Sin of a Family (South Korea, 2011)

When the body of a young boy is discovered at the lake, the police identifies him as Jeong Min-hwan, an autistic child who went missing for two months. Jo Chang-shik is tasked with the case but must still deal with a troubled relationship with his son, along with his partner. Chang-shik visits the victim's family and suspects Min-hwan's father may be behind his son's death after discovering their family secrets.

A well-balanced murder mystery where the crime gets unravelled in flashbacks and at the same time, Detective Chang-shik tries to uncover the truth behind the heinous crime. Nice mixture of thrills and slower paced investigations, with a little humor thrown in.

Genre: Thriller/Mystery

The Scarlet Letter (South Korea, 2004)

Ki-hoon is a police detective who investigates a murder case where he suspects infidelity to be involved, and at the same time, he's struggling to hang onto his relationships with his wife and mistress.

A solid piece of triangle drama that never gets stale, and finishes with an unexpected and dark ending. The murder investigation combined with the sexually loaded atmosphere gives off strong Basic Instinct-vibes, with emotionally complex characters. The Scarlet Letter gained attention when one of the female lead actresses, Lee Eun-ju, committed suicide and speculations said that it was the consequence of her extremely demanding role in this particular film which of course makes it tragic on a whole other level. 

Genre: Drama/Mystery/Thriller

The Killer (Hong Kong, 1989)

Chow Yun-fat plays the assassin Ah Jong, who accidentally damages the eyes of the singer Jennie during a shootout. He later discovers that if Jennie does not have an expensive operation soon, she will go blind. To get the money for Jennie, Ah Jong decides to perform one last hit. Meanwhile, the police detective Li who has been tracking Ah Jong for a long time, is determined to bring him to justice.

Director John Woo has made some of Hong Kong's best action films, and The Killer is one of his biggest highlights. Great shoot-outs and bodies being shredded by bullets are some of the key ingredients in this violence fest. You can clearly see how his action scenes influenced films in the following years, such as Heat from 1995, with a plot that jumps back and forth between the equally likeable good and bad guys, while having the story-threads erupt beautifully in slow-motion bullet-storms that would even make the Wachowski's green with envy.  

Genre: Action/Crimer/Thriller

Joint Security Area (South Korea, 2000)

In the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea, two North Korean soldiers have been killed, supposedly by one South Korean soldier. But the 11 bullets found in the bodies, together with the 5 remaining bullets in the assassin's magazine clip, amount to 16 bullets for a gun that should normally hold 15 bullets. The investigating team from the neutral countries overseeing the DMZ suspects that another, unknown party was involved - all of which points to a cover up. 

One of director Park Chan-wook's (Oldboy, Thirst) earlier films, which really shows off his talent. The last shot is the icing on this great crime mystery. A story about forbidden friendship.

Genre: Drama/Thriller

Retribution (Japan, 2006)

Yoshioka, an experienced detective, investigates the murder of an unknown woman in a red dress. She was drowned on the Tokyo waterfront, but an autopsy reveals that her stomach is full of seawater. Moreover, all the clues he finds relate to himself: A button found at the murder scene matches one that is missing from his own coat, and fingerprints found match his own. Yoshioka realizes that the only viable suspect is himself; but he doesn’t remember a thing.

Retribution (Sakebi) is a murder mystery that drifts further and further into a ghost story. Actor Kōji Yakusho (13 Assassins, Cure) is perfect for the role as a man who's psyche comes crashing down on him, and the special effects are superb when they do appear. The director truly nailed the feeling of walls closing in on our protagonist, and the sudden bursts of supernatural elements must be one of the best implementations of horror I've ever seen. Masterful suspense.

Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller

Drunken Angel (Japan, 1948)

After a battle with rival criminals, a small-time gangster is treated by an alcoholic doctor in post-war Japan. The doctor diagnoses the young gangster's tuberculosis, and convinces him to begin treatment for it. The two enjoy an uneasy friendship until the gangster's former boss is released from prison and seeks to take over his gang once again.

Drunken Angel is notable for being the first collaboration between director Akira Kurosawa and actor Toshiro Mifune, who would go on to make 16 films together. In this one, Mifune's character fits him like a hand in glove. He's just as charismatic as he is cool, and is perfect for the gangster noir-feel of the movie. In early drafts of the script, the story was to be almost entirely about the doctor (played by Takashi Shimura), but Kurosawa was so impressed by Mifune that he their parts equal in screen-time.

The best start you could wish for in a Kurosawa-movie-marathon.

Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller

Crying Fist (South Korea, 2005)

Jobless, harassed by creditors, and abandoned by his wife, the once silver medalist Tae-shik has sunk to street hustling, becoming a human punching bag. Meanwhile, young Sang-hwan's delinquent ways land him behind bars. Both men look to boxing to turn around lives gone astray, aiming for the amateur title, ultimately pitting them against each other, but more importantly, against themselves.

Two plots weaving into each other with humor, violence, humiliation and grief. Min-sik Choi (Oldboy, I Saw the Devil) gives an outstanding performance as a man who's hit rock bottom, and he fights a young man who's family is about to fall apart. One thing that make Crying Fist stand out, is that the audience doesn't know who to root for. Both men are protagonists with their own hardships and reasons to fight. 

Highly recommended. 

