- Jake D.
- Friday, June 24, 2022
While often thought of as a more Western genre, there is a rich tradition of East Asian films that explore all facets of crime. There was Japanese noir in the 1950s and 1960s. The 1970s saw a boom in darker, grittier Japanese crime movies. The 1980s and 1990s saw a string of Chinese and Hong Kong set action movies with cops using martial arts to solve the case. And today, Korean film and television has become an international phenomenon with many of those Korean films dealing with police, criminals and crime.
This weekly blog series, published each Friday evening, features five films from library streaming service Kanopy which you can access for free using your library card.
Project Gutenberg (China/Hong Kong), 2018.
Hong Kong police are seeking the mysterious leader of a counterfeiting ring known only as “The Painter”. The part is played with plenty of oozing charm by Chow Yun-fat. Counterfeiter and artist Man Lee is extradited from a Thai prison to assist with the hunt for "The Painter". Interrogation leads to a series of flashbacks that make up most of the movie. “The Painter” is still at large and has been systematically killing off any connections between him and the counterfeiting operation. Lee is the last remaining link and is terrified that he will be located and killed.
“Project Gutenberg” is a blend of drama, action and crime as well as weighty questions about art. Is a forgery its own kind of art?
Cops vs. Thugs (Japan), 1975.
“Cops vs. Thugs” is a mid-seventies film about, well, cops and thugs – specifically rival Yakuza criminal families. Text before the opening scene tell the viewer that this story is based on real events. Members of the police force in the fictional city of Kurashima are friendly with one of the gangs, tipping them off about raids and living the high life.
There are crooked cops, henchmen, heads of Yakuza criminal families and politicians. Enter straight-laced, by-the-book, Lieutenant Shoichi Kaida. Kaida is leading the crackdown on the gangs as well as any police corruption. As you can imagine, this causes a lot of drama. Cops vs. thugs but also cops vs. cops and thugs vs. thugs. “Cops vs. Thugs” can be a bit confusing at times with the number of characters, the conflict and the changing loyalties But it is without a doubt a cool film. Stylish, sometimes violent, and definitely a product of the 1970s.
Content Warning: sexual assault; homophobia; violence
A Hard Day (S. Korea), 2014.
Go Geon-soo (Sun-kyun Lee) is having a bit of a difficult day. His mother dies, his wife is leaving him, and he has some serious legal issues with embezzlement. Just to make things worse, he accidentally hits someone with his car, causing the pedestrian’s death. Go Geon-soo hides the body and things seem under control. But now someone has started calling claiming to have witnessed the hit-and-run.
Full of dark humor and zipping along at a fast pace, “A Hard Day” has the feel of a modern, Korean noir.
Violent Cop (Japan), 1989.
Channeling Dirty Harry and Charles Bronson’s character in “Death Wish”, Takeshi Kitano takes on the role of Azuma in this late-80s Japanese revenge flick. Azuma is a violent cop (natch) who isn’t above planting evidence in pursuit of 'justice'. Planting evidence gets him fired from the police department. Now he's off the force and caring for his mentally disabled sister. Azuma is just starting his 'retirement' when his sister is kidnapped and repeatedly raped by sadistic Yakuza. Now he has to exact his own brand of justice with involves gratuitous violence. Not for the faint of heart, “Violent Cop” is, nevertheless, a B-movie in the vein of "Death Wish" and "Dirty Harry" that is worth your time.
Content Warning: rape, violence
Nameless Gangster (S. Korea), 2012.
What do you do if you're corrupt; work for customs in Busan, South Korea and find a bunch of crystal meth? Team up with a notorious gangster, of course, and build a criminal business. "Nameless Gangster" uses the real-life story of Busan's drug boom in the 80s to build a saga of organized crime. Power and money corrupt friendships and partnerships. It's a sweeping gangster epic that earns a place alongside its more familiar American counterparts.
All of these films are available for free on Kanopy using your Richland Library card. Kanopy is available as a free download in Android and IOS app stories.