Asia Extreme
For the uninitiated, the most ground-breaking, unpredictable and inventive films are being made in the Far East. Alice opens Pandora's Box unleashing an astonishing world of cinema from Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong and Japan; introducing cinema-watchers to the stylish and often violent world of Miike Takashi, Hideo Nakata, Takeshi 'Beat' Kitano and the Pang Brothers amongst others. While films such as 'Battle Royale', 'Ring', 'The Eye', 'Dark Water' and 'Audition' continue to satisfy the ever increasing hunger for astounding cinematic style and outrageous shock moments, Alice is committed to the development of the most exciting and unique of all contemporary genres. Stay tuned...
Right: The hills are alive with the sound of screaming in Miike Takashi's 'The Happiness of the Katakuris'.
Hard Boiled (1992)
7.9/10
Director: John Woo
Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung (Chiu Wai), Teresa Mo, Philip Chan
John Woo's stylish, ultra-violent story of a police inspector (Chow Yun Fat) who teams up with a mysterious hit man (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) to stop a ga... Read more
The Protector (2005)
7.1/10
Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Starring: Tony Jaa, Petchthai Wongkamlao, Bongkoj Khongmalai, Xing Jing
Martial arts prodigy Tony Jaa ('Ong Bak') returns with more jaw-dropping, gravity-defying moves, on the hunt for two stolen elephants that were intend... Read more
Sonatine (1993)
7.6/10
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Aya Kokumai, Takeshi Kitano, Tetsu Watanabe
'Beat' Takeshi Kitano stars in this very original tale of the last days of a Tokyo gangster. Hard action combines brilliantly with haunting stillness. Read more
Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (1972)
Director: Shunya Ito
Starring: Meiko Kaji
Experimental and exploitation cinema meet in this subversive feature. The film follows a woman named Matsu (a.k.a. "Scorpion"), wrongly imprisoned aft... Read more
Sex and Fury (1973)
Director: Norifumi Suzuki
Starring: Reiko Ike, Christina Linberg, Masataka Narasu
Director Norifumi Suzuki's wild, erotic and violent exploitation classic tells the story of Ocho (Reiko Ike), carrying out a blood-soaked mission of r... Read more
Volcano High (2001)
Director: Tae-gyun Kim
Starring: Hyuk Jang, Min-a Shin, Su-ro Kim
Kyeong-su is a seemingly hopeless case, transferred to Volcano High - a school for only the most supernaturally gifted martial arts students. When riv... Read more
Natural City (2003)
5.8/10
Director: Byung-chun Min
Starring: Ji-tae Yu, Jae-un Lee, Rin Seo, Chan Yoon
Post-apocalypse 2080. Cyborgs with artificial intelligence, great strength and emotion exist but they live just a few short years. Cue star-crossed... Read more
Violent Cop (1989)
7.2/10
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Haku Ryu
Sex, violence, and the dark world of the yakuza provide the basis of this Japanese thriller. 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano plays a rogue cop who employs his o... Read more
The Princess Blade (2001)
5.8/10
Director: Shinsuke Sato
Starring: Hideaki Ito, Yumiko Shaku, Shiro Sano, Yoichi Numata, Kyusaku Shimada, Yoko Maki
Aka "Shurayuki-Hime". In a post-apocalyptic Japan that blends technology and feudalism, a young woman named Yuki, whose family are assassins, is loyal... Read more
Versus (2000)
6.5/10
Director: Ryuhei Kitamura
Starring: Tak Sakaguchi, Hideo Sakaki, Kenji Matsuda, Takehiro Katayama
Many believe that there are 666 gates to Hell hidden here on Earth. Legend says that somewhere in Japan's "Forest of Resurrection" lies the 444th gate... Read more