East Asian Revenge Cinema

[Moniker]

Got into these awhile ago; I think I may have seen all the decent ones, but maybe not. Always love me some more ultraviolence. Some of these are more revengeish than others. Starred entries are those I particularly liked or fucked with my mind. Most (all?) of these are on Netflix, as an fyi. Any others I should check out?

I've seen:

Park Chan-Wook
-Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
-Oldboy*
-Lady Vengeance
-Thirst*

Johnnie To
-Election
-Triad Election
-Exiled
-Vengeance*

Beat Kitano
-Sonatine*
-Outrage

Na Hong-Jin
-The Chaser*
-The Yellow Sea*

Various
-I Saw the Devil* (Kim Ji-Woon)
-Bedevilled (Jang Cheol-Sul)
-Cold Fish* (Shion Sono)
-No Mercy (Kim Hyung-Jun)
-Accident (Pou-Soi Cheang)
-Audition (Takashi Miike)

[Dale]

The Man From Nowhere is awesome, best Knife fight ever. Good picks so far. TMFN is on Netflix as well.

[iconoclast]

You've already seen most of my favorites, but I'd also recommend (from best to worst imo): Confessions, A Bittersweet Life, Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion, The Man From Nowhere, and Chocolate.

[drauch]

Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion

FINALLY. There is absolutely zero love to anything pre-2000 Asian cinema in this forum, sans the occasional John Woo plug. Blasphemy!

You should try some of the Kazuo Koike adaptations, Lone Wolf and Cub and Lady Snowblood. Revenge at its finest.

Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury, aka The Chinese Connection is my favorite Bruce film. So much rage! And speaking of, I'll add on Brandon Lee's only HK action film, Legacy of Rage. Brandon gives some of the most hateful faces I've ever seen. I love that movie.

Sex & Fury and Female Yakuza Tale starring Reiko Ike shouldn't be missed. Sex & Fury stars Christina Lindberg, star of They Call Her One Eye, another fantastic revenge movie--although that one's American made.

Rika the Mixed-blooded Girl is a three part Japanese Pinky film series that gets no love. Lot's of groovy tunes, rompers and boots!

The Street Fighter/Sister Street Fighter films are usually packed full of revenge. Sonny Chiba is the man.

Not sure if this is the sort of stuff you're looking for, but it probably should be.

[Obiwanshinobi]

There is absolutely zero love to anything pre-2000 Asian cinema in this forum, sans the occasional John Woo plug.

I've been namedropping Duel to the Death here and there. Not a revenge flick, but what can I do?
Zeiram and Gunhed are at least known around here. I like both. Worth watching for now-vintage film trickery if you're into that.

[Jonathan Ingram]

Adding to the list:

Harakiri(1962)
The Chaser
Lady Snowblood
Sôseiji/Gemini by Shinya Tsukamoto

I've seen:

Park Chan-Wook
-Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
-Oldboy*
-Lady Vengeance
-Thirst*

Not complete without Chan-wook`s short feature Cut from Three... Extremes.

You've already seen most of my favorites, but I'd also recommend (from best to worst imo): Confessions, A Bittersweet Life, Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion, The Man From Nowhere, and Chocolate.

I felt that Confessions dragged a lot. The narration was all around awful too. I was quite a bit surprised when the film got nominated so much. Nakashima`s worst, in my humble opinion.

[Skykid]

You've already seen most of my favorites, but I'd also recommend (from best to worst imo): Confessions, A Bittersweet Life, Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion, The Man From Nowhere, and Chocolate.

I felt that Confessions dragged a lot. The narration was all around awful too. I was quite a bit surprised when the film got nominated so much. Nakashima`s worst, in my humble opinion.

Can't be a humble opinion when it's that accurate. Your description is almost word for word how I've been relaying the film whenever it comes up. It's a very poor, angsty movie with paint-by-numbers profundity that's totally unrealistic and amounts to very little at all - and the soundtrack is terribly implemented.

The worst I've seen from Nakashima, definitely.

Also, Chocolate is bollocks. I went for it with high-expectations and ended up with a sub-par Jackie Chan-esque Thai movie with poorly edited fight sequences and real crap where any kind of storyline was meant to be. Not high-end martial arts at all, all the Ong Bak stuff is far superior.

[Skykid]

You've already seen most of my favorites, but I'd also recommend (from best to worst imo): Confessions, A Bittersweet Life, Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion, The Man From Nowhere, and Chocolate.

I felt that Confessions dragged a lot. The narration was all around awful too. I was quite a bit surprised when the film got nominated so much. Nakashima`s worst, in my humble opinion.

Can't be a humble opinion when it's that accurate. Your description is almost word for word how I've been relaying the film whenever it comes up. It's a very poor, angsty movie with paint-by-numbers profundity that's totally unrealistic and amounts to very little at all - and the soundtrack is terribly implemented.

The worst I've seen from Nakashima, definitely.

Also, Chocolate is bollocks. I went for it with high expectations and ended up with a sub-par Jackie Chan-esque Thai movie with poorly edited fight sequences and real crap where any kind of storyline was meant to be. Not high-end martial arts at all, all the Ong Bak stuff is far superior.

[BIL]

Harakiri(1962)

Most definitely. Tragic and bitterly intense with an explosive resolution.

Also, not strictly "revenge" oriented per se, but The Sword of Doom (1966, also starring Tatsuya Nakadai) and Samurai Rebellion (1967, also directed by Kobayashi with Toshiro Mifune and Nakadai) complement Harakiri well as an iconoclastic trilogy of de-romanticised samurai films. Kudos to Mischief Maker for recommending them as such in the movies thread.

