The Best Asian Movies of the 1980s
Although I have already incoporated some of the very best Asian movies cinema has to offer in my best of-lists of a decade there are plenty of films that are more than worthy to be discovered. The reason why I started a new series of listings is simply that many Asian movies are very different of what we came to know of from American or European cinema. To fully appreciate the films on this list you should be open-minded because some of the craziness that asian directors think of goes way beyond that of what Western movie makers churn out every year. But it is exactly that often groundbreaking craziness which makes movies from Asia that much fun.
As ususal, don't hesitate to leave a comment if you feel up to it.
PS: The movies are sorted by year and not necessarily by my preference. This list is by no means complete as I will add new worthwhile films as I stumble across them.
As ususal, don't hesitate to leave a comment if you feel up to it.
PS: The movies are sorted by year and not necessarily by my preference. This list is by no means complete as I will add new worthwhile films as I stumble across them.
List activity
38K views
• 7 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
156 titles
- DirectorGakuryû IshiiStarsTatsuo YamadaMasamitsu OhikeKôji NanjôWhen the leader of the once-notorious biker gang of Tokyo falls in love with a barmaid and quickly loses his rebellious ideals, the rest of the gang feels betrayed. Especially the reputedly troubled kid Ken revolts against his former friend."Crazy Thunder Road"
- DirectorLee Doo-yongStarsHa Myeong-jungYun Jeong-hieBool-am ChoiA detective investigating a murder follows a convoluted trail littered with treachery, ruined lives, and tragedy."The Last Witness"
- DirectorToshio MasudaStarsTatsuya NakadaiTeruhiko AoiToshirô MifuneThe lives and battles of soldiers leading up to the 1904 siege of Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War."The Battle of Port Arthur"
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTatsuya NakadaiTsutomu YamazakiKen'ichi HagiwaraA petty thief with an utter resemblance to a samurai warlord is hired as the lord's double. When the warlord later dies the thief is forced to take up arms in his place."Kagemusha"
- DirectorRobert HoustonKenji MisumiStarsTomisaburô WakayamaKayo MatsuoMinoru ÔkiWhen the wife of the Shogun's Decapitator is murdered and he is ordered to commit suicide by the paranoid Shogun, he and his four-year-old son escape and become assassins for hire, embarking on a journey of blood and violent death."Shogun Assassin"
- DirectorCheh ChangStarsSiu-Ho ChinSheng ChiangLinda ChuChin Siu Ho plays a young man who believes himself to be an orphan. Until one rainy night when he and three different men find themselves taking shelter from the storm in the same place."The Legend of the Fox"
- DirectorCheh ChangStarsPhillip Chung-Fung KwokSheng ChiangLi WangWhen director Chang Chen found new talent and blood with "The Five Venoms" actors, most of which were trained in the highly acrobatic Chinese opera and well versed with exotic martial arts weapons, this crated a new spark for his use of bizarre weapons in his films."The Flag of Iron"
- DirectorHsueh-Li PaoWu MaStarsLung TiSzu ShihTao-Liang TanAfter the Shaolin Temple is brought to ruin, Kao seeks revenge by plotting to kill the emperor."Story of Chivalry"
- DirectorPatrick TamStarsChi-Chi ChenAdam ChengNorman ChuA swordsman and a samurai work together to find a blade."The Sword"
- DirectorChih-Hung KueiStarsNi TienJung WangSzu-Chia ChenA man who believes that he has murdered his wife, sees her return as a vengeful ghost."Hex"
- DirectorHark TsuiStarsLieh LoChen-Chi LinAlbert AuThree lazybones friends manufacture a firebomb and place it in a cinema. Pearl, a sadistic young girl, has observed the scene, follows the bombers and starts to manipulate them. The four criminals plan more and more daring acts."Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind"
- DirectorChia-Liang LiuStarsChia-Hui LiuLung-Wei WangHou HsiaoWhen thugs prey upon innocent factory workers, a small-time scammer trains for revenge by studying the moves of Shaolin temple monks."Return to the 36th Chamber"
