Four Grisly Films from the East

So you like your brutal action movies, the critically acclaimed ones like Fight Club and The Departed. But Hollywood keeps pushing out garbage that just doesn't hit the right mark. You're sick of wading through adventure films starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and a dozen Fast and Furious sequels (also starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson now?). You've heard people recommend movies like Seven Samurai and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon but they sound a bit old and tedious, reading subtitles just doesn't appeal to you. While I will always advocate for reading subtitles, I've chosen four films to recommend that can be enjoyed for the visual spectacle that they are. This is my endorsement:

If you love Scorsese, Tarantino and Fincher, you will love The Raid, Oldboy, Train to Busan and Princess Mononoke.

The 2011 Indonesian film, The Raid, is the simple story of a S.W.A.T. unit raiding a dingy apartment building to take down mob boss, Tama Riyadi. You wouldn't believe it, but it goes horribly wrong. What starts out as a straight forward stealth mission, turns into a cleverly crafted gangster flick full of betrayal, sacrifice and suspense. The unit find themselves up against the entire building's residents when Tama offers permanent residence to those who kill the intruders over the PA system. A life-changing opportunity for the impoverished inhabitants. Director Gareth Evans found his action star, Iko Uwais, doing deliveries for a phone company in Indonesia. What spawned from their encounter is the most famous cinematic display of Indonesian martial arts Pencak Silat. And my god, what a display.

If you don't read the subtitles, you will enjoy one of the most unrelenting martial arts films made. The actors pull off the rare action movie feat of showing you their character without resorting to caricature. You'll know who to trust and who to be terrified of without any verbal cues. If you do read the subtitles, you will be treated to a Tarantino level roller coaster of plot twists and character moments. One thing this movie is not afraid to do is kill off characters. You have been warned. Oh, and there's a Raid 2 that can boast the title of worthy sequel, as well as a budget increase from $1.1 million USD to $4.5 million USD.

Oldboy may be one of the more well known South Korean films, but it is certainly not for a mainstream audience. The 2003 film, starring Choi Min-sik, will take you on one of the darkest psychological journeys that an action film can lead you on. If you've seen Se7en, then you have some idea of the horror to which I refer. It starts out comically, setting up our protagonist, Oh Dae-su, as a drunk idiot and a bad father. In fact, except in brief moments, Dae-su is not a particularly likable protagonist. He is kidnapped and kept in a hotel room with only a TV for entertainment. He learns from watching the news that his wife has been murdered and he is the prime suspect. For fifteen years he eats whatever meals he receives through the door, watches TV, and trains to fight. Until one day when he is drugged and hypnotised, and wakes up on the roof of a building, seemingly free at last.

What looks at first like a somewhat straight forward revenge flick, is anything but. Will you be confused if you don't read the subtitles? Yes. Will you be confused if you do read the subtitles? Still yes. Whatever you do though, do not give up on this movie until you've seen the hallway fight scene, it's worth it. Much like Se7en, do not expect this film to be tied neatly in a feel-good bow at the end. You will be severely disappointed. You may need a little break after watching this movie, but if you want more, it's actually part of Park Chan-wook's "Revenge Trilogy". You know. If you want to put yourself through more torment. If you think Oldboy sounds like the movie for you, but you're tempted by the 2013 Spike Lee remake, don't do it. It's a genuine tragedy that Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen and Sharlto Copley starred in one of the greatest cinematic downgrades in modern history. (I'm not being dramatic, you're being dramatic).

Train to Busan is a classic zombie-horror-action movie. Only South Korean's don't really do "classic" anything when it comes to cinema. Starring Korea's heartthrob, Gong Yoo, this 2016 film is my most mainstream recommendation. It has everything: flawed protagonist, unbearably adorable daughter, intensely charismatic side character and young love. We start out in Seoul on little Su-an's birthday. Her workaholic father, Seo Seok-woo, accidentally gives her the same birthday present as the previous year, and in a moment of shame, agrees to take her to her mother. The two hop on a train headed for Busan in the morning, along with the most eclectic company: the outspoken and charismatic Yoon Sang-hwa and his pregnant wife, baseball and cheer-leading teams, a homeless stowaway, and the selfish Yon-suk. And of course, an infected woman who gets on at the last second. What ensues is an action-packed gory mess of conflicting motives and priorities.

Much like The Raid, this film is not afraid to kill off characters. Few films have made me hate a character as much as I hated Yon-suk, the bastard who keeps surviving through pure selfish will power. Like any good disaster movie, this one is driven by the characters. And like any good zombie movie, the zombies run. Fast. More of a Kill Bill than a Mindhunter, Train to Busan will quench that action movie thirst.

Okay, I know what you're thinking. Anime? Yes, technically anime. The man who brought us Ponyo, is also responsible for the gory period fantasy film Princess Mononoke. Hayao Miyazaki (my eternal idol) held back nothing in this 1997 film, from beheadings to mass graves filled with humans and boars. Our protagonist is the young prince, Ashitaka, who finds himself cursed after killing a boar-demon that attacked his village in Muromachi. He leaves his life behind in search of healing by the fabled deer-god in the war torn lands to the West. As the curse spreads through his body, he realises it has equipped him with inhuman strength. His simple journey for healing leads him to the middle of an ongoing conflict between the Irontown and the Tataraba forest.

If Miyazaki gets anything right, it's his writing of female characters. Lady Eboshi is the calculated leader of the Irontown, a worthy nemesis to the daughter-of-wolves, San. Neither can compromise, and so brutal war persists. This is one of Miyazaki's most complexly political films, and may take a few watches to fully grasp. However, the basic principle is simple: man vs. nature. If you choose not to dive too heavily into the dialogue, you will still be treated to one of the most beautiful animated films ever made. If Princess Mononoke ends up being your thing, do yourself a favour and watch Miyazaki's earlier films Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Lupita.

One last thing, if you think about switching to dubbed for any of these movies... I'm watching you, and I'm disappointed in you.

More recommendations: The Man From Nowhere, House of Flying Daggers, Parasite, Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, (Seven Samurai and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon)