The samurai movie has never been limited to one kind of story. It can be a brutal war film, a historical adventure, a political rebellion, or even an extended experiment in sword-fighting choreography. The four Japanese films on Amasian TV below show just how different the genre can look depending on what a filmmaker wants […]
Ransomed: The Korean Action Thriller Inspired by a Real 1986 Kidnapping
Some Korean action movies are built around elaborate fictional conspiracies. Ransomed starts with something much closer to history: the 1986 kidnapping of a South Korean diplomat in Lebanon. Directed by Kim Seong-hun, the filmmaker behind A Hard Day, Tunnel, and Netflix’s Kingdom, the 2023 film follows diplomat Lee Min-jun (Ha Jung-woo) as he takes on […]
What Makes The Moon One of Korea’s Most Ambitious Sci-Fi Films
What happens when a country’s second attempt to send astronauts to the Moon goes wrong? That is the setup for The Moon, Kim Yong-hwa’s 2023 Korean sci-fi disaster film. Set in 2029, the movie follows astronaut Hwang Sun-woo (Doh Kyung-soo), who becomes stranded on the lunar surface after a solar storm causes a catastrophic problem […]
Swing Kids Turns a Korean War POW Camp Into an Unlikely Dance Floor
Set in 1951, during the Korean War, Swing Kids follows Ro Ki-soo (Doh Kyung-soo), a North Korean prisoner at the Geoje POW camp who becomes fascinated by tap dancing. After watching U.S. Army sergeant Jackson (Jared Grimes) dance, Ki-soo joins a new troupe being assembled inside the camp. The idea came from the original musical […]
The Pirates: Korea’s Wild Treasure Hunt on the High Seas
Forget buried treasure. In The Pirates, the treasure is inside a whale. What happens when a priceless state seal disappears into the ocean? In The Pirates, the answer involves pirates, bandits, government officials, rival crews, and one enormous whale. Released in 2014, this Korean adventure movie brings together Son Ye-jin, Kim Nam-gil, Yoo Hai-jin, Lee […]
Harbin: The Korean Historical Thriller About a Daring Mission for Independence
History can make for some of the most gripping thrillers, especially when the outcome is already known but the journey there is anything but certain. Harbin takes one of the defining moments in Korea’s independence movement and turns it into a tense story of resistance, betrayal, and determination. Directed by Woo Min-ho, the film is […]
Hi-Five: Five Strangers, Five Superpowers, and One Very Unlikely Team
What if your superpower came from an organ transplant? That’s the bizarre question at the center of Hi-Five, a Korean action comedy that takes the superhero origin story in a very unexpected direction. Five strangers receive organs from the same mysterious donor. Soon afterward, they discover that they’ve developed supernatural abilities. A teenage girl gets […]
Escape: A Korean Thriller About One Man’s Fight for Freedom
What would you risk for the chance to decide your own future? That’s the question at the center of Escape, a Korean action thriller about a soldier determined to leave his old life behind. Directed by Lee Jong-pil, the film stars Lee Je-hoon as Sergeant Kyu-nam, a North Korean soldier stationed near the DMZ who […]
5 Korean Action Movies to Watch for Free
Looking for a Korean movie with a little more adrenaline? Korean cinema has no shortage of action, but the genre can take some pretty different forms. One movie might send you into a historical martial arts epic, while another throws you into a world of superpowered experiments. Then there are the revenge stories, crime thrillers, […]
Dark Nuns: The Korean Thriller Where Two Nuns Face a Forbidden Exorcism
A possessed boy. Two nuns. One exorcism they’re not supposed to perform. Most exorcism movies put a priest at the center of the story. Dark Nuns takes a different approach, following two nuns who are willing to break the rules when a young boy’s life is at risk. Released in 2025, Dark Nuns is a […]