Best Asian Epics of the Past Two Decades
by DigitalRitual | created - 11 Jan 2013 | updated - 11 Jan 2013 | PublicI prefer historical or fantasy settings, so there are many great films not included here. Yes, yes, I know.... there's relatively no Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee. Intentional ommissions I'm afraid. You don't have to agree with my choices :-)
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1. An Empress and the Warriors (2008)
R | 99 min | Action, Drama, History
After the death of her father, a woman is forced to take over as empress and fight to save her kingdom.
Director: Siu-Tung Ching | Stars: Kelly Chen, Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Xiaodong Guo
Votes: 4,140
2. 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: 281,666 | Gross: $128.08M
3. Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)
R | 114 min | Action, Drama, Romance
During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Gong Li, Jay Chou, Ye Liu
Votes: 45,967 | Gross: $6.57M
4. Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011)
R | 122 min | Action, Adventure
Set three years after Dragon Inn, innkeeper Jade has disappeared and a new inn has risen from the ashes - one that's staffed by marauders masquerading as law-abiding citizens, who hope to unearth the fabled lost city buried in the desert.
Director: Hark Tsui | Stars: Jet Li, Xun Zhou, Kun Chen, Gwei Lun-Mei
Votes: 8,595 | Gross: $0.17M
5. 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: 187,678 | Gross: $53.71M
6. House of Flying Daggers (2004)
PG-13 | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A romantic police captain breaks a beautiful member of a rebel group out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Ziyi Zhang, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Dandan Song
Votes: 116,272 | Gross: $11.05M
7. Ip Man (2008)
R | 106 min | Action, Biography, Drama
During the Japanese invasion of China, a wealthy martial artist is forced to leave his home when his city is occupied. With little means of providing for themselves, Ip Man and the remaining members of the city must find a way to survive.
Director: Wilson Yip | Stars: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Siu-Wong Fan, Ka-Tung Lam
Votes: 233,626
8. Ip Man 2 (2010)
R | 108 min | Action, Biography, Drama
Centering on Ip Man's migration to Hong Kong in 1949 as he attempts to propagate his discipline of Wing Chun martial arts.
Director: Wilson Yip | Stars: Donnie Yen, Xiaoming Huang, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Lynn Xiong
Votes: 111,038 | Gross: $0.21M
9. Iron Monkey (1993)
PG-13 | 85 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A martial artist/doctor steals from the corrupt authorities as a masked thief to give to the poor while another martial artist/doctor is forced to hunt him down. But a major threat unites them as a powerful and traitorous shaolin monk takes over the authorities.
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen | Stars: Rongguang Yu, Donnie Yen, Jean Wang, Sze-Man Tsang
Votes: 17,226 | Gross: $14.68M
10. Iron Monkey 2 (1996)
R | 92 min | Action
Donnie Yen fights a deadly assassin named Tiger Yu and teaming a band of insurrectionists battling a malevolent gang of weapons smugglers.
Directors: Lu-Chiang Chao, Lan Jing | Stars: Donnie Yen, Billy Chow, Wu Ma, Steve Benson
Votes: 844 | Gross: $14.57M
11. Red Cliff (2008)
R | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The first chapter of a two-part story centered on a battle fought in China's Three Kingdoms period (220-280 A.D.).
Director: John Woo | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Fengyi Zhang, Chang Chen
Votes: 48,501 | Gross: $0.63M
12. Red Cliff II (2009)
142 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Second and final part of epic tale about a legendary battle that changed the course of China history.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Fengyi Zhang, Chang Chen
Votes: 25,357 | Gross: $0.63M
13. Sacrifice (2010)
R | 122 min | Action, Drama, History
To save the only child of the Zhao Family, whose entire clan was massacred at the hands of a nefarious minister, a doctor sacrifices his own son; after the Zhao child grows up, the doctor becomes intent on seeking his vengeance.
Director: Kaige Chen | Stars: You Ge, Xueqi Wang, Xiaoming Huang, Bingbing Fan
Votes: 2,490
14. Shadowless Sword (2005)
R | 117 min | Action, Adventure, History
So-ha, a deadly female warrior, is sent to find a exiled prince after the Killer Blade Army killed the royal family.
Director: Young-jun Kim | Stars: Shin Hyeon-jun, Yoon So-yi, Lee Seo-jin, Ki-yong Lee
Votes: 2,968
15. 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: 20,154 | Gross: $0.06M
16. Sukiyaki Western Django (2007)
R | 121 min | Action, Western
A nameless gunfighter arrives in a town ripped apart by rival gangs and, though courted by both to join, chooses his own path.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Hideaki Itô, Kôichi Satô, Quentin Tarantino, Yûsuke Iseya
Votes: 15,838 | Gross: $0.05M
ok, guilty pleasure. this certainly doesn't belong with the rest of this list, but WTH.
17. The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
PG-13 | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A discovery made by a kung fu obsessed American teen sends him on an adventure to ancient China, where he joins up with a band of martial arts warriors in order to free the imprisoned Monkey King.
Director: Rob Minkoff | Stars: Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michael Angarano, Juana Collignon
Votes: 109,551 | Gross: $52.08M
18. The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2011)
PG-13 | 102 min | Action, Fantasy, Romance
A master monk tries to protect a naive young physician from a thousand-year-old snake demon. A contest of psychic powers results in mayhem.
Director: Siu-Tung Ching | Stars: Jet Li, Shengyi Huang, Raymond Lam, Charlene Choi
Votes: 8,978 | Gross: $0.02M
19. The Warlords (2007)
R | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
China, 1860s: Having his army slaughtered, General Qingyun joins 2 bandit leaders in raids on rebels and in blood oath. They form a Qing loyal army with eyes on rebel held Suzhou and Nanjing.
Directors: Peter Ho-Sun Chan, Wai-Man Yip | Stars: Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Jinglei Xu
Votes: 27,821 | Gross: $0.13M
20. The Warrior's Way (2010)
R | 100 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
A warrior-assassin is forced to hide in a small town in the American Badlands after refusing a mission.
Director: Sngmoo Lee | Stars: Jang Dong-Gun, Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush, Danny Huston
Votes: 27,265 | Gross: $5.66M
21. Three Kingdoms (2008)
R | 102 min | Action, Drama, History
Based on "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" by Luo Guangzhong. It ranks as one of China's four most important pieces of literature.
Director: Daniel Lee | Stars: Andy Lau, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Maggie Q, Cunxin Pu
Votes: 6,674
22. True Legend (2010)
R | 115 min | Action, Drama, History
China, 1861: After rescuing the Qing prince from rebels, General Su retires to start a martial arts school. His foster brother betrays him and Su barely survives. Su has a new enemy to defeat.
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen | Stars: Wenzhuo Zhao, Xun Zhou, Andy On, Xiaodong Guo
Votes: 9,224 | Gross: $0.08M
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