Best Asian Sword Epics?

Curse of the Golden Flower, by the director of Hero and House of Flying Daggers
John Woo's Red Cliff (see the "international version" and avoid the shortened one)

childeroland said:

John Woo's Red Cliff (see the "international version" and avoid the shortened one)

Click to expand...

I saw the shortened one, and I can't find the international one, makes me sad.

I favor the two-handed sword myself, in the SCA. Have fun! (Just don't believe some of the BS you'll hear about katanas.)

I'd go back to Kurosawa. The Seven Samurai, of course, and definitely Throne of Blood.

And check out the old Zatoichi movies. There was a new one made recently, starring Beat Takeshi (who's Takeshi Kitano when he's directing); that was pretty darn good too.

I loved the Lone Wolf and Cub stuff. It's a minor industry in Japan (lotsa comics, lotsa movies), and a loose ancestor of Road to Perdition.

The first one I ever saw was a hacked up edit of the first two movies peddled under the title of Lightning Swords of Death. Aesthetically that's probably all kinds of sin, but I loved it. You can get it on DVD.

Kung Fu Hustle. Kung Fu Hustle. Kung Fu Hustle.

Alright, so there are no swords in it but the fighting is AWESOME!!! And it's friggin hilarious.

Azumi. It has lot of fun villains and a high kill count.

Seven Swords
Twilight Samurai, Hidden Blade, Love and Honor
Ashes of Time
One Armed Swordsman

AKA Chambara style...love it! The Zatoichi series is excellent - start anywhere. One obscure one that I love is Sword Of Doom which is on Criterion DVD. It's very dark and moody but has lots of incredible swordplay. Tatsuya Nakadai is in that one as a cold blooded samurai for hire out for revenge, you know the drill Criterion also put out Kill! which is more light hearted in tone with more broad action.
Nakadai also starred in The Sleepy Eyes of Death movies, and they are great but impossible to find on DVD - I paid a mint for Castle Menagerie and Human Skin Spider and they both kick ass. They first one has a more exotic sensual visual style while the second one has more visceral action.

And definitely Yojimbo. You'll recognize the storyline. It started out as a Dashiel Hammett story which Kurosawa turned into Yojimbo. It was then filmed as a little Western called A Fistful of Dollars. Filmed as a not-so-epic fantasy with David Carradine called The Sword and the Sorceress. Most recently as Last Man Standing with Bruce Willis. But Yojimbo is probably the best screen version.

Actually, just watch anything with Toshiro Mifune.

Afro Samurai