Asian Action Cast

Afleveringen

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  Yakuza Weapon 08.08.2026 1u 11min

  Larger than life, cartoon characters like Tak Sakaguchis Shozo bring hilariously fun fighting for half a film. The latter story does suffer from the whiplash tone change as it explores the tragedy of Jun Murakami’s Tetsu, and fumbles as it blends this with strangely funny/eroti-sex-violence?Yakuza weapon regularly forays into absurdity and lingers a bit overlong, but the colours and characters surprise and delight. One of Tak Sakaguchi’s most unique films, worth a watch!
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  The Furious 25.07.2026 1u 35min

  Kenji Tanagaki’s prodigious 2026 martial arts film, The Furious, is a non stop kinetic revelation that ratchets up tension and creativity beyond anything you’ve seen.The Furious reinvents child star Xie Miao into a modern leading hero, blending an all star action cast with Joe Taslim, Joey Iwanaga, Yayan Ruhian, Brian Le and a bevy of har knock stuntmen selling brutal hits.The action is relentless and defies description - you have not seen anything like this. The way they have distilled the amount of chaos into intelligibly edited action set pieces is nothing short of jaw dropping. A must see.
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  Blades Of The Guardians:Wind Rises In The Desert 11.07.2026 1u 12min

  Yuen Woo Pings 2026 Blades of the Guardians spins an epic wuxia tale of murder, betrayal, love, desert, brotherhood…in fact it’s too many tales.The labyrinthine plot and overbloated but underdeveloped character list does hide some great (plentiful) action, if occasionally marred by shaky cam (it’s Jet Li and Wu Jing!) and unnecessary CG.Despite its flaws it is still a media and audience darling, and little shame for Jet Li’s decade long (oh so brief) return to action cinema - worth a watch!
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  Riki-Oh:Story Of Riki 27.06.2026 1u 11min

  Fan Siu Wongs 1991 ‘splatterpunk’ entry, The Story of Riki, aka Riki Oh, is a great example of cult cinema - the hyper violent martial arts exploitation flick made barely a splash on entry but has gained notoriety after.With sensational blood and gore effects, Siu-Wongs justice laden acts of brutality still invokes awe and revulsion. Directed by SFX veteran Lam Nai-Choi (the Cat, 7th Curse, Peacock King) the deft visual hand is on magnificent display.Watch with an empty stomach or strong constitution, and a mind open enough to be clapped into smithareens…Riki Oh will bathe in the shower of your entrails while screaming “Noooooooooo!” at the sky.
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  Once Upon A Time In China And America 13.06.2026 1u 13min

  Sammo Hung’s 1997 film, Once Upon a Time in China and America, takes Tsui Hark’s beloved franchise off shore with Jet Li in his last outing as the legendary Wong Fei Hung.A surprisingly clumsy handling of triple A property, and with less than half a year production time, it shows. This cobbled together affair is a pale shadow of the far better (produced, acted, plotted) Shanghai Noon which Sammo allegedly stole from Yuen Academy Brother Jackie Chan.Despite the rushed production and your typical neglect of Western performances in HK films (poor Jeff Wolfe), there are glimmers of joy with Hung Yan-Yan (7/club foot/Jet’s stunt double) getting more canvass to showcase his amazing fighting talent, but sadly not much more.
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  Burning Ambition 30.05.2026 1u 3min

  Frankie Chan takes us on a moustachioed journey through the trials, tribulations and twists of a crime family full of backstabbing, plots, and melodrama in this Hong Kong game of thrones.Our hairy hero doesn't even show up until at least halfway but his presence is felt both in the writing and as the director in his 1989 vanity project, barely resembling the Shoguns' Samurai from which it was inspired.Despite it's dramatic set up, it has incredible action fight scenes with kinetic choreography that holds up to anything golden age Golden Harvest can produce, with the most Jeff Falcon that ever Falconed, and criminally underused Yukari Oshima and Kara Hui.
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  Chinese Boxer aka Hammer of God 16.05.2026 1u 5min

