Phone (South Korea, 2002)

After writing a series of articles about pedophilia, the journalist Ji-won receives threatening calls and she changes her number. Her friend Ho-jung and her husband invite Ji-won to move to their house that is empty and closed. When the young daughter of her friends answers a call on her phone, the girl screams and changes her behavior, feeling a great attraction for her father and rejecting her mother. After investigating her phone number, Ji-won discovers that the original owner of the number had vanished and the two next owners of the number have mysteriously died in unusual circumstances.

Phone has that certain something that makes it a great horror film, without doing anything groundbreaking. Definitely give it a watch if your looking for good scare.

Genre: Horror

Failan (South Korea, 2001)

After losing both her parents, Failan emmigrates to Korea to seek her only remaining relatives. Once she reaches Korea, she finds out that her relatives have moved to Canada well over a year ago. Desperate to stay and make a living in Korea, Failan is forced to have an arranged marriage through a match-making
agency. Kang Jae is an old and outdated gangster, and short on money, Kang Jae decides to take on the arranged marriage. Having nothing more than a picture of Kang Jae, Failan spends her days dreaming and wishing that Kang Jae would come to visit her.

A sad and alternative take on a love story, and I use the term love story very loosely because there's not so much love to be found here, so don't think it's another sappy and unoriginal melodrama. Choi Min-sik (Oldboy, I Saw the Devil) delivers a great performance as a man who looses his wife whom he'd never even met. Very bittersweet and heart-wrenching. 

Genre: Drama/Romance

Love Exposure (Japan, 2008)

Three emotionally abused individuals from the fringes of society get locked in a convoluted love triangle. Yuu, a Catholic boy searching for true love ends up taking "panty shot" photos of women in public until he discovers Yoko, whom he sees as his Virgin Mary. Yoko, an anti-family girl finds that her foster mother will be marrying Yuu's father. Koike, an "original sinner" and the regional leader of a brainwashing cult, co-ordinates a plan to convert Yuu's family to her cult. Under her careful direction, their lives come crashing together in one fateful street fight.

Love Exposure gained notoriety for its four-hour long duration, and themes of religion mixed with learning the art of upskirt photography. It's kind of a love it or hate it film, but there's so much content that you most likely will gain something from watching the whole film. One critic called it a "romantic sex comedy family drama martial arts action movie." I'd say that's a spot on description.

Genre: Comedy/Drama

The Eel (Japan, 1997)

White-collar worker Yamashita finds out that his wife has a lover visiting her when he's away, suddenly returns home and kills her. After eight years in prison, he returns to live in a small village, opens a barber shop and talks almost to no-one except for the eel he "befriended" in prison. One day he finds the unconscious body of Keiko, who attempted suicide and reminds him of his wife.

The Eel is a fantastic film with heavy themes. Loosely based on a novel called On Parole, which is a much more appropriate title, due to the fact it's about  trying to fit in to society after committing a heinous crime. It's more optimistic than you'd think, and along the way Yamashita meets a bunch of colorful characters,  Some big names are involved in the production, such as well-respected director Shohei Imamura (Black Rain, The Insect Woman) and lead actor Koji Yakusho who's got a stellar filmography. 

Genre: Drama

3-Iron (South Korea/Japan, 2004)

A young drifter enters strangers' houses - and lives - while owners are away. He spends a night or a day sleeping in, repaying their "hospitality" by doing laundry or small repairs. His life changes when he runs into a beautiful woman in a mansion who is ready to escape her unhappy, abusive marriage. 

The film is notable for the lack of dialogue between its two main characters, and that makes it one of the most unique films on this list. You'd think that a movie with hardly any dialogue would make it less believable, but no, it's perfect and there's so much being said without the use of dialogue anyway. It's like a trademark of director Kim Ki-duk (The Isle, Pieta), and I think it's such a cool thing to write a romance story where the man and woman doesn't speak to each other. 

A fantastic and lovely unique film.

Genre: Drama/Romance

Breathless (South Korea, 2009)

A loan shark named Sang Hoon finds himself striking a friendship with a troubled schoolgirl, Yeon Hee, as he faces his own troubled past with his abusive father.

A moving film about domestic violence and broken down families. The main character is practically the scum of the earth, so you'll want to see how he develops throughout the movie. The soundtrack is also great, and I love how the soft violins clashes with the raw plot.

Genre: Crime/Drama

Tony Takitani (Japan, 2004)

Due to his Western name, Tony was shunned by other kids and spent a solitary childhood. Though gifted as an artist, his drawings lacked feeling, so as an adult, he carved a career as a technical illustrator. Then in middle age, Tony suddenly falls for a pretty young woman, Eiko Konuma, who visits him one day on business. Eiko is like an angel in Tony's daily existence, and for the first time in his life, he feels connected to the outside world. 

Tony Takitani is adapted from a short story by one of Japan's biggest writers, Haruki Murakami. Even though it's just over an hour, Tony Takitani gets under your skin like no other. Certainly not for everyone, with its distinct style where the camera just sort of pans through every scene, but those willingly to sit through it may find one of the most moving (and depressing) moments in Japanese cinema. It's a visual poem about loneliness, love and loss.

Genre: Drama

The Stool Pigeon (Hong Kong, 2010)

Policeman Don Lee often works with informants but numerous too-close calls and failed missions cause him to see the world as one betrayal after another - then he meets Guy, and is given a new chance to change his views.

Great driving scenes and surprisingly deep character development, with The Stool Pigeon, Dante Lam (Fire of Conscience, Beast Stalker) made one of the most rock solid action fests of its year.

Genre: Action/Drama/Thriller

The Detective 2 (Hong Kong, 2011)

Private investigator Tam still longs for the day he can join the Bangkok police force and work alongside his old pal, Inspector Chak. When Chak is reassigned under a pig-headed new chief inspector, Tam is hired to help investigate several mysterious deaths, believed to be the work of a mentally unstable orphan. As his investigation brings him deeper and deeper into the child’s psyche, memories of Tam’s own childhood as an orphan resurfaces.

The standalone sequel to 2007's The Detective, is just as thrilling. The plot may not be as good, but it's still worth checking out if you're a fan of intense murder mysteries.

Genre: Crime/Thriller

Grotesque (Japan, 2009)

The doctor is one who's always gotten what he wanted; so he kidnaps a random couple, Aki and Kazuo, two young people who, after a few years working in the same office, go on a date once realizing feelings for one another. While on that first date, the couple is snatched off the street and wake up shackled in a basement. With little explanation, the doctor degrades, tortures, and mutilates them. As time and torture progresses, the doctor reveals that he is simply doing it for sexual stimulation and he wants them to survive.

Okay, this is basically an hour-long torture session. It features minimal narrative or story progress, and only presents the viewers with escalating levels of sadism and brutality. But still, the concept is so insane (and great) that I felt it should have a place on this list. Check out the Guinea Pig-series for more of these fake snuff-films, but those are way more extreme.

Genre: Crime/Horror

Audition (Japan, 1999)

Aoyama, a lonely Japanese widower whose son is planning to move out of the house soon expresses his sadness to a friend and fellow film producer, who becomes inspired to hold an audition for a non-existent film so that he can select a new potential bride from the resulting audition pool. Aoyama, ultimately becomes fascinated by one particular young woman, but first impressions can often be horribly wrong....

Apparently, Audition had a record number of walkouts at a film festival due to its grisly content, and one woman passed out and was in need of emergency room attention. Wow. In my opinion it's more of a very unnerving thriller than something that repulsing, because there aren't many scenes that makes your stomach turn up until the ending. 

But it's a great film nonetheless, and it's made by Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer), one of Japans most interesting directors. I've always liked the main actor, Ryo Ishibashi, and the first half of the film is a great build-up before things get really sick. Miike once said that if people such as the aforementioned woman walks out on his films due to graphic content, then he had done a good job and considered it a success.  

Genre: Thriller

Hana-bi (Japan, 1997)

Nishi, a violent and unpredictable police detective who quits the force after a terrible incident results in his partner, Horibe, needing to use a wheelchair. After his retirement he spends much of his time looking after his wife Miyuki, who has leukemia. At the same time, the Yakuza is pressing him about debts he owes them. Luckily, Nishi is as tough as they come.

Moving at a deliberate slow pace, Hana-bi (a.k.a. Fireworks) takes its time to show a relationship between a man and his sick wife who's slowly withering away, with various engrossing subplots. The soundtrack, composed by Studio Ghibli's Joe Hisaishi, is hauntingly beautiful and gives the film an incredible emotional depth. There's some very violent scenes, but because they're sparse they become much more effective. Praised by critics all over the world, Hana-bi is an instant classic.

