Episodes
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The Bodyguard from Beijing
Jet Li! Corey Yuen! Colin Chou! Great ingredients for a promising action flick, but instead we get the semi-limp 1994 Bodyguard from Beijing. With less than 30% action (we counted the seconds) laced with unnecessary and insufferable unrequited romance, it misses the action and the rom com crowd.…
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Hope
Let the Asian Action Cast bring you HOPE (watch before listening!)! Na Hong-Jin’s South Korean blockbuster juggernaut chills, thrills and kills its way through its almost 3hr runtime. Starring the magnificent Hwang Jung-Min and eternally spunky Hoyeon, with heartthrobs Zo In-Sung and Michael...
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Human Lanterns
Are you in the mood for fear? Horror? Then join us for this spooktober episode as we hang up the Human Lanterns! Shaw Bro.’s 1982 martial arts murder movie stars a delightfully deranged serial-skinning star Lo Lieh, and smarmy pretty-boy Tony Liu, featuring the irrepressible moustache of Shaw...
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Ghost in the Cell
The Asian Action Cast gets locked up with a Ghost in the Cell in 2026! Joko Anwar’s Indonesian horror comedy ("horredy"?) ticks all the boxes in delivering a gorefest of creative killings while ratcheting up the tension, and the comedy too, in one of the year's most satisfying action flicks....
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Maria
Pedring Lopez’s 2019 Netflix action thriller, Maria, brings Filipino actress Cristine Reyes to the Streaming Screen as trained assassin MARIA! She thought she left that life behind, but the sins of the past never remain dead for long. Cristine Reyes proves she can be a strong, sexy lead with the...
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Karate For Life
Sonny Chibas 1977 love letter to Kyokushin Karate founder Mas Oyama, Karate for Life, rounds out the trilogy of his exciting exploits. No stranger to fighting bears and wolves, this chapter focuses on his potentially fictitious prowess as a wrestler and TB survivor. Guaranteed eyebrows, intense...
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The Hits and Misses (Sorry for the clip show)
It's time to kick back, relax and journey back to the past as we showcase some of our favourite clips from the past (nearly) ten (10!) years of the AAC. Episodes covered include Bio-Zombie, Buddhas Palm, Devilman and more. We watch, review, recap and re-vap the best and worst of Hong Kong and…
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Yakuza Weapon
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?…
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The Furious
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...
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Blades Of The Guardians:Wind Rises In The Desert
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…
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Riki-Oh:Story Of Riki
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...
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Once Upon A Time In China And America
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...
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Burning Ambition
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…
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Chinese Boxer aka Hammer of God
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...
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Exiled
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…
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Dangan Runner
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...
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The Way Of The Dragon
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,...
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City On Fire
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...
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Re:Born
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...
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Too Many Ways To Be No. 1
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...
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The Shadows Edge
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...
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Chinese Cop Out
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…
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2025 End of Year wrapup and tournament
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…
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Throw Down
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....
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The Invincible Armour
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...
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Black Magic 2
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...
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Black Magic
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...
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The 14 Amazons
Shaw Bro.’s 1972 historical war epic 14 Amazons sets the bar for fun campy villains who overshadow the ‘heroes’ of the film. Ivy Ling Po and Lily Ho lead our plucky band of (too many) heroines, but they are up against the forces of Lo Lieh’s fantastic 5th Prince and Bolo Yeungs unnamed barbarian...
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Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell
Walk down the Demon Path with us as we gaze into the thousand yard stare of the Lone Wolf and Cub on their last journey before Hell! White Heaven in Hell is the final instalment of the lone wolf and cub movie series starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, and is something of a limbo piece. While much…
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Game Of Death
Bruce Lee’s 1978 post-mortem movie Game of Death is more than a curiosity, it’s a cultural phenomenon that irreparably bashed its way into modern consciousness. It clearly was damaged by Bruce’s untimely passing, but it remains one of the most wistful and hopeful projects of the silver screen.…
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New Kung Fu Cult Master 2
The Sequel to Wong Jing’s most serious adaptation to date, his magnum opus, the Asian Action Cast takes on the New Kung Fu Cult Master pt 2!
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Ninjas And Dragons
The hidden 1984 gem Japan-China action collaboration Ninja and Dragons is everything you’d expect, with magic ninjitsu alongside and vs Kung Fu. Starring a plucky ninja Hayate, played by Jun’ya Takagi and his Dragon friend Dong Li, it is a tale of intrigue, vengeance and unsettling villains that...
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The Prodigal Son
The Prodigal Son is a Wing Chun paradise, combining some of the siliest slapstick and brutal beatings into one tasty bowl. Yuen Biao's kung fu is the worst in Canton, but luckily he's a spoilt rich kid whose father bribes everyone to lose to him. Only opera star and kung fu master Leung Yee Tai...