  Jimmy Wang Yu’s 1970 trailblazer Chinese Boxer, AKA Hammer of God, may seem quaint now but don’t be fooled. This movie introduced the righteous revenge formula taken to even greater heights by Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury and a myriad other homages.  Unique for being the first film to focus primarily on unarmed combat we have a two armed Jimmy Wang Yu who plays a vengeful student who powers up from a training montage to take on a fantastically campy (and unmoustached) Lo Lieh as the brutally deadly Japanese Karateka. This Shaw Bro.’s film is a real epic eschewing their typical set based scenes for wide sprawling vista’s, location shots and environmental scenes. A romping good time with shocking and visceral violence even by today’s standards (eye gouging!) this is a great one to watch and have in your collection.  Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/2EFsjsabrziBMvy3kPAJ9a iTunes:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/asian-action-cast/id1230934045
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  Exiled 02.05.2026 1u 8min

  Johnny To’s dark, brooding 2006 crime thriller Exiled explores the complex relationship of a group of best friends turned gangsters and killers on opposing sides.A novel take on the blood is thicker than water tale, it is one part Sleepers and one part Reservoir Dogs, but comparisons are reductive to Johnny’s unique flair, humor and pathos.The characters will capture you, from Anthony Wongs conflicted assassin, Nick Cheungs’s stoic but tragic hero and Simon Yam’ing it up as boss Fay. Unanimously approved by AAC, check it out.
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  Dangan Runner 18.04.2026 1u 2min

  Sabu’s 1996 Directorial debut, Dangan Runner is an absurdist gang caper comedy that has a lot of humor and heart.Coming out a full two years before Run Lola Run, and Lock Stock, it blazed the trail of nailing cinematic serendipity amidst our heroes’ journey (literally) across Tokyo.Tomoro Taguchi, Diamond Yukai and Shinichi Tsutsumi are our running leads, the loser, the drug addict and the yakuza - who discover themselves in the chase of a lifetime. 
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  The Way Of The Dragon 04.04.2026 1u 6min

  Bruce Lee’s 1972 directorial debut, The Way of the Dragon, not only teases the beginning of what could have been, but also introduces the world to the indomitable beast, the late great Chuck Norris.With only one line of dialogue Chuck chews almost as much scenery as Little Dragon Lee himself, mugging and slugging their way across the silver screen.A patchy film at best but shines evermore as a time capsule of cult treasure. Chuck Norris  does not die at the end, he simply waits.
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  City On Fire 21.03.2026 46min

  On this episode of the AAC the gang tackle the classic 1987 Hong Kong crime thriller CITY ON FIRE.A direct inspiration for the 1992 smash 'Reservoir Dogs' CITY ON FIRE features an effortlessly cool and fresh faced Chow Yun Fat. Chow is an undercover cop trying to bring down a violent gang, but juggling police infighting, trying to earn the trust of the ganghes infiltrating and keeping his personal life afloat is pushing him to boiling point. Whats gonna give first? Why is Officer John such a jerk? And will that fruit cart get bowled over? Join us and find out!
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  Re:Born 07.03.2026 1u 6min

  Re:born is a 2016 military action thriller starring Tak Sakaguchi as the impassively stone faced killer, Ghost, who seems incapable of showing emotion whether on the surface, inside, on or off camera.Featuring a very healthy dose of kinetic and frenetic action with amazing stuntwork, great choreography and visceral kills, the lack of plot barely gets in the way of an entertaining watch. You might not care about anyone you’re watching but they’re doing cool stuff.In fact, the movie takes no effort to tell you who these people are what any of them actually wants, other than dramatically declaring they want to bleed, or their blood is dry, or vaguely and suggestively ‘I want you’, but if you can withstand the barren waste of emotion its not a bad sizzle real of good fights.
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  Too Many Ways To Be No. 1 21.02.2026 58min

