As we have mentioned many times before, the most successful product of Asian cinema towards the US market (apart from anime) are the action/martial arts movies, and as such, it is by no surprise that the biggest industries of the continent and particularly S.Korea have invested heavily towards the particular category, with China following close by, in a genre that, most of the time, budget is the most crucial element. In that fashion, ultra violent and stylistic is the path S. Korea productions follow (this year), while China seems to be going more towards the sci-fi now that the Ip Man franchise has become somewhat preterit. Japan choose live-action adaptation or its rather famous franchises, while the duo of Tak Sakaguchi and Yudai Yamaguchi continue their effort to produce as realistic martial arts scenes as possible. China follows the stylistic martial arts approach, while India has come up with a number of bigger than life productions, once more. The ASEAN countries seem to have taken a step back this year, although a number of entries are also included. Lastly, combining humor with action seems another recipe for (commercial) success, as a number of movies highlight.
Without further ado, here are the 20 best Asian action/martial arts films of 2023, in reverse order, with the criteria being the quality of the action scenes, rather than the movie as a whole. Some films may be premiered in 2022, but since they mostly circulated in 2023 we decided to include them.
20. The Moon by Kim Yong-hwa (S. Korea)
Sitting at a jam-packed 129 minutes, “The Moon” is a worthy addition to South Korea's growing sci-fi canon. Bolstered with strong, committed performances and immersive visual effects and cracking along at a rollicking pace, there's plenty to enjoy as a giant on the world cinema scene enters a genre previously dominated by white men in astronaut suits. (Simon Ramshaw)
19. Baby Assassins 2 Babies by Yugo Sakamoto (Japan)
If you liked “Baby Assassins”, chances are that you're gonna find a lot to enjoy with “Baby Assassins 2 Babies” as well, which is a definitive upgrade on the previous work, thanks to its addition of two excellent antihero-like antagonists for the girls and once again with its superlative action scenes. Mahiro and Chisato's second adventure impresses and I for one would be right in queue for a third. (Rhythm Zaveri)
18. Legend of Gatotkaca by Hanung Bramantyo (Indonesia)
Furthermore, considering that this is an action movie in its base, the particular aspect is a key to its quality, and is easy to say that Yayan Ruhian presents another great work, with the help of Cecep Arif Rahman who plays Yuda's father, with the choreography here being top notch. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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17. Kill Boksoon by Byun Sung-hyun (South Korea)
A solid action flick with many references to the John Wick-franchise, offering flashy actions scenes and some symbolism pointing at themes such as modern conservatism or inequalities in the labor market.
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16. Coast Guard Malaysia: Ops Helang by Pitt Hanif (Malaysia)
In conclusion “Coast Guard Malaysia: Ops Helang” is a solid and enjoyable piece of entertaining that is opening opportunities to a new genre for the Malaysian public, and – sideway – also new roles for actresses that are often limited to play corny romantic targets or damsels in distress. The film ends on a twisty cliff-hanger; no sequel is planned as yet, as the sequel was in the late director's mind, but it leaves an intriguing inspiration for scriptwriters to come.(Adriana Rosati)
15. Shin Kamen Rider by Hideaki Anno (Japan)
There is a lot to unpack here. On the one hand, the movie is a lot of fun. It doesn't try to pretend that much of the feature's content isn't ridiculous, instead fully embracing both the absurdity and the fantastic. There are plenty of great action scenes that will certainly satisfy thrill-seekers looking for a cinematic adrenaline rush. In addition, like the previous two live-action “Shin” films, the movie is also quite funny at times, with some particularly hilarious dry humor in the dialogue exchanges. On the other end of the emotional spectrum, the somber elements of the film are brought into focus.(Sean Barry)
14. Ransomed by Kim Seong-hun (S. Korea)
The feature borrows its blockbuster cinematographic choices from Hollywood counterparts, with Morocco standing in for Lebanon, just as it did for Mogadishu in Ryu Seung-wan's hit 2020 feature, making for impressive visuals that show off the production's impressive budget. Director Kim has proven more than capable of executing large-scale action sequences in “Kingdom” and “Ransomed” is no different, with a number of such scenes impressing, culminating in a terrifically shot chase sequence. (Rhythm Zaveri)
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13. Baian the Assasssin, M.D. (Part 1) by Shunsaku Kawake (Japan)
The many and varying action scenes (sword fights, silent murders etc) are also excellently choreographed and shot, with the differences between how the samurai and how the silent assassin conduct their murder, providing a very entertaining antithesis. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
12. The Wandering Earth II by Frant Gwo (China)
Secondly, the action scenes are truly outstanding, with Frant Gwo including all blockbuster fan-favorite elements in the book within his film. Martial arts, drone fights, dogfights in the sky, guns, robots fighting terrorists are all rather impressive to watch. In this aspect, however, the moments where the movie truly shines are the sequences of disasters which are truly of epic scale. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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11. Leo by Lokesh Kanagaraj (India)
In going the other way and making the most ridiculous version of this tale, “Leo” is an occasionally misguided but undeniably fun flipside, where our hero, standing atop a colossal heap of corpses, has the nerve to ask “Who? Me?” for nearly three hours. It's cheeky, it's irresponsible, and more than a little fun. (Simon Ramshaw)