- DirectorChih-Hung KueiStarsKuan Tai ChenFeng KuJason Piao PaiRighteous constable Leng Tian-Ying has a fearsome reputation of killing criminals without remorse. But after being assigned to track a gang that robbed the imperial treasury, he comes to find that his reputation is being used against him."Killer Constable"
- DirectorChun-Ku LuStarsKuan Tai ChenTak YuenHsueh-Erh WenAlthough injured, a martial-arts expert teaches an orphan his methods."The Master"
- DirectorSammo Kam-Bo HungStarsBiao YuenChing-Ying LamSammo Kam-Bo HungA young man discovers that his reputation as a fearsome martial artist is manufactured by his rich father, after meeting a real martial arts master, who's also a master thespian, and is determined to apprentice under him to learn kung fu."The Prodigal Son"
- DirectorCheh ChangStarsPhillip Chung-Fung KwokSiu-Ho ChinSheng ChiangThe masked gang have created a menace, killing many people, now it is up to Philp who once worked for the masked gang to destroy them."The Masked Avengers"
- DirectorChia-Liang LiuStarsChia-Hui LiuKara WaiTe-Lo MaiWong Fei-Hong and his once-rival, now friend, find themselves and their martial arts schools pitted against a rival school which uses a Kung Fu expert from the North to do their dirty work."Martial Club"
- DirectorCheh ChangStarsPhillip Chung-Fung KwokHsueh-Erh WenTien-Hsiang LungYuan finishes his training in the mountains and his master gives him an assignment. In his journey, he finds a cave containing a skeleton, a treasure chest, and a manual showing the Golden Snake style. So Yuan sets on the way to accomplish the last desire of the dead person he found in the cave."The Sword Stained with Royal Blood"
- DirectorYuen ChorStarsFei AiErik Ka-Kei ChanKwok-Kuen ChanLiu Yung and Sun Chien (the Korean kicking The Five Venom from Chang Cheh's internationally popular series) team up to investigate the martial-art murders of a supposedly mortally wounded swordsman, only to find deception, death, double-dealings, impostors and one deadly duel after another."The Duel of the Century"
- DirectorDennis YuStarsCharlie ChinDorothy Chi-hsia YuHua YuehGing-Keung encounters sinister turns of fate where he works, and he becomes frightened enough to consult with a Taoist priest. The priest informs him that his workplace had been the site of murdering."The Imp"
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsShin'ichi ChibaKenji SawadaAkiko KanaCenturies ago, a samurai survives the massacre of 35,000 Christians and denounces God for ignoring the pleas of the believers. He sells his soul to the devil and receives the power to resurrect the dead to join him on a murderous rampage."Makai Tensho: Samurai Reincarnation"
- DirectorYoung Nam KoStarsIl-bong YunKim Yeong-aeLee Ki-seonA wife starts to suspect her husband's infidelity after the arrival of their new, young housekeeper, who carries a mysterious wooden doll with herself."Suddenly in Dark Night"
- DirectorChih-Hung KueiStarsNi TienJung WangTsui-Ling YuA necrophiliac killer is murdering the prostitutes at Madame Lan's brothel."Corpse Mania"
- DirectorKwok-Ming CheungStarsLun ChiaHing-Yin KamEddie ChanAn undercover cop goes deep undercover to inside one of Hong Kong's most notorious Triad gangs only to find him getting consumed by a life of crime and seediness."Man on the Brink"
- DirectorShinji SômaiStarsHiroko YakushimaruTsunehiko WataseRentarô MikuniA teenage delinquent schoolgirl named Izumi Hoshi inherits her father's Yakuza clan."Sailor Suit and Machine Gun"
- DirectorHideo GoshaStarsTatsuya NakadaiMasako NatsumeAkiko NakamuraA yakuza melodrama, covering decades in the lives of Boss Onimasa, his adopted daughter Matsue, and his biological daughter Hanako."Onimasa"
- DirectorTong Kay Ming TerryStarsCharlie ChinHua YuehCecilia YipKo leads a team of Hong Kong assassins that are taken out one by one. Ko manages to flee to the countryside, where he aims to find out who's behind this and to gain the strength to fight back."Coolie Killer"
- DirectorYoshitarô NomuraStarsKaori MomoiShima IwashitaAkira EmotoThe story follow a court case of a woman accused of having killed her husband."Suspicion"
- DirectorAnn HuiStarsGeorge LamCora MiaoSeason MaA Japanese photojournalist revisits Vietnam after the Liberation and learns harsh truths about its regime and its "New Economic Zones"."Boat People"