Genre: Crime/Drama/Romance

Antarctic Journal (South Korea, 2005)

A South Korean expedition is trekking across the Antarctic when they discover a journal left by a British team that was lost 80 years earlier. As they press onward, they begin to notice strange similarities between the ill-fated British journey and their own. In the unforgiving environment where small mistakes can doom an entire party, the team steadily descends deeper into fatal delusions.

Antarctic Journal mixes elements of psychological thriller and classic horror films, while overall being a drama about reaching the pole of inaccessibility. It features my favorite actor Song Kang-ho (Thirst, Memories of Murder) as a captain who is obsessed with reaching their goal.

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Cure (Japan, 1997)

A wave of gruesome murders is sweeping Tokyo. The only connection is a bloody X carved into the neck of each of the victims. In each case, the murderer is found near the victim and remembers nothing of the crime. Detective Takabe and psychologist Sakuma are called in to figure out the connection, but their investigation goes nowhere. An odd young man is arrested near the scene of the latest murder, who has a strange effect on everyone who comes into contact with him.

A great psychological thriller with the always fantastic Kôji Yakusho (Retribution). The brilliant camera work and subtle dark plot makes this a mysterious murder case you don't want to miss. Directed by one of my favorites, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who've made films such as Tokyo Sonata (2008) and Pulse (2001), and is  without a doubt someone I consider is somewhat of a modern master.

Genre: Crime/Horror/Mystery

Tokyo Sonata (Japan, 2008)

In the suburbs of Tokyo, a man loses his job at a big company, and is faced with the harsh reality of unemployment. Meanwhile, his family is drifting further and further away from each other. 

Tokyo Sonata focuses on the everyday struggles and hardships of every member of a family falling apart, and we get to follow them on their own paths that leads further and further away from each other. Even though it's made by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, Pulse), I can't help but seeing some of Hirokazu Kore-eda (Nobody Knows) in the seams, with the family focused narrative and ability to seriously portray the relationships that makes a home.

It also deals with shame culture in the Japanese society, which might come as a culture shock to some people but is actually a big part of their way of life. Tokyo Sonata touches on some of that, but mostly strives to tell a story about the fragile bonds between ourselves and them we care about.

Genre: Drama. 2h.

Graveyard of Honor (Japan, 2002)

A barkeeper saves a Yakuza boss' life and thus makes his way up in the organization. However his fear of nothing soon causes problems. 

A sociopathic killer rapist is on the rampage and leaves piles of bodys in his wake? Yep, this is a Takashi Miike film, alright. Basically an out of control yakuza crime fest, and if you consider yourself a fan of Japanese ultra-violence, this is your cup of blood. It's a remake of Kinji Fukasaku's film from 1975 of the same name, based on the real life gangster Rikio Ishikawa, and even though Miike's film is a bit more cleaned up and controlled, it's still a brutal yakuza crime spree. Here we find some of the most realistic shootout scenes ever put to film, and it stops feeling like a movie and more of a situation where someone with  a camera got caught in a chaotic firefight. 

Even if one should be well-versed in action flicks, Graveyard of Honor still contains a lot of violence which can be tough to stomach, with an abundance of abuse toward women.

Genre: Action/Crime/Thriller

Nobody Knows (Japan, 2004)

Nobody Knows tells the story of four children: Akira, Kyoko, Shigeru and Yuki, who are aged between five and twelve years old. The children cannot go outside, do not attend school, and cannot be spotted by outsiders. Their mother abandons them, and they are forced to survive on their own. Over time, they can only rely on each other to face the multiple challenges in front of them.

A heartfelt drama that never gets sentimental, only more tragic. Directed by one of my favorite Japanese filmmakers, Hirokazu Koreeda, who've made amazing titles like Still Walking (2008) and After Life (1998). The fact that the main characters are all children maybe will make some viewers let out a big sigh, but Koreeda has an excellent ability to choose terrific young actors for his films. The ending is left open, and viewers themselves can decide what happens afterwards. I can't recommend this film enough. 

