Our second staff list of top ten movies watched in 2009 comes from Andrew Skeates. After we pummeled Andrew with several Korean DVDs to review, it’s no surprise that several of them have sneaked into his top ten. However, you’ll also find a number of action-packed and gory surprises from other territories.

10. The Tournament

Director: Scott Mann
Cast: Robert Carlyle, Kelly Hu, Ian Somerhalder, Liam Cunningham, Ving Rhames

‘The Tournament’ is a gloriously over-the-top, blood fuelled delight. Every seven years the world’s top assassins meet in a chosen location (this time Middlesbrough, England!!) to face-off against one another, the last man standing receiving a huge cash prize. Predictable and shallow it may be, ‘The Tournament’ is still a great action film with full on, non-CGI set pieces delivered with verve and a truckload of blood, featuring a game cast including Robert Carlyle, Ving Rhames, Kelly Hu and a high kicking Scott Adkins.

9. Lethal Force

Director: Alvin Ecarma
Cast: Frank Prather, Cash Flagg Jr., Andrew Hewitt, J. Patrick Collins Jr., Allison Jacobson

‘Lethal Force’ achieves the impossible by being the best deliberately worst action movie ever. Cheap, sleazy, underground and most definitely hilarious, ‘Lethal Force’ is a fine slice of action exploitation. ‘Lethal Force’ should be seen with as many like minded action and eastern film fans and after copious amount of alcohol to appreciate the trippy madness and manic mayhem it provides. A better Grindhouse film than Tarantino could ever hope to make and a glorious nod to action flicks, ‘Lethal Force’ is a hoot from beginning to end.
Read the Far East Films review

8. Tamami: The Baby’s Curse

Director: Yudai Yamaguchi
Cast: Nako Mizusawa, Goro Noguchi, Takumi Saito, Itsuji Itao, Keisuke Horibe

‘Tamami: The Baby’s Curse’ is a silly but fun blend of Japanese gothic ghost horror and over-the-top gore and is perhaps the best mutant killer baby film to come along since, well, maybe ever. Yudai Yamaguchi, who also gave us equally mad films such as ‘Battlefield Baseball’ and ‘Meatball Machine’, injects ‘Tamami’ with a gleeful, gory sense of fun, a la pre-‘Lord of the Rings’ Peter Jackson, conjures up just enough spooky tense atmosphere and come the end, crams in a load of Raimi-esque set-pieces to make the film a hugely enjoyable ride.
Read the Far East Films review

7. Green Fish

Director: Lee Chang-Dong
Cast: Moon Sung-Geun, Han Seong-Kyu, Han Suk-Kyu, Jung Jae-Young, Jung Jin-Young

While it covers familiar territory, ‘Green Fish’ is a laid back and often enjoyable slice of Korean drama that seems refreshing thanks to a distinct lack of unpretentiousness and old school filmmaking. The story of a young man recruited into the gangster world with the promise of making money only to see him change into a violent person does not break new ground in originality but this late 1990s flick is watchable due in part to some fine acting and an un-flashy approach that never tries to make the gangsters or the filmmakers look cool.
Read the Far East Films review

6. The Warlords

Director: Peter Chan, Raymond Yip
Cast: Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Xu Jinglei, Wei Zong-Wan

A big, bad, gritty epic, ‘The Warlords’ shoves dirt and dismemberment with wild abandonment at the unsuspecting viewer but also manages to engage on a human level. A great, big, ballsy war movie, ‘The Warlords’ may not always be subtle but it is never pretentious. Li commands the screen like his character commands his army and while the film has it fair share of savagery, ‘The Warlords’ still manages to be a touching, personal and sometimes, even beautiful film.
Read the Far East Films review

5. The Guard Post

Director: Kong Su-Chang
Cast: Cheon Ho-Jin, Jo Hyun-Jae, Lee Young-Hoon, Lee Jeong-Heon, Yu Tae-Seong

