Kick-ass bloody, brutally violence Asian action/crime thrillers
by DrewMoyer578 | created - 12 Dec 2013 | updated - 12 Dec 2013 | PublicI don't know why Asian filmmakers are the best at making crime movies, but here are some of the best that I've seen.
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1. 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: 636,112 | Gross: $0.71M
Not only one of the best thrillers but one of the best films ever made.
2. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A recently laid off factory worker kidnaps his former boss' friend's daughter, hoping to use the ransom money to pay for his sister's kidney transplant.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Shin Ha-kyun, Bae Doona, Lim Ji-eun
Votes: 75,156 | Gross: $0.05M
3. Lady Vengeance (2005)
R | 115 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After being wrongfully imprisoned for thirteen years and having her child taken away from her, a woman seeks revenge through increasingly brutal means.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Nam-mi Kang, Jeong-nam Choi, Hye-Sook Go, Bok-hwa Baek
Votes: 86,133 | Gross: $0.21M
4. Ichi the Killer (2001)
R | 129 min | Action, Crime, Drama
As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of achieving.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ômori, Shin'ya Tsukamoto, Paulyn Sun
Votes: 60,059 | Gross: $0.02M
Adds comedy and horror to the crime/thriller mix and does it pretty well.
5. Mad Detective (2007)
Not Rated | 89 min | Action, Crime, Mystery
A rookie cop teams up with a former detective with a supernatural gift to hunt down a serial killer.
Directors: Johnnie To, Ka-Fai Wai | Stars: Ching Wan Lau, Andy On, Ka-Tung Lam, Kelly Lin
Votes: 8,130 | Gross: $0.00M
6. Exiled (2006)
R | 110 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A friendship is formed between an ex-gangster, and two groups of hitmen - those who want to protect him and those who were sent to kill him.
Director: Johnnie To | Stars: Nick Cheung, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Francis Ng, Simon Yam
Votes: 9,650 | Gross: $0.05M
7. Election (2005)
Unrated | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Rival gang leaders are locked in a struggle to become the new chairman of Hong Kong's Triad society.
Director: Johnnie To | Stars: Louis Koo, Suet Lam, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Eddie Cheung
Votes: 11,373
8. Election 2 (2006)
Unrated | 93 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
As election time nears, current Triad chairman Lok (Yam) faces competition from his godsons. At the same time, Jimmy (Koo) looks to increase his business relations with mainland China.
Director: Johnnie To | Stars: Louis Koo, Simon Yam, Nick Cheung, Ka-Tung Lam
Votes: 6,902 | Gross: $0.05M
9. The Chaser (2008)
Not Rated | 125 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A disgraced ex-policeman who runs a small ring of prostitutes finds himself in a race against time when one of his women goes missing.
Director: Na Hong-jin | Stars: Kim Yoon-seok, Ha Jung-woo, Seo Yeong-hie, Kim Yoo-jung
Votes: 72,793
10. Sonatine (1993)
R | 94 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Several yakuza from Tokyo are sent to Okinawa to help end a gang war. The war then escalates and the Tokyo drifters decide to lay low at the beach.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Aya Kokumai, Tetsu Watanabe, Masanobu Katsumura
Votes: 23,284
11. Outrage (2010)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The boss of a major crime syndicate orders his lieutenant to bring a rogue gang of drug traffickers in line, a job that gets passed on to his long-suffering subordinate.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Kippei Shîna, Ryô Kase, Fumiyo Kohinata
Votes: 14,664
12. 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: 33,188 | Gross: $0.23M
13. Violent Cop (1989)
Not Rated | 103 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A violence prone police officer discovers that his colleague is trafficking drugs.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Maiko Kawakami, Makoto Ashikawa, Shirô Sano
Votes: 12,997 | Gross: $0.00M
14. Vengeance (2009)
Not Rated | 108 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A French chef swears revenge after a violent attack on his daughter's family in Macau, during which her husband and her two children are murdered. To help him find the killers, he hires three local hit-men working for the mafia.
Director: Johnnie To | Stars: Johnny Hallyday, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Simon Yam, Suet Lam
Votes: 7,002
15. The Man from Nowhere (2010)
R | 119 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A quiet pawnshop keeper with a violent past takes on a drug-and-organ trafficking ring in hope of saving the child who is his only friend.
Director: Lee Jeong-beom | Stars: Won Bin, Kim Sae-ron, Kim Tae-hoon, Kim Hee-won
Votes: 74,869 | Gross: $0.01M
16. King of Triads (2010)
R | 91 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When the boss of a ruling Hong Kong triad is arrested and executed in China for counterfeiting money, mayhem ensues as the mob's leading contenders circle the throne.
Director: Dennis Law | Stars: Tian-Lin Wang, Eddie Cheung, Suet Lam, Simon Yam
Votes: 604
17. Shinjuku Incident (2009)
R | 119 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A simple Chinese immigrant wages a perilous war against one of the most powerful criminal organizations on the planet.
Director: Tung-Shing Yee | Stars: Jackie Chan, Naoto Takenaka, Daniel Wu, Jinglei Xu
Votes: 13,578
18. Drug War (2012)
R | 107 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A drug cartel boss who is arrested in a raid is coerced into betraying his former accomplices as part of an undercover operation.
Director: Johnnie To | Stars: Louis Koo, Honglei Sun, Yi Huang, Michelle Ye
Votes: 10,864 | Gross: $0.13M
19. Life Without Principle (2011)
Not Rated | 107 min | Crime, Drama
Three people - a criminal, a bank officer and a cop - end up in a catastrophic situation in the midst of a global economical crisis and are forced to betray any morals and principles to solve their financial problems.
Director: Johnnie To | Stars: Ching Wan Lau, Richie Jen, Denise Ho, Myolie Wu
Votes: 2,741
20. Protégé (2007)
R | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A special agent has for 8 years been deep undercover in Asia's lucrative organized crime trade as he plays protégé to one of the key players, Banker. Now, Nick has but he has started to feel loyalty to his new environment and to the money.
Director: Tung-Shing Yee | Stars: Andy Lau, Daniel Wu, Louis Koo, Jingchu Zhang
Votes: 5,746
21. Bangkok Dangerous (2000)
R | 105 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The story is of a deaf-mute hitman and his partner who are based in Bangkok. He is friends with his partner's girlfriend who is a stripper at a local club. They go about their assassination... See full summary »
Directors: Danny Pang, Oxide Chun Pang | Stars: Pawarith Monkolpisit, Premsinee Ratanasopha, Patharawarin Timkul, Pisek Intrakanchit
Votes: 3,779 | Gross: $0.02M
22. I Saw the Devil (2010)
Not Rated | 144 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A secret agent exacts revenge on a serial killer through a series of captures and releases.
Director: Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik, Jeon Gook-hwan, Chun Ho-jin
Votes: 146,287 | Gross: $0.13M
23. Bloody Tie (2006)
Not Rated | 117 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A low-level drug pusher is pressured by a corrupt cop to help him catch a local drug lord.
Director: Ho Choi | Stars: Ryu Seung-beom, Hwang Jung-min, Kim Hee-ra, Chu Ja-hyeon
Votes: 787
24. H (2002)
R | 106 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Serial killer Shin-Hyun gives himself up to police and confesses to committing a series of particularly horrifying murders of exclusively female victims. He is imprisoned and awaiting the ... See full summary »
Director: Jong-Hyuk Lee | Stars: Yum Jung-ah, Ji Jin-hee, Sung Ji-ru, Cho Seung-woo
Votes: 1,987
25. The Killer (1989)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh, Kong Chu
Votes: 51,088
26. Hard Boiled (1992)
R | 128 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A tough-as-nails cop teams up with an undercover agent to shut down a sinister mobster and his crew.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Teresa Mo, Philip Chan
Votes: 54,041
27. Graveyard of Honor (2002)
Not Rated | 131 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A barkeeper saves a Yakuza boss' life and thus makes his way up in the organization. However his fear of nothing soon causes problems.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Gorô Kishitani, Ryôsuke Miki, Narimi Arimori, Mikio Ôsawa
Votes: 2,349
28. New World (2013)
Not Rated | 135 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An undercover cop finds it difficult to play both a cop and a goon.
Director: Park Hoon-jung | Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Choi Min-sik, Hwang Jung-min, Park Sung-woong
Votes: 26,372 | Gross: $0.46M
29. 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: 131,482 | Gross: $0.17M
30. Triangle (2007)
R | 93 min | Crime, Thriller
Told in three 30-minute segments, three friends seek out the buried treasure of a mysterious stranger.
