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. Unanimous...
May 02, 2026•1 hr 9 min
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.
Apr 18, 2026•1 hr 2 min
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....
Apr 04, 2026•1 hr 6 min
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 je...
Mar 21, 2026•47 min
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 eff...
Mar 07, 2026•1 hr 6 min
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 ...
Feb 21, 2026•58 min
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 sty...
Feb 07, 2026•1 hr 11 min
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....
Jan 24, 2026•1 hr 10 min
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!
Nov 30, 2025•1 hr 31 min
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....
Nov 15, 2025•1 hr 39 min
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.
Nov 02, 2025•1 hr 14 min
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 mo...
Oct 18, 2025•56 min
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!
Oct 04, 2025•1 hr 6 min
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 wrestler. A ridiculous human bridge sequence is worth the price of admission but the incredible face mugging, arrogant laughs and expressive eyebrows will keep you amused!
Sep 20, 2025•1 hr 2 min
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 remains unfulfilled, there is action aplenty with moody sets, unsettling action and constant tension. An enjoyable film and worth the nettles from the Demon Path.
Sep 06, 2025•1 hr 1 min
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. The small flashes of ‘Real Bruce’ invoke pangs of equal parts admiration, longing and tragedy, with the dreams and dialogue about WHAT IF burning white hot over 60 years after his death.
Aug 23, 2025•1 hr 10 min
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!
Aug 09, 2025•1 hr 2 min
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 will haunt your dreams. Watch it if you can find it, and be dazzled by the colours and wonderful music with decent action in this rollicking thriller.
Jul 26, 2025•1 hr 3 min
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 (Lam Ching Ying) gives him the beating he deserves, resulting in Leung Chang (Yuen) begging him to teach him the real thing. Sammo Hung later shows up to teach him some bad habits, but Lam Ching Ying stea...
Jul 12, 2025•58 min
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 living vicariously through Shawn Yue’s high octane speed freak Chan Cheung – all characters are downplayed to raw perfection making you want to spend more time in their world. Villain Jiang Xin is flawlessly ...
Jun 28, 2025•1 hr 5 min
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 his investigations reveal an undercover cop, they combine to stop it all from going sky high. Filled with glorious shootouts, explosions and cute babies, this is the most Woo film of them all....
Jun 14, 2025•59 min
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 escalates throughout surprising you how far it’s willing to go, and any action film with sub-boss fights is A-ok in our books. Check it out - THE CITY OF VIOLENCE.
May 31, 2025•1 hr 12 min
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? Fighter Qiao Mao (Lo Lieh) can do it all, but he's also acting a little suspiciously. The life of a poor fighter is a hard one! Also file under creepy eyeball villain, red haired axe thug and one armed sword...
May 17, 2025•1 hr 7 min
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!
May 03, 2025•1 hr 8 min
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 action, including a truly creative and kinetic first person gun/kung fu sequence. Donnie shows no signs of slowing down and is surrounded by an incredible stunt team selling amazing hits and action the way on...
Apr 19, 2025•1 hr 17 min
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 chef. It is a film of hijinks amidst the backdrop of Melbournes inner city - home to Mr Norton and another late great star Mr Bradley Allen of the JC stunt team. The film is a testament to the humour, h...
Apr 05, 2025•1 hr 25 min
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?
Mar 22, 2025•1 hr 12 min
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 absurdist parody of the same story. And then came the beats is an apt description of the film which is entertaining, if not bizarre. Also starring Tadanobu Asano, Nakamura Shido II and Jun Akiyama to name ...
Mar 08, 2025•51 min
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 some and the old adage of "they don't make them like they used to" is probably a good thing. Starring Stephen Tung as an old school star, Terrence Lau as a newcomer eager to please and Philip Ng as a more ...
Feb 22, 2025•54 min
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 and collaborator, you’d know by the end of the film, which liberally homages tropes, gags and set ups, but in a way that is fun and respectful of the material. The plot is meandering and barely there, ju...
Feb 08, 2025•1 hr 9 min
