Let me set the right expectations right away.
I have to tell you from the very beginning that the best Asian action movies are compelling, gripping, and utterly entertaining.
Before jumping to that, however, let’s quickly explore the Asian cinema and see why it is so unique.
Those of you that are more or less familiar with the Asian film characteristics can tell you that the Eastern cinema is very different from any other cinema in the world.
How so?
It’s just that the Asians are very good at creating visually stunning and strongly realistic movies that always touch the right nerve.
We often end up emotionally exhausted, yet profoundly satisfied after watching an Asian film, no matter if it is a drama, a thriller or a comedy.
This also relates to the action genre.
Asia is praised for producing some of the most riveting action movies.
To illustrate, I’ll just mention unforgettable movies such as Chan-wook Park’s ‘Oldboy’ which recently received a preposterous Hollywood remake; the exhilarating martial arts chef-d’oeuvre ‘Ip Man’ starring Donnie Yen; the visual masterpiece directed by Ang Lee ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’; the brutally violent South-Korean ‘The Man From Nowhere’, etc.
In addition, we all know the importance of the fight sequences in an action flick.
Well, it’s not a secret that the best martial artists in the worldwide cinema industry are Asian.
Stars such as Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Tony Jaa, Jackie Chan and many others have reshaped the martial arts action genre, thus popularizing the Eastern cinema.
By the way, feel free to check out the top five Asian martial arts actors.
In consideration of the foregoing, be sure to expect nothing but uniqueness, beautiful intensity and well-choreographed fight scenes from some of the best Asian actioners this year.
Which are they?
Let’s cut to the chase.
Contents
The Best Asian Action Movies of 2017 – Say Hello To The Edge Of Your Seat
Luckily, this year we can witness good action flicks of various sub-genres – drama, history, crime, adventure, and fantasy.
The first movie on the list is…
‘Chasing the Dragon’
Directed by the debutant Jason Kwan (cinematographer of ‘Cold War’) and Jing Wong (‘The New Legend of Shao Lin’ with Jet Li), ‘Chasing the Dragon’ is an action-crime biopic starring two of the most prolific actors in the Asian action industry – Donnie Yen (‘Ip Man’) and Andy Lau (‘Infernal Affairs’).
Set in 1963, the story revolves around the rise and fall of an illegal immigrant named Ho (Yen) who becomes a notorious drug lord in British-ruled Hong Kong.
Thanks to his astonishing fighting skills and remarkable bravery, Ho manages to establish himself as an atrocious kingpin, feared by police, citizens, and rivals.
In 1974, however, the corrupted Chief Detective Sergeant Lee Rock (Andy Lau) who has been constantly protecting Ho is forced to retire prematurely and Ho finds himself alone in his aspirations to become the only dictator of the drug empire.
‘Chasing the Dragon’ has already started to receive positive reviews with 87{79d35de7db29101ba9e6698f70e90b6e3dcdf27517e01d2784b5cf4bdf9b4e0e} audience score in Rottentomatoes.com.
Donnie Yen is outstanding in his transformation as the real-life infamous drug lord ‘Crippled’ Ho, thus continuing to amaze us not only with his fighting performances but with his acting skills as well.
In fact, all the actors perform really well including of course the talented Andy Lau who is an excellent choice as the corrupt police Sergeant Lee Rock who by the way is an object of another crime biopic starring Andy Lau in the leading role – ‘Lee Rock’ (1991).
The movie is visually fascinating with a wonderful cinematography and the action is heart-pounding.
Starring two of Asia’s most popular action stars ‘Chasing the Dragon’ is an intense crime roller coaster and a must-see this year.
‘Paradox’
This is yet another spectacular actioner with a strong cast starring Tony Jaa (‘Ong Bak’), Louis Koo (‘Flash Point’) and Yue Wu (‘Little Big Soldier’).
Wait, I haven’t mentioned that best thing about ‘Paradox’ – it is directed by the mastermind Wilson Yip.
That is right, the director of the ‘Ip Man’ trilogy and ‘SPL: Kill Zone’ is back to deliver us another emotional, brutal and breathtaking action movie and make no mistake – he’s done it perfect as usual.
‘Paradox’ tells the story of the Hong Kong police negotiator Lee Chung-Chi (Koo) who travels to Thailand in order to investigate the disappearance of his 16-years-old daughter.
There he combines efforts with the officers Tsui Kit (Wu) and his partner Tak (Jaa) and together they face a black market organ smuggling ring led by an infamous gangster.
Lee Chung-Chi must face extreme violence in order not only to save his daughter but to destroy the empire cunningly established by the vicious thug Sacha.
‘Paradox’ comes as part of the series ‘SPL: Kill Zone’ so you can expect brutal violence, masterfully choreographed martial arts scenes, pumping soundtrack and fast-paced plot, all taking place in beautiful Bangkok.
What else can you want from Wilson Yip and Tony Jaa?
‘The Adventurers’
Enough action. It’s time for an adventure-action.
