The 10 best East Asian movies that inspired Quentin Tarantino
With some of Western cinema’s most acclaimed films under his belt and loved by film fans globally, Quentin Tarantino is a powerhouse in his craft. His auteur style notably characterises his work. These tools include frequent references to popular culture, nonlinear storylines, dark humour, stylised violence, extended dialogue, and pervasive use of profanity.
He has worked with some of Hollywood’s finest, including the likes of Uma Thurman, Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson, to name but a few. In a retrospective look at his, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill: Vol 1 and 2, and Reservoir Dogs receive consistent praise from film critics and fans since their releases. As an example of his merit, Tarantino has been considered “the single most influential director of his generation” and listed as one of the most influential people in the world.
Anyone wondering where Tarantino derives inspiration for his art and chosen content has only one continent to look to. The director has openly credited East Asian cinema as a huge source of motivation for his own creative vision. Asia is a fellow powerhouse in the medium, being the largest producer of films worldwide. Within East Asian films, one can find universal themes such as love, life, revenge, death and poverty. The location also proudly represents all the countries’ cultures, communicated in various genres of action, comedy, crime, and epics.
East Asian countries such as China and Hong Kong are mostly known for their action martial arts films. These show stylised training or fighting sequences alongside vibrant colours and emotional stories of personal journeys. These are some East Asian films that kickstarted Tarantino’s imagination.
The 10 best East Asian movies that inspired Quentin Tarantino:
10. 死亡遊戲 / Game of Death (Robert Clouse, Bruce Lee, 1978, Hong Kong)
Using elements of the original 1972 film, a martial arts movie star gains international success for his work. However, after he refuses to be intimidated by syndicate henchman Steinermust, a hit is put out on him leading him to fake his death.
The film is incomplete due to Bruce Lee’s tragic passing during filming, having shot over 100 minutes of footage. The 1978 version uses portions of the original footage married to an entirely new plot. Due to the continuity issues following this, the revised version received a mixed critical reception but was commercially successful. It has been assessed as culturally significant, inspiring Tarantino’s Kill Bill and several video games. Tarantino fans can also see similarities between Lee’s iconic costume and that of Uma Thurman’s ‘The Bride’.
9. 唐山大兄 / The Big Boss (Lo Wei, 1971, Hong Kong)
City boy Chien moves with his cousins to work at an ice factory after promising his family he will never get into any dangerous fights. However, when members of his family begin disappearing after meeting the management of the factory, he is pushed to break his promise and fight for their safety.
This film is Bruce Lee’s first feature role, and his strong performance threw him into global stardom. Its entertaining fight scenes also inspired those in Kill Bill, with some artistic depictions of vengeful rage.
8. 龍虎風雲 / City on Fire (Ringo Lam, 1987, Hong Kong)
Ko Chow is an undercover cop who is under pressure from all sides. He is being forced to betray some friends who are gang members, as his boss wants him to infiltrate them as jewel thieves. If that wasn’t enough pressure, his wife is threatening to leave with another lover.
Lam builds a beautiful landscape of 1980s Hong Kong, with blood baths in between and accompanied by some fitting saxophone-style scores. This stylised depiction of violence, and the story of an officer torn between his oath and platonic ties, feed through into Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. The two films echo each other in a harmony recognised by several film fans.
7. 不良姐御伝 猪の鹿お蝶 / Sex and Fury (Norifumi Suzuki, 1973, Japan)
Gambler Orcho hunts down her father’s killers, each identified by unique tattoos on their backs (a deer, a boar, and a butterfly). She manages to track them down; however, the arrival of a European spy causes conflict.
This film is a layered story of female power and sexuality as orchestrated in a male-dominated world. The imagery is constructed from a blend of beauty and insanity, executed in the striking fight scenes. Tarantino took inspiration from the head-strong female lead when creating The Bride.
6. 女囚さそり 第41雑居房 / Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (Shunya Ito, 1972, Japan)
Matsu, known to the prisoners as Scorpion, is locked away in the bowels of prison as revenge for disrupting the smooth operation. After she attacks the warden, brutal punishment of humiliation and violence follows.
This project was described as the second instalment in the Female Convict Scorpion series, heavily lauded for its absurd style and imagination. Its camera use is precise in style, and its presentation of feminine rage is beautifully executed.
5.英雄本色2 / A Better Tomorrow 2 (John Woo, 1987, Hong Kong)
Former gang member Ken learns that his close friend Lung’s daughter has been murdered by a trio of thugs. He forms an alliance with a police officer and his ex-con brother to avenge the death.
Woo’s film is known for its over-the-top violence, exaggerated carnage, and huge body count. These can also be used to describe your average Tarantino picture. It exaggerates its action motifs and delivers some unhinged pacing and artistic violence.
4. SF サムライ・フィクション / Samurai Fiction (Hiroyuki Nakano, 1998, Japan)
A trainee warrior is accompanied by his close friend to track down a thief who has stolen a precious sword. On the journey, he meets an older samurai who tries to deter him from the violence of revenge.
Tarantino incorporated elements from this film into Kill Bill. These include Gogo’s fighting style and weapon of choice, as well as the gore. Nakano’s film also offers niche humour, eccentric characters and cleverly chosen colour use.
3. 修羅雪姫 / Lady Snowblood (Toshiya Fujita, 1973, Japan)
Jujita tells the story of Yuki, a young girl who is raised by a priest. When her mother is raped, and her entire family brutalised, a 20-year-old Yuki seeks revenge on the gang of men who once wronged her family.
This film’s influence on Tarantino’s Kill Bill is unmissable. The director was so committed to emulating the same atmosphere during the making of his movie that he had the cast and crew watch clips of Fujita’s during shooting breaks. Lady Snowblood is a film that depicts its violence with admiration, rather than using it for shock value.
2. 喋血雙雄 / The Killer (John Woo,1989, Hong Kong)
A hitman is betrayed by his employer when he decides to retire after one last job. He then joins forces with an inspector to confront the gangsters who are out to kill him.
This classic is a masterpiece in its acting, storytelling and stylistic techniques. Woo proves he is a director who understands filmmaking to its greatest abilities. Tarantino once went on record to say the way Woo directs action sequences is the same way Michaelangelo paints.
1. 椿三十郎 / Sanjuro (Akira Kurosawa, 1962, Japan)
In this sequel to Yojimbo, jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan’s evil influences. This results in a challenge to traditional expectations of a samurai.
Kurosawa is one of filmmaking’s superiors, as exemplified in this film’s balance between both film’s purposes-entertainment and art. Its style is effortless, and its story is told perfectly. Tarantino’s Kill Bill can be interpreted as a love letter to Kurosawa’s work.
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