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Motorway
Slick, tense and intimate, the 2012 Soi Cheang directed vehicle stalker flick Motorway has a surprising amount of style and feeling for what could have been a flat chase movie. Anthony Wong, as always, brings a warmth and charisma to his close to retirement days-of-yore-badass mentoring and…
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Hard Boiled
This week we revisit 1992’s Hard Boiled, directed by John Woo, part of the Princess Films avalanche of Chow Yun Fat movies coming your way soon on Blu-ray. How does it stack up 30 years later? A cop who won’t take no for an answer, Tequila ends up in the middle of a gangland munitions war. When…
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The City Of Violence
The City of Violence is a 2006 Ryoo Seung-wan directed friendship thriller starring dapper detective Jung Doo-hong’s Tae-Soo. There certainly is violence aplenty in the city, largely perpetrated by our main cast. Friendships form, falter and fall as snake liquor goes wasted. The violence…
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Twelve Deadly Coins
In the martial arts world, even your spare change can become a lethal weapon! Enter 'Twelve Deadly Coins', a 1969 Shaw Brothers production starring the excellent Lo Lieh and Ching Li. When your senior disciple isn't as good as you think, who will protect your treasure convoy against bandits?...
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11 Rebels
What’s more deadly than 13 Assassins? Cooler than 7 Samurai? Gorier than 5 Deadly Venoms? Why its Director Kazuya Shiraishi’s 11 Rebels! This 2024 Samurai Epic is 60 years in the making with ascript written back in 1964!
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The Prosecutor
Donnie Yen’s 2025 Dram-action THE PROSECUTOR will have you questioning what you know about legal procedurals with its labyrinthine plot and non stop exposition. If you can stomach Donnie’s soap boxing righteousness for 75% of the film, there’s a really solid 25% of hard hitting martial arts…
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Mr. Nice Guy
In honour of the recently passed great man, Mr Richard Norton, we celebrate his intersection and elevation of Hong Kong action cinema in Jackie Chan’s 1997 Sammo Hung Directed Mr Nice Guy. Richard Norton is irrepressible, chewing scenery and having a blast as he turns the screws on Jackie’s super...
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Who Am I?
Ever forget who you but somehow have access to special forces training, martial arts and parkour moves and hardcore riz with the ladies? No you’re not Jason Bourne, you’re Jackie Chan in his 1998 Amnesia Thriller, Who Am I?
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Broken Rage
Beat Takeshi (Kitano) subverts your expectations with one of the best and/or worst (!) most polarising films in recent memory in his 2025 film Broken Rage. Director, Star, Writer and Editor: he hits the major chords with a retired yakuza hitman melody, then riffs into unknown territory with an...
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Stuntman (Bonus Episode)
We've all cheered, laughed and been amazed at the phenomenal stunts in Hong Kong action movies over the years: but what about the people behind the stunts? What happens when things go pear shaped? 2024's Stuntman shows that sometimes "the good old days'"aren't always that fondly remembered for…
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Luc Van Tien Kung Fu Warrior
What looks, smells and feels like a Hong Kong Action movie but is not a Hong Kong Action movie? 2017’s Luc Van Tien! Star vehicle for the incredibly agile and talented Vietnamese/German martial artist and Jackie Chan Stunt Team alumni Andreas Nguyen. If you didn’t know before he was a Jackie Fan...
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Rumble In The Bronx
High octane fight scenes, bone crunching action and exhilarating stunts. Jackie takes his blend of action comedy to New York (actually Vancouver but who cares). Non stop thrills and spills with a sexy Francoise Yip, mulleted Anita Mui, Dashing Bill Tung and blink and you miss Emil Chau, it’s the...
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2024 End of year wrapup and tournament
The Asian Action Cast calls last drinks on 2024! All the movies we watched will go into a no holds barred slugfest to see which one comes out on top. Will it be another victory for Hong Kong? Will we remember who starred in what movie? Do we actually praise Donnie Yen for being a *good* actor???...
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Knockabout
Knockabout is Yuen Biao's outstanding debut film in a starring role, directed by Peking Opera "Dai Gor" (big brother) Sammo Hung. This 1979 action romp is deliciously quirky with some of the best martial arts action of the golden age of Hong Kong cinema. Talk about showcase - Yuen Biao has to be...
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Kill
Take an express train to New Delhi with 'Kill' (2023), a super stylish and rather gruesome Indian Hindi-language actioner. What's the worst that can happen? Murder and robbery, that's what! On a confined train, you want to be careful who you cross. In this case it's Amrit Rathod (Lakshya), an…
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Visa To Hell
Get a ‘Visa To Hell’ in the second of our Spooktober podcast specials! Starring, directed, action directed, presented and planned (whatever that means) by legendary film villain Dick Wei, this Halloween mashup will have you asking, what kind of film has both ninjas and Dracula on screen? A Taoist...
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Holy Virgin Versus the Evil Dead
Donnie Yen in a R rated, Category III sleazefest? Now available in an added nudity theatrical cut on BluRay! Holy Virgin Versus the Evil Dead is the English title of this 1991 movie that has it all: wacky cop comedy, unexplained kung fu powers for all and a mystical schlock plot set in a…
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