And ‘The Adventurers’ is just that – a visually outstanding action-adventure flick directed by the young Hong Kong filmmaker Stephen Fung (‘Tai Chi Zero’).
The plot revolves around a bunch of world-class thieves who join forces in order to realize an impossible heist.
Their task is severely complicated by a famed French police detective who chases them all over Europe.
‘The Adventurers’ is solidified by a strong enough cast featuring the Asian stars Andy Lau, the beautiful Qui Shu (‘The Assassin’, ‘Transporter’), Jingchu Zhang (‘Rush Hour 3’) and the French star Jean Reno (‘Leon’).
The action flick is full of masterfully executed stunts, high-tech gadgets, and beautiful landscapes.
If you like adventure-heist movies such as ‘The Italian Job’ or ‘Ocean’s Eleven’, you can’t go wrong with ‘The Adventurers’. It is just as good!
‘Shock Wave’
It appears that this year will be very fruitful for Andy Lau because he is once again the leading star in the Chinese action-thriller ‘Shock Wave’.
When a terrorist who takes the control over an underwater tunnel threatens to blow it up, thus killing thousands of hostages, it is the job of the local superintendent of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau Cheung Chois-San (Andy Lau) to dismantle the bomb and stop the sinister crime plot.
‘Shock Wave’ is directed by the experienced in the action genre Herman Yau (‘The Legend is Born: Ip Man’).
Andy Lau not only stars in the intense action-thriller set in Hong Kong but he is also the producer and performs the theme song in the movie.
‘Shock Wave’ is a flick in which the tension constantly keeps building up to the point that the edge of your seat becomes your best friend.
The counter-terrorist situation taking place in the Cross-Harbour Tunnel is very absorbing and the action scenes, choreographed by action choreographer Dion Lam (‘The Matrix’) are brilliant.
The movie received very positive reviews and it is a heart-pounding roller-coaster from the beginning to the explosive finish.
‘Wolf Warrior 2’
That movie is just another proof that often the sequel is far better than the original.
‘Wolf Warrior 2’ is an action-war flick directed by Jing Wu (‘SPL: Kill Zone 2’) who also stars in the leading role.
It follows ‘Wolf Warrior’ from 2015 and Jing Wu reprises his work as an actor and director.
The plot tells the story of the former Chinese special forces operative Leng Feng (Wu) who lives a peaceful life on the sea.
He is forced into action again, this time in an African country when a group of cruel rebels and sadistic arm dealers start terrorizing the local medical aid workers.
‘Wolf Warrior 2’ received huge commercial and critical success shortly after its release in July 2017 and so far it is the highest-grossing Chinese film ever.
The flick is also an official submission of China for the ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ category of the 90th Academy Awards in 2018.
Impressive, hugh!
There is a reason for that. In fact, there are many reasons.
With a big enough budget, ‘Wolf Warrior 2’ is highly action-packed and it is reminiscent of Stallone’s ‘Rambo’ franchise.
There are plenty of shootings, explosions, martial arts scenes and the violence is abundant.
The special effects are brilliant and the visuals are simply splendid.
In the rest of the cast, we also see Frank Grillo (‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’), Celina Jade (‘Arrow’) and Hans Zhang (‘No Limit’).
‘Wolf Warrior 2’ is a war actioner that delivers great entertainment over a patriotic plot and it surely deserves one’s attention.
‘The Battleship Island’
Here comes the most anticipated Korean movie this year.
‘The Battleship Island’ is a well-narrated story of survival, based on allegedly true events, an important part of the Japanese occupation era in Korea.
The plot of the story centers on 400 Korean coal mine workers, including women and children trapped in the island of Hashima which was a forced labor camp in Southern Japan.
The story takes place in 1945 when the World War II is just about to end and the Japanese already start to feel their defeat.
‘The Battleship Island’ is praised for its stunning visuals, jaw-dropping action scenes and enthralling storytelling which delivers a terrific experience.
Even though the story is highly fictional, (that is why the movie falls into the action-history-fantasy genre), and the specific events have never actually occurred, the atrocity of the labor camp is very well portrayed and it is impossible not to sympathize with the main characters.
‘The Battleship Island’ comes from the visionary director Seung-wan Ryoo who is mostly known for ‘Arahan’ (2004) and ‘The Berlin File’.
In the cast, we can spot Jung-min Hwang (‘The Wailing’), Jung-hyun Lee (‘The Admiral’) and Ji-seob So (‘A Company Man’).
Visually stunning and terrifically entertaining, ‘The Battleship Island’ is a well-executed action flick loosely based on historical events that will leave you breathless.
Conclusion
It is clearly visible that this year Asia has a lot to offer to the international action cinema.
Moreover, there is even a movie which is in the official competition for best foreign language film in the upcoming Oscar awards in 2018.
So the Asians do know their stuff when it comes to delivering high-quality action movies.
These were the best six Asian action flicks that received massive commercial and critical success so far in 2017.
Is the best yet to come?
Have you seen any of the six above-mentioned flicks and which is your favorite? Leave a comment below.