviets.
Director: Kang Je-kyu | Stars: Jang Dong-Gun, Joe Odagiri, Bingbing Fan, Kim In-kwon
Votes: 12,651 | Gross: $0.07M
30. Memories of Murder (2003)
Not Rated | 132 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In 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.
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roe-ha, Song Jae-ho
Votes: 216,764 | Gross: $0.01M
31. Oldboy (2003)
R | 120 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
After 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.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jeong, Kim Byeong-Ok
Votes: 636,445 | Gross: $0.71M
32. Parasite (2019)
R | 132 min | Drama, Thriller
Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly-formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-sik
Votes: 960,990 | Gross: $53.37M
33. Pee Mak (2013)
115 min | Comedy, Horror, Romance
After serving in the war, Mak invites his four soldier friends to his home. Upon arrival they witness the village terrified of a ghost. The four friends hear rumors that the ghost is Mak's wife Nak. Based on Thai folklore.
Director: Banjong Pisanthanakun | Stars: Mario Maurer, Davika Hoorne, Nattapong Chartpong, Pongsatorn Jongwilas
Votes: 6,513
34. Pieta (2012)
Not Rated | 103 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Jo Min-soo, Lee Jung-Jin, Woo Ki-hong, Eunjin Kang
Votes: 15,774 | Gross: $0.02M
35. Syndromes and a Century (2006)
105 min | Drama
Story about director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's parents, who were both doctors, and the director's memories about growing up in the hospital environment.
Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul | Stars: Nantarat Sawaddikul, Jaruchai Iamaram, Sophon Pukanok, Jenjira Pongpas
Votes: 4,602 | Gross: $0.02M
36. The Flowers of War (2011)
R | 146 min | Drama, History, Romance
An American finds refuge during the 1937 Japanese invasion of Nanking in a church with a group of women. Posing as a priest, he attempts to lead the women to safety.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Christian Bale, Ni Ni, Xinyi Zhang, Tianyuan Huang
Votes: 55,741 | Gross: $0.01M
37. Shaolin (2011)
R | 131 min | Action, Drama
After ambushing and killing his rival, losing everything in the process, dispirited warlord Hou Jie turns to a Shaolin monastery seeking salvation.
Director: Benny Chan | Stars: Shaoqun Yu, Chen Zhiui, Xing Yu, Jing Wu
Votes: 20,160 | Gross: $0.06M
38. The Front Line (2011)
Not Rated | 133 min | Action, Drama, History
A drama centered on the Korean War's final battle that will determine the border between north and south.
Director: Hun Jang | Stars: Shin Ha-kyun, Go Soo, Ryu Seung-su, Ko Chang-seok
Votes: 7,105 | Gross: $0.01M
39. The Handmaiden (2016)
Not Rated | 145 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
A woman is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, but secretly she is involved in a plot to defraud her.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, Moon So-ri
Votes: 172,993 | Gross: $2.01M
40. The Rocket (2013)
96 min | Drama
Laos. In a land ravaged by war and exploitation, a boy whose family believe he is cursed must redeem himself by taking part in a dangerous rocket competition.
Director: Kim Mordaunt | Stars: Sitthiphon Disamoe, Loungnam Kaosainam, Suthep Po-ngam, Boonsri Yindee
Votes: 3,202
41. Tulpan (2008)
Not Rated | 100 min | Comedy, Drama
On the steppes of Kazakhstan, Asa lives in a yurt with his sister Samal, her husband Ondas, and their three children. Ondas is a herdsman, tough and strong. It's dry, dusty, and windy; too ... See full summary »
Director: Sergei Dvortsevoy | Stars: Askhat Kuchinchirekov, Tolepbergen Baisakalov, Samal Yeslyamova, Ondassyn Bessikbassov
Votes: 3,373 | Gross: $0.16M
42. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)
Not Rated | 114 min | Drama, Fantasy
Dying of kidney disease, a man spends his last, somber days with family, including the ghost of his wife and a forest spirit who used to be his son, on a rural northern Thailand farm.
Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul | Stars: Thanapat Saisaymar, Jenjira Pongpas, Sakda Kaewbuadee, Natthakarn Aphaiwonk
Votes: 17,409 | Gross: $0.18M
43. Once Upon a Time in China (1991)
R | 134 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Legendary martial arts hero Wong Fei-Hung fights against foreign forces' plundering of China. When Aunt Yee arrives back from America, Wong Fei-Hung assumes the role of her protector.
Director: Hark Tsui | Stars: Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Biao Yuen, Jacky Cheung
Votes: 19,904
44. You Are the Apple of My Eye (2011)
109 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A group of close friends who attend a private school all have a debilitating crush on the sunny star pupil, Shen Jiayi. The only member of the group who claims not to is Ke Jingteng, but he ends up loving her as well.
Director: Giddens Ko | Stars: Kai Ko, Michelle Chen, Shao-Wen Hao, Owodog
Votes: 11,590
45. Secret Sunshine (2007)
Not Rated | 142 min | Drama
A woman moves to the town where her dead husband was born. As she tries to fit in, another tragic event overturns her life.
Director: Lee Chang-dong | Stars: Jeon Do-yeon, Song Kang-ho, Lee Dong-yong, Lee Hee-joon
Votes: 9,585
46. Still the Water (2014)
Not Rated | 121 min | Drama, Romance
On a subtropical island, a teenage couple deal with the interwoven cycle of life, death and love.
Director: Naomi Kawase | Stars: Nijirô Murakami, Junko Abe, Miyuki Matsuda, Tetta Sugimoto
Votes: 3,072
47. The Farewell (I) (2019)
PG | 100 min | Comedy, Drama
A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies.
Director: Lulu Wang | Stars: Shuzhen Zhao, Awkwafina, X Mayo, Hong Lu
Votes: 71,195 | Gross: $16.88M
48. Searching (III) (2018)
PG-13 | 102 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
After his teenage daughter goes missing, a desperate father tries to find clues on her laptop.
Director: Aneesh Chaganty | Stars: John Cho, Debra Messing, Joseph Lee, Michelle La
Votes: 180,053 | Gross: $26.02M
49. Lucky Grandma (2019)
87 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Set in New York City's Chinatown, an ornery, chain-smoking Chinese grandma goes all in at the casino, landing herself on the wrong side of luck - and in the middle of a gang war.
Director: Sasie Sealy | Stars: Tsai Chin, Hsiao-Yuan Ha, Michael Tow, Woody Fu
Votes: 1,771
50. Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
PG-13 | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
This contemporary romantic comedy based on a global bestseller follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu to Singapore to meet her boyfriend's family.
Director: Jon M. Chu | Stars: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan
Votes: 190,196 | Gross: $174.53M
51. In the Realm of the Senses (1976)
NC-17 | 109 min | Drama, Romance
A passionate telling of the story of Sada Abe, a woman whose affair with her master led to an obsessive and ultimately destructive sexual relationship.
Director: Nagisa Ôshima | Stars: Tatsuya Fuji, Eiko Matsuda, Aoi Nakajima, Yasuko Matsui
Votes: 22,828
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