- DirectorChung SunStarsTony LiuKuan Tai ChenLieh LoA psychotic craftsman pits two rival Kung-Fu masters against each other while designing special lanterns from a disturbing source."Human Lanterns"
- DirectorKuen YeungStarsLeanne LauTung-Shing YeeHua YuehStory revolves around a possessed young police woman who kills everyone who gets in her way."Hell Has No Boundary"
- DirectorChia TangStarsLung TiTung-Shing YeeJason Piao PaiAs the names of Chang Cheh and Liu Chia-liang became legendary, all-too-often the name of their equally valued collaborator, Tang Chia, is omitted. That may be,because, unlike the previous pair, the veteran kung-fu choreographer only went on to direct three movies of his own. Of course, that makes this trio all the more special, and this first effort perhaps the most special of all. It may be an eye-filling, mind-bending martial arts tale of two royal princes battling for the rightful recovery of the throne, but it's also a party, where Tang invites two cinematographers, three editors, and no less than five other choreographer friends to almost literally shoot the works. The results are kung-fu configurations not only never seen before, but never even imagined!"Shaolin Prince"
- DirectorChia-Liang LiuStarsChia-Liang LiuChia-Yung LiuKara WaiA band of killers from an ailing kung fu and magic society are sent on a manhunt for a former member of the society, whose bad mouthing threatens its existence."Legandary Weapons of China"
- DirectorHsin-Yen ChangStarsJet LiHai YuChenghui YuA young man, hounded by a psychopathic general, learns martial arts at the Shaolin temple to avenge his father's death. To achieve this he forgoes a budding romance with his kungfu master's daughter, a shepherdess."The Shaolin Temple"
- DirectorCorey YuenStarsHiroyuki SanadaConan LeeJeong-lee HwangTwo rival warriors, a Japanese and a Chinese, are forced to work together after their master has been killed by a mighty enemy."Ninja in the Dragon's Den"
- DirectorSammo Kam-Bo HungStarsSammo Kam-Bo HungFrankie ChanDeannie IpHung Tai-Kong aka "Rice Pot" and Chan Yin-Tung aka "Chimney" are two friends who work with their master Kam Ming and his daughter Ann as a team of pickpockets."Carry on Pickpocket"
- DirectorNobuhiko ÔbayashiStarsSatomi KobayashiToshinori OmiMakoto Satô9th-graders Kazuo (boy) and Kazumi (girl) take a tumble at a temple in a small seacoast town in Japan. Through supernatural intervention, their minds and bodies are switched, and the result is a touching and hilarious coming-of-age comedy as they attempt to survive the pressures of junior high school life."Transfer Student"
- DirectorJackie ChanSammo Kam-Bo HungStarsJackie ChanSammo Kam-Bo HungBiao YuenFighting against pirates at the turn of the 20th century, the Hong Kong navy are failing miserably. It's up to Sergeant Lung (Jackie Chan) to take matters into his own hands."Project A"
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsHiroko YakushimaruHiroyuki SanadaShin'ichi ChibaPrincess Shizu was born under a terrible curse. Only the eight legendary samurai, hailing from across Japan, can protect her from an ancient supernatural clan to fulfill their destinies as foretold by prophecy."The Legend of the Eight Samurai"
- DirectorChia-Hui LiuStarsChia-Hui LiuAdam ChengLi ChingTwo friends from rival schools are turned against one another by a jealous chief who wants to eliminate those whose fighting styles may rival his own."Shaolin & Wu Tang"
- DirectorNgai Choi LamStarsJason Piao PaiJung WangMeng LoTwo very different cops are out to capture a local drug boss. The two cops go about their job differently, one of them doing everything to the letter of the law and the other not caring and doing whatever it takes to get the job done."Men From the Gutter"
- DirectorChih-Hung KueiStarsPhillip KoShao-Yen LinKar-Man WaiWhile in Thailand to avenge his brother who was crippled in a fight with a corrupt Thai boxer, a man gets caught up in a web of fate, Buddhism and black magic."The Boxer's Omen"