[iconoclast]

Confessions can get over-produced at times, but I'd say it's still a better film than Kamikaze Girls (which was enjoyable, but not very compelling). It's definitely not as good as Matsuko, though.

[Skykid]

Confessions can get over-produced at times, but I'd say it's still a better film than Kamikaze Girls (which was enjoyable, but not very compelling). It's definitely not as good as Matsuko, though.

I thought KG was far superior, and that's on pure film-making merit and Anna Suchiya's surprisingly good performance alone - I had no interest in the material whatsoever.

If Confessions was only guilty of being over produced, it might not be so bad.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Never thought of Harakiri as revenge-themed. More of a desperation/suicide film.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I like the final gun battle in the "A Bittersweet Life" flick...it's quite something to behold upon watching it for the first time. So much tragic consequences over such a trivial issue.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[drauch]

Also, not strictly "revenge" oriented per se, but The Sword of Doom (1966, also starring Tatsuya Nakadai) and Samurai Rebellion (1967, also directed by Kobayashi with Toshiro Mifune and Nakadai) complement Harakiri well as an iconoclastic trilogy of de-romanticised samurai films. Kudos to Mischief Maker for recommending them as such in the movies thread.

Yeah, I was debating putting that as well with a similar description. Passed up buying it awhile back for cheap. Fool's move.

I've been namedropping Duel to the Death here and there. Not a revenge flick, but what can I do?
Zeiram and Gunhed are at least known around here. I like both. Worth watching for now-vintage film trickery if you're into that.

Yeah, I have seen you post about Duel to the Death before, so kudos to that. Zeiram and Gunhed are known since both have video games related to them, and while I can't speak for Gunhed since I've yet to see it, Zeiram should be seen regardless if one is a fan of the anime or the game based on it. It's got fantastic special effects and stop motion, plenty of action, humor, and a kyoot babe. A bit of a mix of The Terminator, Hardware and Predator.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

drauch, you should check out Gunhed -- the movie, the real-time puppetry of the Gunhed itself is breathtaking to see. The model kit of it is quite something to behold as well.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Obiwanshinobi]

I'm not into monster movies, but Toho trademark scale models play quite a part in Gunhed. One good looking film for sure.

[emphatic]

Also, Chocolate is bollocks. I went for it with high expectations and ended up with a sub-par Jackie Chan-esque Thai movie with poorly edited fight sequences and real crap where any kind of storyline was meant to be. Not high-end martial arts at all, all the Ong Bak stuff is far superior.

I think I must've been drunk the first time I saw this, because I thought it was brilliant. Then I bought the BluRay and re-watched it only to discover that it wasn't very good. I don't think there's any different cuts available either, so I guess I just had a hard craving for Martial Arts at that time.

[BIL]

Never thought of Harakiri as revenge-themed. More of a desperation/suicide film.

Nakadai's protagonist is the opposite of desperate. He has nothing left to lose and is entirely at peace with his decision to humiliate the local nobility on his way out of a life they've made meaningless. (spoiler) Even in his eventual death by cowardly gunfire, having cut down all who'd fight him with swords, he makes a complete mockery of their supposed "honour." It's one mortally revengetastic movie, made all the better by Nakadai's measured, ever gradually more intense performance.

[rapoon]

good list.

couple more: violent cop (Kitano), boiling point (kitano), deadly outlaw rekka (miike).

that's all I can think of atm.

[lilmanjs]

I see Accident is mentioned in here. I remember mentioning that in a thread and being told it was pretty much trash. But I think the thing about the movie that makes it worth watching is the ending. You really start to feel what's coming, but it somehow still shocks you, that ending. As for contributing a movie to watch, I'm not sure this one is a pure revenge movie all the way through, but Jackie Chan's movie Crime Story turns into one, and a damn good one at that. Though before somebody asks, this movie has nothing to do with the Police Story movies, which is something I get asked all the time when recommending this great movie.

[z0mbie90]

Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion

FINALLY. There is absolutely zero love to anything pre-2000 Asian cinema in this forum, sans the occasional John Woo plug. Blasphemy!

You should try some of the Kazuo Koike adaptations, Lone Wolf and Cub and Lady Snowblood. Revenge at its finest.

Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury, aka The Chinese Connection is my favorite Bruce film. So much rage! And speaking of, I'll add on Brandon Lee's only HK action film, Legacy of Rage. Brandon gives some of the most hateful faces I've ever seen. I love that movie.

Sex & Fury and Female Yakuza Tale starring Reiko Ike shouldn't be missed. Sex & Fury stars Christina Lindberg, star of They Call Her One Eye, another fantastic revenge movie--although that one's American made.

Rika the Mixed-blooded Girl is a three part Japanese Pinky film series that gets no love. Lot's of groovy tunes, rompers and boots!

The Street Fighter/Sister Street Fighter films are usually packed full of revenge. Sonny Chiba is the man.

Not sure if this is the sort of stuff you're looking for, but it probably should be.

Im with you. And also Zatoichi movies, not revange flicks, but still very good Asian cinema.
And need to correct you some, They Call Her One Eye AKA Thriller: A Cruel Picture is actully a Swedish movie.

[drauch]

Ah, shit, I knew that. That's pretty embarrassing since I'm quite the admirer of Christina Lindberg as well.