Genre: Drama

Sun Scarred (Japan, 2006)

Katayama is on the way home to his wife and daughter when he stumbles on a gang of punks beating up an innocent man. Katamaya decides to help the stranger and surprisingly wins the fight. This turns out to be a bad decision as his daughter is kidnapped and murdered by the leader of the same band of young thugs. Katayama seeks revenge and tries to trace the gangs location.

Another great Takashi Miike (Audition) film, and it doesn't mess around. The violence in Sun Scarred (a.k.a. Scars of the Sun)  stays at a more realistic level, and leaves more room for the dark plot about how one man reaches his limit and wants nothing but vengeance. I don't blame him, the young thugs in this film makes Darth Vader look like a boy scout. Definitely a Miike film that's more serious in tone than many of his other works, and that's something I can appreciate after a handful films of his that uses very over-the-top violence and slapstick. 
Overall, a very dark but satisfying story of revenge.

Genre: Drama/Crime

Ju-on: The Curse (Japan, 2000)

It is the story of Takeo, a man who killed his wife, and his son Toshio, in a jealous rage. Then Toshio's teacher, Kobayashi, looks for him because he has not been in school. He slowly discovers the horror that has taken place. 


Ju-on is one of very few horror films that mostly takes place in daylight. It isn't long either, clocking in at barely over an hour. But, despite those facts, it's one of the most horrifying films of it's time. It started a tidal wave of sequels wich are all fantastic horror films (except the american versions, of course).  The Japanese Ju-on series:

Ju-on: The Curse
Ju-on: The Curse 2
Ju-on: The Grudge
Ju-on: The Grudge 2

Genre: Horror

Ju-on: The Grudge (Japan, 2003)

When the volunteer social assistant Rika Nishina is assigned to visit a family, she is cursed and chased by two revengeful fiends: Kayako, a woman brutally murdered by her husband and her son Toshio. Each person that lives or visits the haunted house is murdered or disappears.

While not as scary as the first two Ju-on films, The Grudge is still a gem in the sea of Japanese horror. I would also say that the twisted music and sound effects surpasses its ghostly visuals. 

Genre: Horror

Mother (South Korea, 2009)

A mother lives quietly with her twenty-eight-year-old son, Do-joon, providing herbs and acupuncture to neighbors. One day, a girl is brutally murdered, and Do-joon is charged with the killing. Now, it's his mother's call whether to prove him innocent or to leave him imprisoned.

Director Bong Joon-ho (Memories of Murder, The Host) is back with yet another thriller and once more shows how to do a compelling and dark thriller with that hint of morbid humor. Much credit goes to Hye-ja Kim, who plays the titular character in a great, sympathetic performance. Her struggle to prove her son's innocence forces her to walk a very thin line between right and wrong, and the more closer she get's to the truth the more blurred that line becomes.  

Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller

The Good, the Bad, The Weird (South Korea, 2008)

Three Korean gunslingers: Do-wan, an upright bounty hunter, Chang-yi, a thin-skinned and ruthless killer, and Tae-goo, a train robber with nine lives. Tae-goo finds a map he's convinced leads to buried treasure; Chang-yi wants it as well for less clear reasons. Do-wan tracks the map knowing it will bring him to Chang-yi, Tae-goo, and reward money. Occupying Japanese forces and their Manchurian collaborators also want the map, as does the Ghost Market Gang who hangs out at a thieves' bazaar. Will anyone find the map's destination and survive to tell the tale?

A wild treasure hunt that feels like an adrenaline shot. It was directed by Kim Jee-woon, one of South Korea's most important filmmakers who've made amazing films such as A Bittersweet Life (2005) and I Saw the Devil (2010). The non-stop action will have you smiling through the whole film, and that's one thing the Koreans do best: entertaining fights. This western joyride is too fun to be missed by anyone who consider themselves fans of Asian action or westerns.

Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy

Noroi (Japan, 2005)

A documentary filmmaker explores seemingly unrelated paranormal incidents connected by the legend of an ancient demon called the "kagutaba." 

To be honest, Noroi (a.k.a. The Curse) has more strength in its overall unnerving plot than in its shock-value, but still there are plenty of scenes where you realize that this is one of the scariest movies of its decade. Especially when it's all filmed like a documentary with a lot of found footage-material, and with a haunting score to fill you with dread. Just watching the front cover makes me want to hide under a cover.

Genre: Horror