- DirectorRingo LamStarsAlan TamShu-Chun NiPhilip ChanA young woman has a tragic accident, slipping on a skateboard and falling off the roof of a tall building. Koo Chi Ming, an insurance investigator, is sent to determine whether the girl's death is an accident or a suicide and he recognizes the young woman from an earlier chance encounter. His boss wants him to conclude it was a suicide so that the insurance company doesn't have to pay. The young woman's ghost visits Koo to tell him that her death was accidental and they fall in love. When Koo's girlfriend and his parents find out he's in love with a spirit, they hire an exorcist to get rid of her."Esprit D'amour"
- DirectorKuen YeungStarsNorman ChuPhillip KoMaria JoA Hong Kong taxi driver's life horribly falls apart after accidentally hitting a sorcerer with his cab. He decides to seek the sorcerer's help to turn the curse on his enemies at the expense of his own life."The Seeding of a Ghost"
- DirectorHung-Chuen LauStarsEddie ChanYung-Chang ChinPak-Kwong HoA woman becomes possessed and dies after a monster is released from an antique vase she had purchased. Twelve years later the monster is re-awakened. First he possesses the family's dog, before moving on to the woman's nephew."Devil Fetus"
- DirectorChun-Ku LuStarsNorman ChuTony LiuJung WangHsu Shao-chiang stars as a veritable "Spider-Swordsman" - master of the "Silkworm Style" - in this eye-filling, mind-bending martial arts phantasmagorical which truly warrants the description: "unforgettable.""Bastard Swordsman"
- DirectorShôhei ImamuraStarsKen OgataSumiko SakamotoTonpei HidariIn a poor 19th century rural Japanese village, everyone who reaches the age of 70 has to climb a nearby mountain to die. An elderly woman is reaching close to her cut-off age during her last days with her family."The Ballad of Narayama"
- DirectorHan Hsiang LiStarsXiaoqing LiuTony Ka Fai LeungYe ChenDramatization of events from the Second Opium War which culminated in the looting and destruction of imperial estate "Yuan Ming Yuan", AKA the Old Summer Palace by invading English and French troops."The Burning of the Imperial Palace"
- DirectorHark TsuiStarsBiao YuenHoi MangAdam ChengA Chinese soldier in an ancient civil war flees the battlefield and gets caught up in a fantastical quest to save the world from evil."Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain"
- DirectorShan HuaStarsLeslie CheungJing-Jing YungKuan Tai ChenLittle Dragon Maiden mixes the old with the new to create pure golden magic as kung-fu fighting veterans Chen Kuan-Tai and Lo Lieh join relative newcomer Leslie Cheung in a far-out swordplay love story that rocks."Little Dragon Maiden"
- DirectorTôru KawashimaStarsShôji KanekoEiko NagashimaKôji KitaRyuji tries to quit yakuza and spend a decent life with his wife Mariko and daughter Aya, but as he's used to getting easy money, it'd become hard for him to work hard and get little. Eventually he's back to where he belongs."Ryûji"
- DirectorKeisuke KinoshitaStarsGô KatôYukiyo ToakeMasatomo NakabayashiThe atom-bombing of Nagasaki, Japan in 1945 is recalled by a survivor."The Children of Nagasaki"
- DirectorYoshimitsu MoritaStarsYûsaku MatsudaJûzô ItamiSaori YukiJapanese parents hire a tutor for their foolish son and get a critic of their lifestyle."The Family Game"
- DirectorTitus HoStarsKen TongLai-Yin PoonLun ChiaWhile filming in Malaysia, a Hong Kong documentary film crew releases the Red Dwarf ghost from her tomb. They continue on to Borneo to stay with a local tribe. It is there that the deadly ghost begins to kill them one by one."Red Spell Spells Red"
- DirectorKon IchikawaStarsYoshiko SakumaSayuri YoshinagaYûko KotegawaThe orphaned Makioka sisters look for a husband for their third sister, Yukiko, as the rebellious youngest sister, Taeko, is kept waiting her turn."The Makioka Sisters"
- DirectorKaige ChenStarsXueqi WangBai XueQuiang LiuA communist soldier travels to Shanbei to collect folk songs for propaganda while visiting a poor peasant family, giving hope to the teenage daughter in escaping an arranged marriage."Yellow Earth"