Kong Su-Chang’s first directorial offering was the decent, if a little too lethargic, ghost thriller ‘R-Point’. His follow up, ‘The Guard Post’, treads similar territory as once again it deals with an army unit stuck at a remote outpost dealing with mysterious goings on and fighting for their lives against an unseen enemy. A fully rewarding horror experience, ‘The Guard Post’ is a superior slice of Korean genre filmmaking. The slow build may put some viewers off but give it a chance and there, mercifully, isn’t a long haired ghost girl in sight.
Read the Far East Films review

4. Ichi

Director: Fumihiko Sori
Cast: Haruka Ayase, Takao Osawa, Shido Nakamura, Yosuke Kubozuka, Akira Emoto

The story of a wandering blind samurai called Zatoichi is a well known tale that has been made into film form many times before, perhaps most memorably with Takeshi Kitano’s 2003 version. Fumihiko Sori’s film puts a female twist on the familiar story with the blind samurai now being a young woman searching the lands for the man who taught her to fight with a sword. Despite the often predictable nature of the film, ‘Ichi’ is a vibrant, exciting take on the samurai legend with an outstanding performance from the leading lady. Well crafted, a great central performance and some excellent action make ‘Ichi’ a hugely enjoyable experience and a refreshing take on the samurai genre.
Read the Far East Films review

3. Oasis

Director: Lee Chang-Dong
Cast: Sol Kyung-Gu, Moon So-Ri, Ahn Nae-Sang, Ryoo Seung-Wan, Chu Kwi-Jung

Films don’t come much rawer than or as emotionally challenging as ‘Oasis’. A love story at heart the film attempts to (and often succeeds at) pushing us out of our comfort zone and challenges our perceptions of love, isolation and what it means to truly care about someone. While there are some questionable motives in Lee Chang-dong’s film and the last act fumbles a little with an unrelenting need to make everything go wrong, one will be hard pushed to find a purer piece of cinema that really stirs the emotions. Despite the often tough nature of the film, the unrelenting bleakness of final third and some questionable plot devices, ‘Oasis’ is a film (unless you are completely black of heart) that stirs the soul. Will, hopefully, stick with you for days afterwards as to try to figure out how it actually made you feel and if it doesn’t sound appealing, at least see it for Moon So-ri’s amazing performance.
Read the Far East Films review

2. 13: Game Of Death

Director: Chookiat Sakveerakul
Cast: Krissada Sukosol Clapp, Achita Sikamana, Sarunyoo Wongkrachang, Nattapong Arunnate, Namfon Pakdee

Produced by the makers of ‘Ong Bak’ and ‘Chocolate’ (but no martial arts here I’m afraid) ’13’ is a wicked black comedy/horror that twists convention at every opportunity. A down on his luck office worker gets a chance to pay off his debts and make a fortune when a mysterious phone call challenges him to a game. Said game involves thirteen challenges that get more severe as the game goes along, all of which must be completed in order to win the money. This is where the ghoulish fun comes in as the protagonist must start by simply killing and eating a fly, to fighting strangers on a bus, to, well, better just to see for yourself as the less known, the more fun and macabre ’13’ is. Starting off as a black comedy, things soon turn more sinister, and gory, in this inventive and must see slice of Thai cinema.
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1. Mad Detective

Director: Johnnie To, Wai Ka-Fai
Cast: Lau Ching-Wan, Andy On, Gordon Lam, Kelly Lin, Joseph Lee

Writers/Directors Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai (‘Fulltime Killer’, ‘Running on Karma’) once again combine their considerable talents to create a truly off the beaten track mystery which features a brilliant leading performance from star Lau Ching-Wan. Not your usual cop thriller but all the better for it, ‘Mad Detective’ may not have got the exposure it deserved, and may be a little too quirky for those who like their thrillers more straightforward, but shouldn’t stop one from seeking it out and giving it a go. All in all a grown up thriller that is a unique and rewarding experience and shows Hong Kong still has originality and talent to burn.
Read the Far East Films review