30 Impressively Colored Movies from Asia

21. Red Sorghum (Zhang Yimou, 1987, China)

Having worked as a cinematographer before his directorial debut, Zhang focused on that aspect, presenting a number of outstanding frames, which manage to combine visual lyricism with a focus on realism. Through a distinctively melodramatic story, Zhang makes a tribute to the rural people, their everyday lives, and their resistance to the Japanese army. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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22. Sakuran (Mika Ninagawa, 2001, Japan)

The film stands apart for its astonishing production values, including the cinematography, costumes, set design and makeup, with vivid colors flooding every scene, resulting in a plethora of magnificent images. Anna Tsuchiya is fantastic as the protagonist, taking full advantage of her gorgeous appearance and imposing voice to accurately present an arrogant though disillusioned and sad character. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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23. Super Deluxe (Thiagarajan Kumararaja, 2019, India)

This Tamil movie is equally insane as its palette. The vibrant, husky coloring may remind of Steve McCurry photography, but do not expect National Geography-like exotic frames. The director takes us to narrow alleys and shabby houses to tell a quirky and twisted tale about random events having unexpected implications. There are four interwoven stories, in which you find e.g. a group of youngsters, who skip school to watch porn on video only to discover that the mum of one of them stars in it, a marriage-in-crisis couple, who bonds over the need to dispose of the dead body or an estranged family whose head comes back one day as a transgender woman. Cinematographers Nirav Shah and P.S. Vinod with the colorist Balaji Gopal made sure every frame catches the eye and reflects the darkly comic, satiric along with the dramatic nature of the movie. Multistar cast of Ramya Krishnan, Samantha Vijay Sethgupati, Fahadh Faasil, and Mysskin (also talented director) makes up for some script's shortcomings. (Joanna Konczak)

24. Survive Style 5+ (Gen Sekiguchi, 2004, Japan)

Both the director, Gen Sekiguchi and the scriptwriter, Taku Tada, made their debut with this particular film, since their previous works were almost exclusively music videos. The fact mirrors in the aesthetics of “Survival Style 5+” that sometimes are similar to a music video and sometimes to an anime; the pace is rather fast, the colors are particularly vivid, the humor abysmal, and the absurdity omnipresent. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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25. Tears of the Black Tiger (Wisit Sasanatieng, 2000, Thailand)

Wisit Sasanatieng directs a movie that could be described as “Tarantino meets Gone With the Wind”. The first aspect derives from the absurdity and the exploitation aesthetics of the various battles, which are filled with improbable occurences (check the intro and the shot Black Tiger makes, which is actually presented twice with slow-motion the second time) and blood. On the other hand, the rest of the movie unfolds as a romantic film about a love against all odds that transcends time, much like Victor Fleming's classic, although again with a presentation that mixes the homage with the parody… “Tears of the Black Tiger” is a truly cult film in all aspects and provides a very rewarding experience. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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26. The Assassin (Hou Hsiao Hsien, 2015, Taiwan)

Hou Hsiao Hsien and his cinematographer, Mark Lee Ping Bin proved once more that they are masters of their respective roles. The result of their prowess is a stunning film that excels in terms of cinematography, set design and costumes.  Hsien implements his characteristic long and lengthy shots, whose purpose is to depict in detail the natural environment the story takes place, and a series of retro fade-outs. Moreover, the pace is slow as always, the dialogues scarce, the minimalism evident and the attention to detail at its utmost, from a director who is characterized by his obsession with the picture itself… Overall, “The Assassin” is a gorgeous film, artfully structured that bares however, little resemblance to the wuxia genre, apart from the era it takes place. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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27. The Legend of the Stardust Brothers (Macoto Tezuka, 1985, Japan)

Coming into this film, Tezuka had a lot of pressure on his young shoulders, chiefly due to having to live up to the “Tezuka” name. It was, then, quite a bold move on his part to choose a musical as his first film, a genre which isn't really explored much in Japanese cinema. While “The Legend of the Stardust Brothers” sank without putting so much as a dent on the box office, to that point that it is largely unknown in Japan even to this day, there is quite a bit to enjoy in the film. Tezuka manages to get humour in the excess and the over-the-top. Everything from the acting, the make-up, the costumes, the dialogues as well as the lyrics are purposefully over-the-top, often to hilarious consequences. (Rhythm Zaveri)

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28. Tokyo Drifter (Seijun Suzuki, 1966, Japan)

The pop-art palate of “Tokyo Drifter”, his Homeric gangster film is stuffed full of memorable shots, super stylised internal scenes with amazing art direction, and delirious external shots, on location. The scene in the snow, on the railway track, has a particular vivid colour palate and hyper-reality, this a wild film. The vibrant groovy suits these mod gangsters wear add to the dislocation. The pop-art finale, in the delicious neo classical nightclub, is pure eye candy. (Jonathan WIlson)

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29. Tumbbad (Rahi Anil Barve and Adesh Prasad, 2018, India)

“Tumbbad” is an all-around brave and risky film that could easily end up as a typical Bollywood mishmash of fantasy and melodrama, riddled with B-movie clichés and poor visual effects, but it is not the case here. It is a full-blown horror, masterfully designed, chillingly atmospheric (over the course of the film, the pouring rain does not cease even for a moment), but also quite brutal when needed without resorting to simple solutions like jump scares. (Marko Stojiljkovic)

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30. Woman on Fire (Kim Ki-young, 1971, S. Korea)

Jung Il-sung's work in the cinematography of the movie is also of the highest level, with him focusing on portraying the setting of the house as claustrophobic as possible. The intense reds and yellows that dominate the image quite frequently also add to this sense, and to the madness that fills the narrative, in a number of frames that have the quality of actual paintings. Kim Hee-su's editing keeps the various axes from becoming confusing, while a frequent trick of his, which appears mostly during sex scenes, of presenting a number of stills from the actual act along with a number of seemingly irrelevant, but quite intense images, as a slideshow, is one of the greatest accomplishments of the production. (Panos Kotzathanasis)