Asian Action Cast

01:17:33

Ghost in the Cell

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/10/04

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. Delivered by a masterful and confident story teller, this movie follows the exploits of a vengeful spirit linked to innocent journalist Dimas, unleashed in a corrupt Indonesian prison. Whilst it is

en-au

01:08:51

Maria

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/09/19

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 physicality and agility to be a bona fide action hero, unfortunately Maria is held back by a derivative plot, pedestrian performances and inconsistent pacing.Despite the issues this movie does have its

en-au

01:06:59

Karate For Life

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/09/05

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 stares and now violent asthma, Sonny Chiba holds you in his Karate Grip and never lets go, Karate4Lyf fools!

en-au

00:46:47

The Hits and Misses (Sorry for the clip show)

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/08/22

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 asian action cinema.We'l be back in a fortnight with a regular episode, thanks for listening!

en-au

01:11:47

Yakuza Weapon

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/08/08

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!

en-au

01:35:25

The Furious

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/07/25

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

en-au

01:12:45

Blades Of The Guardians:Wind Rises In The Desert

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/07/11

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!

en-au

01:11:21

Riki-Oh:Story Of Riki

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/06/27

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

en-au

01:13:38

Once Upon A Time In China And America

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/06/13

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

en-au

01:03:05

Burning Ambition

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/05/30

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

en-au

01:05:09

Chinese Boxer aka Hammer of God

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/05/16

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

en-au

01:08:38

Exiled

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/05/02

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

en-au

01:02:17

Dangan Runner

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/04/18

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.

en-au

01:06:20

The Way Of The Dragon

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/04/04

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.

en-au

00:46:38

City On Fire

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/03/21

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

en-au

01:06:01

Re:Born

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/03/07

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

en-au

00:58:01

Too Many Ways To Be No. 1

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/02/21

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

en-au

01:11:05

The Shadows Edge

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/02/07

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,

en-au

01:10:29

Chinese Cop Out

Asian Action Cast ·

2026/01/24

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.

en-au

01:30:35

2025 End of Year wrapup and tournament

Asian Action Cast ·

2025/11/30

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!

en-au

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

We"ll Bring The Popcorn

Josh Fields & Brad Covey

Entertain This!

Hayden, Mitch, and Tom

Pop Culture Happy Hour

NPR

Classic Conversations: Pop culture Interviews with Jeff Dwoskin

Jeff Dwoskin

Deck The Hallmark

Bramble Jam Podcast Network