  This 1997 hidden gem 'Too Many Ways to Be No. 1' from Johnnie To's Milky Way galaxy of genre films comes not just with Golden Harvest's classic Bong Bong but the incredible mind melting enhanced reality of a criminal satire.Featuring a typical Johnnie To understated protagonist Sean Lau as directed by Wai Ka-Fai, what follows is an uneven but incredible intriguing sliding doors story of choosing or controlling our fate through our choices.A lovely blend of comedy, satire and absurdity this is a charming entry into the Asian Action Casts' hall of movies that sparks great memorable moments that linger longer than the run-time.
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  The Shadows Edge 07.02.2026 1u 11min

  Jackie Chan’s 2025 thriller, The Shadows Edge brings our hero firmly into the world of spy vs spy counter espionage genre facing off against the masterful Tony Leung Ka-Fai.Not without its flaws, with incomprehensible 1 second smash cuts, pacing and bloat, what shines though is a genuinely tense mental chess game with real stakes.With an actor (Ci Sha) so handsome he had to be more than one character, his resemblance had us wondering if he was related to Takeshi Kaneshiro! This has tons of style, some real heart and a good dose of adrenaline - check it out!
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  Chinese Cop Out 24.01.2026 1u 10min

  Buddy cop movie with moustaches sums up this 1989 Melvin Wong produced vehicle, but 48 Hours it is not! Melvin against type plays a good Hong Kong cop with a penchant for getting into trouble. Lam Wai is his mainland moustachied equivalent, crossing the border to help with an organised crime case. Simon Yam is just starting to get into his deranged criminal role phase too. A less well known action buddy film, and something worth seeking out once you've watched all the Hong Kong headliners.
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  2025 End of Year wrapup and tournament 30.11.2025 1u 30min

  The Asian Action Cast finishes 2025 in style with the annual tournament to determine the best movie of 2025!We've got plenty of jokes, awards, stats and general tomfoolery for your listening pleasure.Thanks to everyone that has listened this year - look forward to more shenanigans in 2026 and as usual stick around for the remix!
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  Throw Down 15.11.2025 1u 39min

  Stroll with the AAC through Johnnie To’s 2004 neon saturated streets of Throw Down, play in a world full of style and character.The action is just the window into the disparate lives of these meandering souls as they help each other find joy and purpose - the satisfaction of a life fulfilled.Johnny imbues this film with honest moments, stringing gorgeous visuals cobbled together to weave a tapestry of emotions. You might dislocate a shoulder watching but you’ll marvel at the technique.
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  The Invincible Armour 02.11.2025 1u 14min

  Taking on the INVINCIBLE ARMOUR is no easy feat, but our heroes John Liu and Tino Wong crack the code! Director See-Yuen Ng’s 1977 action romp is a densely packed thriller that goes from fight to fight, it’s thick, fast and deadly.No technique is undefeatable and this movie is a cautionary tale for why it sometimes might be a good idea to wearing a metal chastity belt.
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  Black Magic 2 18.10.2025 55min

  For a Halloween special that's twice as nice, we bring you Black Magic Part 2! Same director, same actors as the first but it's turned into a Scooby Doo style mystery in tropical Singapore! Lo Lieh has channeled his charisma into becoming a black magician who keeps zombies in his dungeon. Our heroic trio of doctors (Ti Lung, Tien Ni and Lin Wei Tu) don't believe in magic, but let's drive a nail into the issue and get to the bottom of this. More gore, special effects and boobies like the first movie!
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  Black Magic 04.10.2025 1u 5min

  Asian Action Cast's Spooktober celebrations begin with the Shaw Brothers 1975 exploitation horror fest BLACK MAGIC!Starring a wooden Ti Lung and magnificently creepy yet charismatic Lo Lieh, it tells the cautionary tale of why you shouldn’t roofie someone to get them to love you.With incredibly budget effects and jarring musical pivots, the nudity alone cannot salvage this movie, but it is a fun watch with friends if only to gross them out with worms and maggots!