- DirectorPo-Chih LeongStarsChow Yun-FatCecilia YipAlex ManYears later, a woman narrates her personal story of the Japanese takeover of Hong Kong in 1941. She's Nam, young, attractive, daughter of a wealthy rice merchant, and prey to painful, disabling seizures. Her boyhood friend is Coolie Keung, whose family used to have wealth; he's now impoverished, a tough kid, a leader, in love with her. Into the mix steps Fay, cool and resourceful, an actor from the north, intent on getting to Gold Mountain in the US or Australia. They form a threesome, but the day they are to leave Hong Kong, the invasion stops them. Fay must rescue Keung from collaborators, Nam falls in love with Fay, and danger awaits their next attempt to escape."Hong Kong 1941"
- DirectorChia-Liang LiuStarsChia-Hui LiuSheng FuLily LiMongols with the help of an insider, ambush the influential Yang Family, defenders of the dynasty. The Mongols must hunt down all Yang survivors so their insidious plot to overthrow the dynasty will not be uncovered."The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter"
- DirectorJohnny MakStarsJing ChenLung ChiangLing ChowFour men sneak into Hong Kong to rob a jewelry store. Before the robbery, they're hired by a local triad to kill a man, who turns out to be a cop. They have to execute the heist while hiding from the police hunting them down."Long Arm of the Law"
- DirectorSze Yu LauStarsAlex ManKara WaiFelix WongIn the great tradition of Hsu Tseng Hung's The Silver Fox and Chang Cheh's Lengend of the Fox comes this exciting adventure, where the only thing between all the clan leaders and certain death is one young woman."New Tales of the Flying Fox"
- DirectorDavid LaiStarsMabel KwongSiu-Fung WongYu-Lung HsiaoThe Siu family move into a a new flat. There are disturbing signs, for instance the cemetery next door."Possessed II"
- DirectorHark TsuiStarsSamuel HuiKarl MakaSylvia ChangA master thief is duped by lookalikes for James Bond and the Queen of England into stealing a valuable gem from a heavily guarded location then must help the police recover it."Mad Mission 3 - Our Man from Bond Street"
- DirectorYang-Ming TsaiStarsBrigitte LinAdam ChengTung-Shing YeeThe Yin Feng clan, headed by Chief Sheng are set to execute Wai Kai and Ling Er for breaking the rules stating love isn't allowed. Saved by friends and bodyguards Feng Chu and Feng Chi they are now the target of the entire martial world."Lover and Sword"
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTatsuya NakadaiAkira TeraoJinpachi NezuIn Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him."Ran"
- DirectorJûzô ItamiStarsKen WatanabeTsutomu YamazakiNobuko MiyamotoA truck driver stops at a small family-run noodle shop and decides to help its fledgling business. The story is intertwined with various vignettes about the relationship of love and food."Tampopo"
- DirectorJackie ChanChi-Hwa ChenStarsJackie ChanMaggie CheungBrigitte LinA virtuous Hong Kong Police Officer must clear his good name when the drug lord he is after frames him for the murder of a dirty cop."Police Story"
- DirectorKoji HashimotoR.J. KizerIshirô HondaStarsRaymond BurrKeiju KobayashiKen TanakaThirty years after the original monster's rampage, a new Godzilla emerges and attacks Japan."Godzilla 1985"
- DirectorRicky LauStarsChing-Ying LamSiu-Ho ChinRicky HuiThe planned reburial of a town elder goes awry as the corpse resurrects into a hopping, bloodthirsty vampire, targeting everyone responsible for digging the grave. A Taoist Priest and his two disciples attempt to stop the terror."Mr. Vampire"
- DirectorLung-Wei WangStarsKa-Yan LeungNorman ChuShu-Yuan HsuAfter receiving a life imprisonment sentence for a NY Chinatown massacre, Jia Shi Lan obtains a pardon through the Mafia's influence."Hong Kong Godfather"
- DirectorYasuo FuruhataStarsKen TakakuraAyumi IshidaHisamitsu NakamuraShuji was once a feared member of the Yakuza crime syndicate, but he's reformed his ways, abandoned his old life and left the city for a small coastal fishing town where he's become an honest fisherman."Yasha"
- DirectorJackie ChanEric TsangStarsJackie ChanAlan TamLola FornerAsian Hawk (Jackie Chan) and his bumbling sidekick are sent on a quest through Europe to find a mysterious treasure held by a shadowy organization of monks."Jackie Chan - Armour"
- DirectorJohn WooStarsLung TiLeslie CheungChow Yun-FatA reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break."A Better Tomorrow"
- DirectorRingo LamStarsSamuel HuiKarl MakaSylvia ChangBaldy and King Kong shuttle between New Zealand and Hong Kong to recover a hi-tech prism that can impart superhuman powers"Mad Mission 4 - You Never Die Twice"
