Top 20 Best Foreign Films of All Time
This list only includes foreign films I've seen. I'd ask for suggestions, but IMDb has for some reason removed the comments feature. So stupid...
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- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsChoi Min-sikYoo Ji-taeKang Hye-jeongAfter being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must track down his captor in five days.10/10 - A true masterpiece. In '09, I was randomly browsing through movies on Netflix and this popped up. Having never heard of it, I decided to give it a watch on it's cool poster alone. One of the best decision of my life for this would become one of my favorite movies of all time. Just watch it!
- DirectorAng LeeStarsChow Yun-FatMichelle YeohZiyi ZhangA young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.10/10 - Also a straight up masterpiece. This movie was MASSIVE when it came out. I didn't watch it until years after, but I was blown away by everything: the story, setting, characters, music, action. A must-see for anyone and everyone.
- DirectorGareth EvansStarsIko UwaisYayan RuhianArifin PutraOnly a short time after the first raid, Rama goes undercover with the thugs of Jakarta and plans to bring down the syndicate and uncover the corruption within his police force.9.9/10 - The #1 action movie of all time.
- DirectorGareth EvansStarsIko UwaisAnanda GeorgeRay SahetapyA S.W.A.T. team becomes trapped in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs.9.8/10 - The #2 action movie of all time.
- DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsLee Byung-hunChoi Min-sikJeon Gook-hwanA secret agent exacts revenge on a serial killer through a series of captures and releases.9.7/10 - This movie is pure anger and vengeance. A violent and mean cat-and-mouse chase that leaves nothing but corpses in it's path up until the very end.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsKen WatanabeKazunari NinomiyaTsuyoshi IharaThe story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.9.5/10 - Probably the 2nd best War movie of all time, only behind that of Saving Private Ryan. Top 5 Clint Eastwood movies.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodEli WallachLee Van CleefA bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.9.5/10 - Probably the 2nd best Western of all time, only behind that of Unforgiven. This (along with Unforgiven) is also Top 5 Clint Eastwood movies.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsYôji MatsudaYuriko IshidaYûko TanakaOn a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami's curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.9.2/10 - I have seen this masterpiece countless times. It is my favorite 2D animated movie of all time. Everything about this film is magical and makes you feel nostalgic, even if you don't know why. Can't explain it, there's something about this movie. Miyazaki's magnum opus.
- DirectorKatsuhiro ÔtomoStarsMitsuo IwataNozomu SasakiMami KoyamaA secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends and a group of psychics.9.1/10 - A standard for animated films when it released and still to this day. Akira introduces us to a strange violent world that only gets stranger and more violent as the story progresses. Truly a sight to behold.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsDaveigh ChaseSuzanne PleshetteMiyu IrinoDuring her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.9.1/10 - Another Miyazaki masterpiece. Much like the main character, Spirited Away transports us to a strange world/realm that you have to see to understand. This movie makes you feel like a lost kid, but that's alright because who wouldn't want to get lost in this dreamscape for a little bit.
- DirectorLee Jeong-beomStarsWon BinKim Sae-ronKim Tae-hoonA quiet pawnshop keeper with a violent past takes on a drug-and-organ trafficking ring in hope of saving the child who is his only friend.9/10 - Engaging from start to finish. Another phenomenal Korean revenge film. Great characters and story with even greater action. Kind of like a much more dark and violent 'Taken', but also much better.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsChieko BaishôTakuya KimuraTatsuya GashûinWhen an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking castle.8.8/10 - The last Miyazaki film on the list. How's Moving Castle REALLY makes you want to live in the moving castle with Howl and his buddies. By the time the movie is done, you feel sad and just want to go back to hang out with your new friends in your gigantic mobile home.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKoji YakushoTakayuki YamadaYûsuke IseyaA group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.8.7/10 - Very dark. Very violent. Very awesome. This is Miike's best work hands down. Some of the best action set-pieces of all time.
- DirectorGreg McLeanStarsNathan PhillipsCassandra MagrathKestie MorassiThree backpackers stranded in the Australian outback are plunged inside a hellish nightmare of insufferable torture by a sadistic psychopathic local.8.4/10 - Wolf Creek has a special place in my heart. I can't really explain it. There's just something about the way the movie is filmed (lighting, cinematography, landscape, actors, editing, etc.) that I just absolutely love. The movie almost has it's own timeless classic look to it. Definitely worth a viewing if you can handle it.
- DirectorStephen ChowStarsStephen ChowWah YuenQiu YuenIn Shanghai, China in the 1940s, a wannabe gangster aspires to join the notorious "Axe Gang" while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.8.4/10 - I was in hysterics just after the opening dance number. This movie is so bizarre and hilarious you can't help but love it. It's a satire of Kung Fu movies, yet is simultaneously one of the best Kung Fu movies of all time.
- DirectorGuy HamiltonStarsSean ConneryGert FröbeHonor BlackmanWhile investigating a gold magnate's smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve.8.3/10 - The best James Bond film. The suave look of this 60s classic is enough for me to put it on this list. The story, the villain, the setting, the music, and of course Bond himself have never been better.
- DirectorEdgar WrightStarsSimon PeggNick FrostKate AshfieldThe uneventful, aimless lives of a London electronics salesman and his layabout roommate are disrupted by the zombie apocalypse.8.2/10 - What needs to be said. It's Shaun of the Dead. It's a classic. Though some of the British humor eludes me sometimes, there's no denying the amount of classic scenes (let alone premise) of the movie.
- DirectorTomas AlfredsonStarsKåre HedebrantLina LeanderssonPer RagnarOskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.8.1/10 - This movie is actually incredible. Don't let the weird premise turn you away, this is easily one of the best vampire movies of all time.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoByun Hee-BongPark Hae-ilA monster emerges from Seoul's Han River and begins attacking people. One victim's loving family does what it can to rescue her from its clutches.8.1/10 - Great monster movie. Monster design is awesome, character development is great, and the set-pieces are pretty intense. Don't dump chemicals and toxic waste into the river, c'mon!
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsIvana BaqueroAriadna GilSergi LópezIn the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.8/10 - Not much needs to be said about Pan's Labyrinth. It pulls you into a dark fantasy with hideous monsters that commit gruesome acts. I'd honestly like Del Toro to do a sequel or revisit the universe in some way. Not a kid's movie.