Actionmovies are a universal language; they’re meant to excite, raise the viewers' adrenaline, andmake the impossible feel possible and look very coolwhile it happens. The more high-octane a movie is, the more it gets accepted as an action staple, butJapanese action moviesare more than just that — they’re a creative blend of a meaningful story and badass choreographies.
FromKinji FukasakutoTakashi Miike,plenty of Japanese directorsmade action’s greatest films, and though some have become quintessential to the genre, there are many other underrated Japanese action movies to watch. There’s pure action, some comedy, some sci-fi, maybe even some horror, but the biggest advantage is that they’re worth watching.Here are the 10 underrated Japanese action movies you need to watch, like, now.
10’Returner' (2002)
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
Returneris one of those movies you might start and think, “Why did I listen to this person’s recommendation?” However, as the story goes forward, the movie takes on the shape ofThe MatrixmeetingThe Terminatorand having a blast. The movie stars the iconic Taiwanese-Japanese actorTakeshi Kaneshiro, whom you’ve seen in movies likeFallen AngelsandChungking Express. Here, he steps into the role of a badass protector and killer.
Returnerfollows Milly (Anne Suzuki), a female soldier who jumps through a portal in 2084 and goes back to 2002, just before an alien invasion strikes Earth. She meets a hitman, Miyamoto (Kaneshiro), who has an enduring battle with a yakuza called Mizoguchi (Goro Kishitani). Milly and Miyamoto have to find the alien spaceship and prevent the all-out war from overtaking the future.Returnerisa classic 2000s action sci-fi, with slow motion, motorcycle chases, large explosions, and cool guys with sunglasses.
9’Versus' (2000)
Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura
More futuristic action ensues, butVersusis not about aliens but zombies.This zombie action flickis an underseen cult classic, made on an insanely low budget butpacked with sword fights, gun battles, and some twisted, dark humorto top off the perfect blend of genres. DirectorRyuhei Kitamurapersonally borrowed money from friends and family to put together a budget for the film and claimed inspiration fromEvil DeadandHighlander.Tak Sakaguchi, who started his career in this film, became a prominent action star afterward.
Versusis a story about portals on Earth that lead to the “other side.” There are a total of 666 portals, and the 444th one is in a forest in Japan named The Forest of Resurrection. An unnamed escaped convict (Sakaguchi) meets with the yakuza in this forest but notices a kidnapped woman among them (Chieko Misaka). When the convict decides to save her instead, he and the woman find themselves in anendless, ultra-violent loop of running, fending off yakuza, and encountering zombies. There’s a lot to love aboutVersus,starting from its originality and ridiculousness to its exceptional action scenes.
8’The Street Fighter' (1974)
Directed by Shigehiro Ozawa
Bruce Lee’s films were the biggest and most important martial arts movies while he was alive, but that sometimes meant other martial arts cinema was overshadowed. Not to say Lee’s work was ever undeserving — on the contrary — but fans of martial arts films may not have had the chance to experience variety in cinema.The Street Fighteris a Japanesemartial arts action flick that pushes through with hardcore violence. The star of the film,Sonny Chiba, knew Lee and had planned to work with him, but ended up filmingThe Street Fighteralone because of Lee’s early death.
The Street Fighterfollows the mercenary and martial arts expert Takuma/Terry Tsurugi (Chiba), who must protect the daughter of a recently deceased oil tycoon from the yakuza trying to take over her newly acquired business. Tsurugi is a karate expert and uses his body to fight off enemies, breaking bones and taking names as he goes. It’s worth noting thatThe Street Fighterwas one of the firstmovies in the US to get an X ratingfor its violence, which may be your biggest motivator to watch it later.
7’Samurai Reincarnation' (1981)
Directed by Kinji Fukasaku
Kinji Fukasakuis a legendary action filmmaker, with his most prominent work including the movies he made with action starBunta Sugawara. Fukasaku directed over 60 movies, nearly half of them being action movies, andSamurai Reincarnationis one. The movie isiconic in Japan and among cinephile circles, but it’s not widely known outside that Venn diagram. Maybe it’s because it was deemed too violent for 1981, even regarded as an exploitation film; however, it’s one of Sonny Chiba’s best roles afterThe Street Fighterand one of the best Fukasaku films without Sugawara.
Samurai Resurrectionis, well,truly unhinged. It’s set in the Edo period in Japan amid the spread of Christianity in the country. Somehow, the Christian rebels find a way to resurrect people, including the messianic Amakusa Shiro(Kenji Sawada), to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate. As retaliation, the government revives Yagyu Jubei (Sonny Chiba), a swordsman without an equal rival. What ensues is a bloody battle between undead samurai, political opponents, and supernatural forces. It’s so fun.
6’Re:Born' (2016)
Directed by Yuji Shimomura
Staying with Tak Sakaguchi, another one of his great movies,Re:Born, also finds its way to the list of underrated Japanese action features. While it’s not blessed with a great rating online,Re:Bornis,lowkey, one of the coolest modern action films. This movie feels likeJohn Wick,The Man from Nowhere, and every other movie about a former, highly deadly assassin who comes back from the dead to exact revenge for someone he loves. The action scenes are boosted by legendary close combat fights, also dubbed asZero Range Combat.