- DirectorSammo Kam-Bo HungStarsSammo Kam-Bo HungBiao YuenOlivia ChengIn early twentieth century China, various criminals with different goals are connected to a Shanghai train, with many rich people on-board."Shanghai Express"
- DirectorHark TsuiStarsBrigitte LinSally YehCherie ChungThe movie is set in chaotic 1920's China, when warlords fought each other for power while Sun Yat-Sen's underground movement tried to establish a democratic republic. The movie tells the story of three young women and two young men who are thrown together. One young woman grabs a box of jewels during the looting when one warlord takes Peking. A deserting soldier joins her, but the jewels end up at the Peking Opera. Here we meet the daughter of the head of the troupe, who dreams of being an actress. But even female roles are played by men in the opera. Soon, the daughter of the currently ruling warlord and a male agent of the democratic underground are involved."Peking Opera Blues"
- DirectorDavid ChungStarsMichelle YeohHiroyuki SanadaMichael WongMichelle Yip of the Hong Kong police is a mild-mannered Kung Fu expert; Michael Wong, from air security, is happy-go-lucky, stuck on himself, constantly talking, and smitten by her; Yamamoto is quiet, hard-boiled, leaving the Tokyo police to spend time with his wife and daughter. They form an alliance when they foil a hijacking on a plane flying a mob prisoner from Tokyo to Hong Kong. The mobster and his would-be rescuer die, and this sets off two avengers who were their blood brothers. Our three cops become the targets. A high-speed chase, a car bomb, the destruction of a nightclub, a spectacular suicide, dead bystanders, and a flying coffin litter the landscape by the end."Royal Warriors"
- DirectorCorey YuenStarsBiao YuenCynthia RothrockMelvin WongYuen Biao plays Jason Chan, a lawyer angry at the way the law seems to protect the bad guys. He decides to take the law into his own hands when a key witness and his entire family are murdered. But Cindy Si is soon on his case and it all spirals into a situation only a few will survive."Righting Wrongs"
- DirectorNgai Choi LamStarsChow Yun-FatSiu-Ho ChinMaggie CheungAn adventurer who's been inflicted with a deadly curse during a previous expedition in Thailand goes back to battle an evil sorcerer and his tribal army and deadly creatures."The Seventh Curse"
- DirectorPhilip ChanRicky LauStarsSammo Kam-Bo HungDavid ChiangJacky CheungA police officer tracks down a murderous criminal gang with the help of the ghost of his former partner, who was shot by the same group."Where's Officer Tuba?"
- DirectorLung-Wei WangStarsLawrence NgElaine LuiWai ShumA shy teacher makes the mistake of borrowing a book which happens to contain stolen plates to make American dollar bills."The Innocent Interloper"
- DirectorHsiao-Hsien HouStarsGrace ChenShu-Fang ChenShu-Fen HsinA young couple leave their mining town home for Taipei where they struggle to eke out a living in an industrial wasteland."Dust in the Wind"
- DirectorKaneto ShindôStarsKeiju KobayashiNobuko OtowaIchirô ZaitsuHaru, an aging scriptwriter, has isolated himself somewhere in the woods of Nagano to work on his first novel. As the last surviving member of his kin, he intends to chronicle the family he grew up in."Tree Without Leaves"
- DirectorJohn WooStarsLeslie CheungChow Yun-FatLung TiA restauranteur teams up with a police officer and his ex-con brother to avenge the death of a friend's daughter."A Better Tomorrow II"
- DirectorSammo Kam-Bo HungStarsSammo Kam-Bo HungBiao YuenHaing S. NgorA group of Asian prisoners is recruited, trained, armed and sent to Vietnam to destroy a cache of American weapons left behind after the Vietnam War, before the Vietcong discovers its location."Eastern Condors"
- DirectorMichael MakStarsMing-Wai ChanTak-Kwong ChanJing ChenThree ex-police officers who were unjustly imprisoned escape from Mainland China to Hong Kong. In order to acquire legal residency, they agree to work with a veteran undercover cop and infiltrate triads planning crimes."Long Arm of the Law II"
