21. Bedevilled (Jang Cheol-soo, 2010, S. Korea)
South Korean cinema may be most known for its revenge thrillers and of that, one of the most violent and brutal undoubtedly is Jang Cheol-soo's “Bedevilled”, a story about a who woman goes to visit her friend on a remote island, only to find her being ridiculously mistreated at the hands of the other inhabitants of the island, including but not limited to her husband and mother-in-law. The feature is pretty hard to watch in th beginning thanks to the this treatment of the woman, but once the revenge tale starts, it is as gory, as brutal and as brilliant as you've come to expect from a South Korean revenge saga. (Rhythm Zaveri)
22. Dream House (Pang Ho-cheung, 2010, Hong Kong)
Josie Ho brings her usual intensity to the part, throwing herself into the grand guignol moments with relish. She's always an interesting performer but rarely getting the meaty lead roles that she deserves. Naturally, as producer she gives herself one such part here. Her Cheng Lai, driven by the poverty of her family, is prepared to make any sacrifice necessary to make her dream come true. Some of her actions may cross the line of good taste but this is a category III horror after all. The violence is bloody and doesn't shy away from the graphic nature., with the death by vacuum cleaner being the one that sticks in this particular reviewers memory.
23. Moebius (Kim Ki-duk, 2013, S. Korea)
All three of the actors in the film deliver elaborately, having obvious artistic freedom from the director. Cho Jae-hyun portrays the desperate and in constant angst father to perfection and Seo Young-ju is excellent as the innocent youth who tries to come to terms with his sexuality, but succumbs to the perverse after the shock of his mutilation. Nevertheless, the one who steals the show is Lee Eun-woo, who is utterly convincing as both the vigilant, paranoid mother and the sexually perverted mistress. In general, the cast is one of the strongest points of the film. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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24. 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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25. The Lost Choices (Ahn Yong-hoon, 2015, S. Korea)
Every single male in Ahn's feature is a despicable douche, including the police, the friend's boss and Won-kyung's boyfriend, and Ahn does overplay this depiction, but this is clearly the females' story and he makes sure the audience know that. He also touches upon the prejudice that the disabled face, with Ji-yeon's stutter, but this feels like an unnecessary addition that doesn't really add much to the narrative. The feature is in fact guilty of doing that on more occasion than one, like Won-kyung's involvement in Ji-yeon's accident and the undercover cop angle, both reveals that serves no purpose and the latter actually making a key act that particular character does early on in the film seem preposterous.
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26. We Will Not Die Tonight (Richard Somes, 2016, Philippines)
Despite shooting the film in just eight days, Richard Somes has managed to produce a great movie, which thrives on atmosphere, gore and action, through an approach that combines the agonizing thriller with martial arts action. The narrative begins in a dramatic tone, but as soon as the action begins, it never actually ceases, with the bloody fights following one another, to the point that the film becomes a slasher, after a point, as the characters use machetes, hammers, axes and almost every object that could be considered a weapon. In that fashion, Jake and Jhappy Bahian have done a great job in the action choreography, which also includes a number of “catfights”, with finesse giving its place to brawler tactics, in an approach that highlights the “kill or die” base of the film. This approach also induces the movie with a relative realism, since even the “good guys” get their share of beating and even die in more than a few occasions. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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27. Marlina The Murderer in Four Acts (Mouly Surya, 2017, Indonesia)
Through the four acts, Surya presents an odyssey of a woman who experiences an awakening about who she actually is and the world around her, with the end of the trip finishing a cycle in the most meaningful way, as Surya elaborately builds the sympathy of the audience towards the main characters… “Marlina” is a film with very few faults, that manages to present a completely different take on the western, through an artful, meaningful and quite entertaining approach. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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28. The Villainess (Jung Byung-gil, 2017, South Korea)
As a whistling tune seeps into what seems to pay homage to Oldboy's corridor scene, with relentless bloodshed and ragged gasps, the opening sequence comes on too strong before viewers can get their bearings. The first 10 minutes of the film are shot in first-person point-of-view, which enables viewers to stay engaged and to be active participants rather than passive sponges. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
29. Ajji (Devashish Makhija, 2017, India)
The fourth one is the fact that the movie seems to justify the vigilante ways of Ajji, in the process showing that revenge can be the only way one can get justice in a society where the opposite is the norm, particularly when the rich are the perpetrators and the poor the victims. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
30. Valentine: The Dark Avenger (Agus Pestol and Ubay Fox, 2017, Indonesia)
The aforementioned, however, do not mean that we are dealing with a psychological drama; on the contrary, “Valentine” is a genuine action film, with the work done in that particular department being exceptional. Robert Suwandi's action choreography is one of the best we have seen in the latest years, with him presenting a number of martial arts scenes (mostly hand-to-hand) that are fast, violent, and quite original. The sequence in the two vans during the car chase, the one in the abandoned building, and most of all the 3 on 1 scene close to the finale are truly spectacular. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