Re:Bornfollows Toshiro (Sakaguchi), a retired special forces assassin who lives in a rural town with his little niece, Sachi (Yura Kondo). Sachi gets kidnapped by Toshiro’s former rival, Phantom (Akio Otsuka), and Toshiro unleashes his former, deadly self to find Sachi at all costs. The storyline is pretty great, but the action alone will impress you. If you love the two classic action movies mentioned above,Re:Bornis going to impress you.
5’A Colt Is My Passport' (1967)
Directed by Takashi Nomura
Ask any fan of Japanese action cinema for a recommendation, andA Colt Is My Passportwill be one of them, without a doubt. This is, very simply,one of the coolest Japanese crime films of the ’60s, an ideal blend of yakuza action and Western elements. Of course, it’s quite underrated because it’s from the 1960s and rarely accessible to wider audiences unless they specifically seek it out, which is your sign to look forA Colt Is My Passporton streaming.
A Colt Is My Passportfollows the hitman Shuji Kamimura (Joe Shishido) and his partner Shun Shiozaki (Jerry Fujio), who are hired to kill a yakuza boss' rival. When they successfully finish the job, they intend to leave the country, but their plan is hindered by the yakuza. The movie hasan exceptionally fun shootout near the end, completing the Western influence. However, it’s very mucha noir action movie, Joe Shishido’s favorite out of 100 that he made during his tenure as an action hero at Nikkatsu.
4’The Bullet Train' (1975)
Directed by Junya Sato
Did you ever think you’d watchSpeed, only made in 1975 in Japan and starring Sonny Chiba? Well, now you can.The Bullet Train, fair enough, is set on a train rather than a bus, but the intent is right there.Disarming a bomb on a speeding train while scrambling to survivesounds like the synopsis of an intense and action-packed movie, and it is. It’s also riddled with awesome practical effects and great performances by the cast and the stunt team.
The Bullet Trainfollows Tetsuo Okita (Ken Takakura), a businessman who went bankrupt and lost everything about a year prior. Desperate to start over, Okita joins forces with activists to plant a bomb on a Shinkansen (high-speed) train going from Tokyo to Hakata. Okita notifies the authorities and the train’s conductor, Aoki (Chiba), about the bomb, threatening an explosion and the death of all passengers if the train slows down below 50mph. The police and the passengers work together to survive while Okita enjoys his evil plan.
Directed by Takashi Miike
Dead or Aliveisone of Takashi Miike’s wildest, hyper-stylized crime sagas. OK, this sounds like every movie he’s ever made, butDead or Alivehas some over-the-top battles and a surreal settingthat sometimes (sadly) overshadows the craftsmanship. Still, Miike is Miike, and he’s one of the directors who will ask audiences to accept his films as they are. AcceptingDead or Alivefor what it is will make it easier to go through one of the greatest and most absurd Japanese action features.
The first movie in a (loose) trilogy,Dead or Alivefollows the Tokyo Police detective Jojima (Show Aikawa), who is asked by a yakuza boss he’s indebted to to kill some petty crooks for him. Jojima must find Ryuichi (Riki Takeuchi) and kill him, but Ryuichi proves to be a lot more resilient than expected. The movie is full of explosions, car chases, high-octane action, and legendary actors in the genre.Absurdity is the name of the gameinDead or Alive, and Miike is the game master.
Dead or Alive
2’Crows Zero' (2007)
Another Miike on the list,Crows Zero, is mega freaking cool. It was based on a manga series,Crows, and among fans of the comic, the movie is a fan favorite. There’sadrenaline-pumping action, fast-paced fights, and memorable charactersthat you kind of want to be like, despite them being overly violent and hyperbolic.Crows Zerospawned a sequel and is often cited among the most influential manga-based movies in Japan. Despite that, it is very underrated andoften forgotten in favor of Miike’s more explosive filmslikeAuditionorIchi the Killer.
Crows Zerospawned a sequel and is often cited among the most influential manga-based movies in Japan.
Crows Zerofollows Genji Takiya (Shun Oguri), a high school student and delinquent who gets transferred to a new school. However, this new place is run by students divided into gangs fighting for the ultimate physical and mental dominance over the school. Shun Oguri is one of the biggest stars of the 2010s in Japanese cinema, and his role inCrows Zerowas the reason he rose to such prominence.If you like manga, you’ll also love this movie, but even if manga isn’t your thing,Crows Zerowill be.
1’Why Don’t You Play In Hell?' (2013)
Directed by Sion Sono
Sion Sonois one of the most chaotic directors alive, but his chaos is controlled and perfectly aligned with a message in each film.Cold Fish, for example, takes you on a journey of frustration but underlines passivity, andLove Exposuremakes you believe in love through a series of bizarre events.Why Don’t You Play In Hell?isone of Sono’s more underrated featuresbecause it gets more chaotic than the previous two films, but just enough to also be extremely cool. It’skind of like Tarantino on acid, but also funny and very symbolic, for filmmakers in particular.
Why Don’t You Play In Hell?(cool name for a movie, too) follows three storylines: one is a group of amateur filmmakers led by the obsessive director Hirata (Hiroki Hasegawa); the other is about Koji (Gen Hoshino), who falls in love with a yakuza’s daughter; and the third is about that very yakuza, Muto (Jun Kunimura), and his bitter rival, Ikegami (Shinichi Tsutsumi). While Hirata searches for the next great film, an opportunity appears for him to make a bloody yakuza movie when he meets Koji; the three storylines intertwine,culminating in a blood-soaked action sequencethat’s so bonkers and amazing, it’ll make you love the movie or give up on it completely. My money’s on the first option.
