The 11 Greatest Influences Of Asian Cinema On American Movies

Over the years, America’s love affair with Asian cinema has grown from a passing interest to a full-on obsession. KoldCast TV’s award-winning series, LUMINA, is no exception. Set against the sparkling backdrop of Hong Kong, this dark, densely woven fantasy brings with it a level of ingenuity that has become synonymous with the absolute finest of the Asian imports. In honor of Lumina, we’ve complied a list of the American Cinema’s greatest Asian influences.

LUMINA, Episode 1: Single Women

1. Akira Kurosawa

There has never been a more peer-respected filmmaker of Asian descent than Akira Kurosawa. In fact, it could be argued that he is among the most prolific directors to ever gaze through a lens, and posthumously he was named “Asian of the Century” in the category of Arts, Literature, and Culture by American AsianWeek Magazine. From Rashomon, to Seven Samurai, to Ikiru, Ran, and later in life with Dreams, Kurosawa was almost always on his game. His films have redefined, over and over again, the way Americans understand the basic tenets of Asian cinema.

2. John Woo

When compared to any director on this list, Chinese-born John Woo has been able to find the most commercial success in the United States. The hyper-styled gun-based action sequences he put together in films like Hard Boiled and The Killer, carried over into his Hollywood produced work like Face/Off, Mission Impossible 2, and Hard Target. In terms of the way action is shot and presented, you’d be hard pressed to find a foreign filmmaker more influential.

3. Asian Horror Remakes

In recent years there has been a massive influx of Asian horror films, sometimes called “J-Horror” or “K-Horror” here in the States, remade for American audiences. The Ring, The Grudge, Dark Water, The Eye – the list goes on, and on, and on, and all of them were originally thought up, produced, and shot overseas. The trend isn’t likely to stop anytime soon.

4. Bruce Lee

In the seventies, there was Bruce Lee. Lee alone, with his joint Hong Kong-Hollywood-produced films, single-handedly elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts genre to exciting new levels. With Enter The Dragon, Fist of Fury, The Game of Death, and a whole host of others, Lee captured, entranced, and kept American audiences coming back for more. In Way of the Dragon, he laid a beating on Chuck Norris – which is about as impressive as it gets.

5. Giant Monsters

Though Asian filmmakers weren’t the first to put giant monsters onto the big screen, they’ve certainly perfected it. The laser-breath-spewing, Tokyo-stomping, Godzilla is a worldwide pop icon that’s spawned 28 feature films, comic books, novels, video games, and pretty much anything else you can put his mug on. The tradition of memorable monster flicks carries on today with movies like The Host – which is arguably the greatest original monster movie released in the last ten years.

6. Park Chan-Wook

Park Chan-Wook is possibly the most influential Asian filmmaker working today. Though still early in his career, already the work of this Korean director has redefined the way modern Asian cinema is viewed here in the States. His revenge trilogy, which included Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, the instant classic Oldboy, and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, instantly caught the attentions of overseas audiences and filmmakers alike and has already solidified his standing as a master of the art.

7. Anime

The influence of Japanese animation, or “anime,” on American cinema as a whole is nearly immeasurable. Everything from Ghost in the Shell, to The Last Airbender, to Astro Boy, to director Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-award-winning, box-office-smash Spirited Away, have entranced audiences worldwide, inspired remakes galore and expanded the limits of animation to being more than just something for the kids.

8. Takashi Miike

Since his debut in 1991, Japanese-born filmmaker Takashi Miike has been at the helm of films ranging from the ultra-violent, to the super-bizarre, to the painfully dramatic, and even the family friendly, all the while catching the attention of American audiences and challenging the way we look at cinema as a whole. Audition, Ichi The Killer, Dead or Alive, The Bird People of China – no matter what genre he’s working in, he seems to be always on his game.

9. Jackie Chan

No matter what you might think of his body of work as a whole (especially the most recent stuff), it’s impossible to argue the influence Hong Kong-born Jackie Chan has had on American audiences over the course of his extensive career, which began in the 1970’s. Having been involved in over 100 films to date, he has become a larger than life cultural icon.

10. Chow Yun-Fat

No one has ever shot a guy in the face from three inches away and looked cooler while doing it than Chow Yun-Fat. His work with John Woo in particular, in films like Hard Boiled, The Killer, and A Better Tomorrow, added a wholly unique new level to the idea of the action film star. He has managed to find success overseas in movies like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and a whole host of others. The Los Angeles Times even proclaimed him the “coolest actor in the world.”

11. Really Scary Girls

Asian cinema, by no means, introduces the world to the idea of “really scary girls,” but it has certainly made an art of it. The women in movies like Audition, Thirst, The Evil Twin, Meat Grinder, and Sick Nurses, aren’t to be trifled with – mostly because they’ll kill you – and even more so because they’ll make it messy. American audiences have not only taken note of the trend but have begun to gobble it up.

LUMINA, Episode 2: Wake up Call

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Steven Novak is a writer, illustrator, graphic designer and admitted lifelong nerd with an embarrassingly large DVD collection. He is currently working and living in the Southern California desert. His most recent fantasy/action adventure novel, “Forts: Fathers and Sons,” is available everywhere books are sold.