Directors: Ringo Lam, Johnnie To, Hark Tsui | Stars: Louis Koo, Simon Yam, Honglei Sun, Ka-Tung Lam
Votes: 1,876
31. A Bittersweet Life (2005)
Not Rated | 119 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Things go wrong for a high ranking mobster when he doesn't follow his boss's orders.
Directors: Jung Doo Hong, Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Shin Min-a, Kim Yeong-cheol, Hwang Jung-min
Votes: 42,928
32. The City of Violence (2006)
92 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After their childhood friend is murdered, a two-man martial arts army beats a path to the perp.
Director: Ryu Seung-wan | Stars: Ryu Seung-wan, Lee Beom-su, Kim Byeong-Ok, Jo Deok-hyeon
Votes: 4,772
33. Breathless (2008)
Not Rated | 130 min | Crime, Drama
A bitter loan shark strikes a friendship with a troubled schoolgirl as he faces his own troubled past with his abusive father.
Director: Yang Ik-joon | Stars: Kim Kkobbi, Hwan Lee, Yang Ik-joon, Jeong-soon Park
Votes: 5,563
34. Punished (2011)
Not Rated | 94 min | Crime, Thriller
When a tycoon's daughter is found dead of cocaine overdose after being rescued from abduction, he will stop at nothing to avenge her.
Director: Wing-Cheong Law | Stars: Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Richie Jen, Janice Man, Maggie Ho-yee Cheung
Votes: 776
35. Triad Wars (2008)
R | 117 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
In the mist of a violent gang war, a series of unfortunate events threatens the fate of a powerful triad leader and his empire.
Director: Dennis Law | Stars: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Simon Yam, Niu Tien, Danny Lee
Votes: 1,157
36. Rainy Dog (1997)
Not Rated | 95 min | Crime, Drama
A Japanese assassin stranded in Taiwan must take work from a local crime boss to make ends meet when suddenly a woman from his past delivers a son to him.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Shô Aikawa, Li-Wei Chang, Shih Chang, Xianmei Chen
Votes: 2,880
37. Branded to Kill (1967)
Not Rated | 91 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After a botched assignment, a rice-fetishizing hitman finds himself in conflict with his organization, and one mysterious, dangerous fellow-hitman in particular.
Director: Seijun Suzuki | Stars: Jô Shishido, Mariko Ogawa, Annu Mari, Kôji Nanbara
Votes: 10,211
38. Youth of the Beast (1963)
Not Rated | 92 min | Action, Crime, Mystery
A violent thug plays opposing yakuza bosses against each other.
Director: Seijun Suzuki | Stars: Jô Shishido, Misako Watanabe, Tamio Kawaji, Minako Katsuki
Votes: 3,919
39. The Mission (1999)
Not Rated | 84 min | Action
Triad boss Lung, who has just escaped being killed in an assassination, hires five killers for his protection. Their grown solidarity is under compulsion when Lung gives a special order.
Director: Johnnie To | Stars: Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Francis Ng, Jackie Chung-yin Lui, Roy Cheung
Votes: 6,144
40. 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: 7,499 | Gross: $0.00M
41. A Better Tomorrow (1986)
Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Lung Ti, Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-Fat, Emily Chu
Votes: 25,469
42. City on Fire (1987)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An undercover cop infiltrates a gang of thieves who plan to rob a jewelry store.
Director: Ringo Lam | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Yueh Sun, Danny Lee, Carrie Ng
Votes: 7,264
43. Gendai yakuza: Hito-kiri yota (1972)
Not Rated | 88 min | Action, Crime
A yakuza, who has an untamed rage and lack of respect for authority, finds himself leading the remnants of the gang he once belonged to in order to secure an area of their own.
Director: Kinji Fukasaku | Stars: Bunta Sugawara, Noboru Andô, Mayumi Nagisa, Asao Koike
Votes: 1,240
44. A True Mob Story (1998)
112 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A low level gangster in Hong Kong gains new respect after saving a boss's life in a gang fight.
Directors: Wang Jing, Jing Wong | Stars: Andy Lau, Gigi Leung, Suki Kwan, Mark Cheng
Votes: 496
45. Family (II) (2001)
111 min | Action, Crime
When the mobster Iwaida Nishikawi is executed by the hit man Takeshi, his family chases the killer. Takeshi's brothers Takashi and Hideshi Miwa try to find Takeshi, who is hidden with the ... See full summary »
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ken'ichi Endô, Kôjirô Hongô, Naoko Inoue, Kôichi Iwaki
Votes: 298
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