Genre: Drama/Sport

Maborosi (Japan, 1995)

Yumiko and Ikuo are a young Osaka couple who have a new baby. One day Ikuo is walking along the tracks and is hit by a train. It seems like he may have done this deliberately yet there is no apparent motive. A few years pass. Yumiko agrees to an arranged marriage with a widower, Tamio, and she and her son Yuichi move to Tamio's house in a rustic village by the coast.

Maboroshi no Hikari (a.k.a. Maborosi) was directed by one of my favorite film makers, Hirokazu Koreeda, so before seeing it I had high expectations on the camera work. I was not let down. Most scenes are done with only a fixed camera, just like Yasujiro Ozu, with no movement and the sequences that are done with only one take makes me drool. The setting also seems to suit Koreeda like a glove; the sea, the small village by the coast and the desolate beach all gets filtered through his lens. He's a master at examining still, ordinary life, but never letting go of that melancholy underneath.  

The story is very somber, with little to no answers after a man's suicide. A personal, moving drama all around. 

Genre: Drama

The Unjust (South Korea, 2010)

A serial killer targeting elementary school students is on the loose—and 5 victims means even the president gets involved in the investigation. When the most probable suspect dies in custody and the case looks like it’s reached a dead end, high ranking police brass decide to create a killer—and anyone will do.

A complex and political thriller, The Unjust is filled to the brim with corruption and shady cops. The violence, though used sparsed, is handled very slick and stylistic. Might grow on you when watched a second time, due to its web of intrigues and intense plot. 

Genre: Crime/Thriller

Poetry (South Korea, 2010)

Loosely based on a true story, Poetry tells the story of a suburban woman in her 60s who begins to grow an interest for poetry while struggling with Alzheimer's disease and her irresponsible grandson.

Poetry has been called a "masterpiece of humanistic character development", which is pretty much spot on. It tackles themes such as grief and hopelessness, and how to deal with a heinous crime. The subtle progression of memory loss is also done very well, all thanks to the main character who's constantly the center of the plot, similar to Bong Joon Ho's Mother (2009). 

Fantastic drama.

Reign of Assassins (Hong Kong, 2010)

Set in ancient China, Zeng Jing is a skilled assassin who finds herself in possession of a mystical Buddhist monk's remains. She begins a quest to return the remains to its rightful resting place, and thus places herself in mortal danger because a team of assassins is in a deadly pursuit to possess the remains which holds an ancient power-wielding secret.

At first, to be honest, I thought the movie was going to be a bit silly (a magician? Really?), but it won me over against all odds. The story is enjoyable and the fight choreography is not bad at all. Notable for being directed by the acclaimed film maker John Woo (A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard Boiled). Great fun. Oh, and the magician is awesome.

Genre: Action

In the Mood for Love (Hong Kong, 2000)

Set in Hong Kong, 1962, Chow Mo-Wan is a newspaper editor who moves into a new building with his wife. At approximately the same time, Su Li-zhen, a beautiful secretary and her executive husband also move in to the crowded building. With their spouses often away, Chow and Li-zhen spend most of their time together as friends. They have everything in common from noodle shops to martial arts. Soon, they are shocked to discover that their spouses are having an affair. Hurt and angry, they find comfort in their growing friendship even as they resolve not to be like their unfaithful mates.

An elegant, intimate drama with infidelity as its theme. When released, it won a ton of awards, and it's not hard to see why. Definitely one of the best shot movies I've ever seen, with an incredible attention to small details. Directed by the infinitely talented Wong Kar-wai (Chungking Express, Fallen Angels).

Genre: Drama/Romance

The Client (South Korea, 2011)

On his wedding anniversary, Chul-Min drives into his parking lot and sees a large crowd gathered by the entryway. Chul-Min enters his apartment when he sees police officers scattered about collecting evidence. A large pool of blood covers the the bed, and a body is nowhere to be found. Jang Ho-Won, a broker for attorneys, brings the case of Chul-Min to attorney Kang Sung-Hee. Is Chul-Min a cold blooded killer or the victim of a coverup? 

Both a sharp court room drama, and a mysterious murder case. Not anything new really, but I can't help but love these kind of crime solving movies that South Korea always do so very well.

Genre: Crime/Mystery/Thriller

Three... Extremes (Hong Kong/Japan/South Korea, 2004)

Three... Extremes is a East Asian horror film collaboration consisting of three segments by three directors from three countries. Fruit Chan from Hong Kong, Park Chan-wook (The Vengeance-trilogy, Thirst) from South Korea and Takashi Miike (13 Assassins, Ichi the Killer) from Japan. Those are some big names in the Asian film industry, so if that doesn't catch your interest, I don't know what does. 

Dumplings - An aging actress wishing to reclaim her youth goes to a woman who makes dumplings that supposedly have regenerative properties; however, they contain a gruesome secret ingredient.

Cut - A successful film director and his wife are kidnapped by an extra, who forces the director to play his sadistic games. 

Box - A soft spoken young woman has a bizarre recurring nightmare about being buried in a box in the snow.

Genre: Horror/Thriller

Election (Hong Kong, 2005)

Rival gang leaders are locked in a struggle to become the new chairman of Hong Kong's Triad society.

I actually didn't know what to think of it the first 20 minutes or so, but Election really did grow on me. It's a stylish crime drama about the ways of appointing a new leader for a triad- a huge criminal organization. Have patience with it and hopefully you'll see, as I did, why it has become one of the most critically acclaimed movies from Hong Kong.


The story continues into the also great sequel Election 2 (a.k.a. Triad Election).

Genre: Action/Drama/Crime