Must See Foreign Films
A list of some of my favorite foreign films, in no particular order.
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- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoKim Sang-kyungKim Roe-haIn 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.My favorite movie of all time. Something about it stays with you after you watch it. Not your typical murder mystery movie.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsTadanobu AsanoNao ÔmoriShin'ya TsukamotoAs 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.Probably my favorite Takashi Miike film. A crazy story of sadomasochism and gore. And trust me, its a good time.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsSong Kang-hoShin Ha-kyunBae DoonaA 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.First film in the Vengeance trilogy (Although the 3 films have nothing to do with each other aside from the theme of revenge and the same director). This movie shows how revenge can become a never ending circle of violence.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsChoi Min-sikYoo Ji-taeKang Hye-jeongAfter 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.Second film in the Vengeance trilogy. In my opinion, its the best in the trilogy. A man is imprisoned for 15 years in a private prisoner and is then freed, forcing him to find out who did it and why. Has an ending that will blow you away.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsNam-mi KangJeong-nam ChoiHye-Sook GoAfter being wrongfully imprisoned for thirteen years and having her child taken away from her, a woman seeks revenge through increasingly brutal means.The third film in the vengeance trilogy. This is my least favorite in the trilogy, although it is still a good film. I thought this one was better in its style than its story, but it is quite enjoyable.
- DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsLee Byung-hunChoi Min-sikJeon Gook-hwanA secret agent exacts revenge on a serial killer through a series of captures and releases.It seems as if Korea can't go wrong with revenge tales. Not quite on the level of the Vengeance trilogy, but still good. The ending is sick but extremely satisfying.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsChow Yun-FatTony Leung Chiu-waiTeresa MoA tough-as-nails cop teams up with an undercover agent to shut down a sinister mobster and his crew.My personal favorite action movie. The amount of shooting in this movie makes all other actions movies you see after this look tame. The opening shootout is my favorite.
- DirectorLee Jeong-beomStarsWon BinKim Sae-ronKim Tae-hoonA 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.This movie is a bit more "hollywood" than a film like Oldboy, but still ends up being better than most of the stuff that comes out of Hollywood. Has an amazingly awesome gun/fist/knife fight towards the end.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsLung TiLeslie CheungChow Yun-FatA reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.Classic Hong Kong action film. Restaurant shootout is a memorable one.
- DirectorAndré ØvredalStarsOtto JespersenRobert StoltenbergKnut NærumA group of students investigates a series of mysterious bear killings, but learns that there are much more dangerous things going on. They start to follow a mysterious hunter, learning that he is actually a troll hunter.A Norwegian "found footage" film shot on a fairly low budget. The CGI is awesome considering. A fun and sometimes humorous movie.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsChow Yun-FatDanny LeeSally YehA disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded.Once again, another Hong Kong action flick from John Woo. Great shootouts, but thats to be expected.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsTatsuya FujiwaraAki MaedaTarô YamamotoIn the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill one another under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.Hunger Games? You mean Battle Royale?
- DirectorMasato TannoStarsNao ÔmoriTeahChihara JuniaHow Ichi becomes the Killer. The movie is a pre-quel to Takashi Miike's Koroshiya 1 (Ichi - The Killer).A prequel to "Ichi The Killer". Shot on digital. Some may say its not as good as Ichi The Killer, but I'd say its worth the watch if you want to learn more about Ichi.
- DirectorNoboru IguchiStarsMinase YashiroAsamiNobuhiro NishiharaMaimed while seeking revenge, a girl becomes stronger than ever.Just look at the poster to this. It's awesome. The story isn't amazing, but the gore is crazy and cheesy and loads of fun.
- DirectorYoshihiro NishimuraStarsEihi ShiinaItsuji ItaoYukihide BennyIn future Tokyo, a young woman in the privatized police force tracks down her father's killer while battling against mutant rebels known as engineers.Same kind of movie as "Machine Girl". Crazy gore, crazy fun.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsRyo IshibashiEihi ShiinaTetsu SawakiA 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.The only bad side to this movie is that just by looking at the poster, it ruins what makes this movie amazing. I'd recommend watching this blind, no watching the trailer. Just watch it uninformed. Warning, some messed up stuff happens.
- DirectorAndrew LauAlan MakStarsAndy LauTony Leung Chiu-waiAnthony Chau-Sang WongA 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.The movie that "The Departed" is based on. Great movie, and I would say it's slightly better than The Departed.
- DirectorNic BalthazarStarsMarijke PinoyGreg TimmermansCesar De SutterAs an alternative to getting bullied at school, an autistic teenager retreats into the world of online role-playing games.A Belgian film. About an autistic kid who is bullied at school and enjoys playing and RPG game, where he meets a girl who helps him. The ending is great.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsSong Kang-hoKim Ok-binChoi Hee-jinThrough a failed medical experiment, a priest is stricken with vampirism and is forced to abandon his ascetic ways.A Korean vampire movie. Don't expect Twilight. These vampires don't sparkle. But they do have a lot of sex.
- DirectorTakeshi KitanoStarsTakeshi KitanoYusuke SekiguchiKayoko KishimotoA young, naive boy sets out alone on the road to find his wayward mother. Soon he finds an unlikely protector in a crotchety man and the two have a series of unexpected adventures along the way.A story of a man and a boy who go on an adventure to find the boys mother. The who movie has a very mixed feeling of happiness and sadness. The cheery soundtrack gives it an almost bittersweet feeling.
- DirectorMakoto ShinkaiStarsKenji MizuhashiYoshimi KondouSatomi HanamuraTold in three interconnected segments, Takaki tells the story of his life as cruel winters, cold technology, and finally, adult obligations and responsibility converge to test the delicate petals of love.THIS is what anime needs to be. Even if you don't usually like anime, you will like this. This doesn't include any of the cheesy cliches that anime usually has, it's just straight forward. Follows 3 stories about love that end up connecting in some way. Has a very "500 Days Of Summer" feeling in the sense that it shows how love is in reality. It isn't always happily every after.
- DirectorJung Doo HongKim Jee-woonStarsLee Byung-hunShin Min-aKim Yeong-cheolThings go wrong for a high ranking mobster when he doesn't follow his boss's orders.A very well done Korean movie. Has some great scenes, like the gun building race.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsLee Yeong-aeLee Byung-hunSong Kang-hoAfter a shooting incident at the North-South Korean border DMZ leaves two North Korean soldiers dead, a neutral Swiss and Swedish team investigates what actually happened.A movie about a friendship between a North Korean border guard and a South Korea border guard. Interesting concept and great movie.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKoji YakushoTakayuki YamadaYûsuke IseyaA group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.Usually, I don't watch Samurai movies. But this one was by Takashi Miike, so I checked it out. I'm glad I did. The 40 minute battle scene is awesome and keeps your interest the whole time.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsKim Hye-jaWon BinJin GooA mother desperately searches for the killer who framed her son for a girl's horrific murder.A great movie with some interesting twists and turns.