- DirectorSiu-Tung ChingStarsLeslie CheungJoey WangWu MaAfter a string of bad luck, a debt collector has no other choice than to spend the night in a haunted temple, where he encounters a ravishing female ghost and later battles to save her soul from the control of a wicked tree demon."A Chinese Ghost Story"
- DirectorMamoru OshiiStarsShigeru ChibaMachiko WashioHideyuki TanakaA surreal science fiction noir involving a man trapped in a future where seemingly everyone is a government spy and all-night noodle stands are outlawed."The Red Spectacles"
- DirectorJackie ChanStarsJackie ChanMaggie CheungRosamund KwanDragon is now transferred to be the police head of Sai Wan district, and has to contend with a gangster kingpin, anti-Manchu revolutionaries, some runaway pirates, Manchu Loyalists and a corrupt Police Superintendent."Project B"
- DirectorJûzô ItamiStarsNobuko MiyamotoTsutomu YamazakiMasahiko TsugawaIf tax evasion is an art, wheeler-dealer Hideki Gondo is Rembrandt. And so, a determined taxing woman gets the tough assignment of trying to catch him."A Taxing Woman"
- DirectorRicky LauStarsChing-Ying LamRichard NgBilly LauExpelled by a band of restless ghosts in his village, Taoist Priest Mao Ming, and his two spirit companions, visit another village to seek wealth. There, Ming meets Master Gau, the "Vampire Buster," who is trying to defeat an evil Sorceress and her henchmen, whose goal is to conquer the human race. Gau also informs Ming that humans and ghosts cannot co-exist peacefully. As Ming and his ghost companions part ways, they are later attacked by the Sorceress. As a result, Ming joins forces with Gau to put a stop to the evil menace."Mr. Vampire III"
- DirectorKon IchikawaStarsToshirô MifuneAyako WakaoYasuko SawaguchiBased on a centuries-old traditional Japanese fairy tale, a country couple finds a baby girl in some bamboo and raises her as their own daughter. Not the same as the original tale, though, in which the girl was a fairy from the moon and was finally taken home."Princess from the Moon"
- DirectorRingo LamStarsChow Yun-FatTony Ka Fai LeungKa-Kui HoInside a Hong Kong prison, two inmates form a friendship and face the difficulty of life on the inside."Prison on Fire"
- DirectorTung-Shing YeeStarsLung TiTony Leung Chiu-waiTony Ka Fai LeungA bumbling pair robs a bank, taking everyone inside hostage when it goes wrong. However, one of the hostages turns out to be a notorious wanted criminal and he takes over the hostage situation."People's Hero"
- DirectorRingo LamStarsChow Yun-FatYueh SunDanny LeeAn undercover cop infiltrates a gang of thieves who plan to rob a jewelry store."City on Fire"
- DirectorStanley KwanStarsLeslie CheungAnita MuiAlex ManFleur is the blue angel in one of Hong Kong's "flower houses" - bordellos and night clubs of the 1930s. A detached and beautiful performer, she falls in love with Twelfth Master Chan, heir to a chain of pharmacies. They agree to a suicide pact. 50 years later, in modern Hong Kong, Fleur's ghost appears in Yuen's newspaper office, wanting to place an ad to find Chan, who never arrived in the afterlife. Yuen, and his equally bewildered girlfriend, An Chor, are captivated by Fleur and her story."Rouge"
- DirectorYimou ZhangStarsGong LiWen JiangRujun TengWhen a leprous winery owner in 1930s China dies a few days after his arranged marriage, his young widow is forced to run the winery to make a living while contending with bandits, her drunkard lover, and the invading Japanese army."Red Sorghum"
- DirectorHsiao-Hsien HouStarsLin YangFan YangShu-Fen HsinThe eldest daughter of a broken and troubled family works to keep the family together and look after her younger siblings, who are slipping into a life of crime."Daughter of the Nile"
- DirectorJin XieStarsWen JiangLinian LiuXiaoqing LiuLove, humiliation, and politics play out in a distant village of China during the Cultural Revolution."Hibiscus Town"
- DirectorIm Kwon-taekStarsKang Soo-younGu-sun LeeYang-ha YunShin, a nobleman, had been trying to conceive a male heir to pass his family name. Unable to provide a male heir, Shin's wife gives her husband permission to search for a surrogate wife to bear a male heir. On the way to finding a surrogate wife, Shin runs into a 17 year old girl, Ok-nyo (Kang Soo-yeon). She was a poor feisty girl who stated she would do anything for money."The Surrogate Woman"