Explore every episode of the podcast Asian Action Cast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Furious | 25 Jul 2026 | 01:35:25 | |
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. | |||
| Blades Of The Guardians:Wind Rises In The Desert | 11 Jul 2026 | 01:12:45 | |
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. | |||
| Riki-Oh:Story Of Riki | 27 Jun 2026 | 01:11:21 | |
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. | |||
| Once Upon A Time In China And America | 13 Jun 2026 | 01:13:38 | |
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. | |||
| Burning Ambition | 30 May 2026 | 01:03:05 | |
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 choreography that holds up to anything golden age Golden Harvest can produce, with the most Jeff Falcon that ever Falconed, and criminally underused Yukari Oshima and Kara Hui. | |||
| Chinese Boxer aka Hammer of God | 16 May 2026 | 01:05:09 | |
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 Japanese Karateka.
This Shaw Bro.’s film is a real epic eschewing their typical set based scenes for wide sprawling vista’s, location shots and environmental scenes. A romping good time with shocking and visceral violence even by today’s standards (eye gouging!) this is a great one to watch and have in your collection.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2EFsjsabrziBMvy3kPAJ9a
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/asian-action-cast/id1230934045 | |||
| Exiled | 02 May 2026 | 01:08:38 | |
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. | |||
| Dangan Runner | 18 Apr 2026 | 01:02:17 | |
Sabu’s 1996 Directorial debut, Dangan Runner is an absurdist gang caper comedy that has a lot of humor and heart. | |||
| The Way Of The Dragon | 04 Apr 2026 | 01:06:20 | |
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. | |||
| City On Fire | 21 Mar 2026 | 00:46:38 | |
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 jerk? And will that fruit cart get bowled over? Join us and find out! | |||
| Re:Born | 07 Mar 2026 | 01:06:01 | |
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. | |||
| Too Many Ways To Be No. 1 | 21 Feb 2026 | 00:58:01 | |
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. | |||
| The Shadows Edge | 07 Feb 2026 | 01:11:05 | |
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. | |||
| Chinese Cop Out | 24 Jan 2026 | 01:10:29 | |
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. | |||
| 2025 End of Year wrapup and tournament | 30 Nov 2025 | 01:30:35 | |
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! | |||
| Throw Down | 15 Nov 2025 | 01:39:26 | |
Stroll with the AAC through Johnnie To’s 2004 neon saturated streets of Throw Down, play in a world full of style and character. | |||
| The Invincible Armour | 02 Nov 2025 | 01:14:24 | |
Taking on the INVINCIBLE ARMOUR is no easy feat, but our heroes John Liu and Tino Wong crack the code! Director See-Yuen Ng’s 1977 action romp is a densely packed thriller that goes from fight to fight, it’s thick, fast and deadly. No technique is undefeatable and this movie is a cautionary tale for why it sometimes might be a good idea to wearing a metal chastity belt. | |||
| Black Magic 2 | 18 Oct 2025 | 00:55:38 | |
For a Halloween special that's twice as nice, we bring you Black Magic Part 2! Same director, same actors as the first but it's turned into a Scooby Doo style mystery in tropical Singapore! Lo Lieh has channeled his charisma into becoming a black magician who keeps zombies in his dungeon. Our heroic trio of doctors (Ti Lung, Tien Ni and Lin Wei Tu) don't believe in magic, but let's drive a nail into the issue and get to the bottom of this. More gore, special effects and boobies like the first movie! | |||
| Black Magic | 04 Oct 2025 | 01:05:39 | |
Asian Action Cast's Spooktober celebrations begin with the Shaw Brothers 1975 exploitation horror fest BLACK MAGIC! Starring a wooden Ti Lung and magnificently creepy yet charismatic Lo Lieh, it tells the cautionary tale of why you shouldn’t roofie someone to get them to love you. With incredibly budget effects and jarring musical pivots, the nudity alone cannot salvage this movie, but it is a fun watch with friends if only to gross them out with worms and maggots! | |||
| The 14 Amazons | 20 Sep 2025 | 01:02:00 | |
Shaw Bro.’s 1972 historical war epic 14 Amazons sets the bar for fun campy villains who overshadow the ‘heroes’ of the film. | |||
| Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell | 06 Sep 2025 | 01:01:28 | |
Walk down the Demon Path with us as we gaze into the thousand yard stare of the Lone Wolf and Cub on their last journey before Hell! | |||
| Game Of Death | 23 Aug 2025 | 01:10:04 | |
Bruce Lee’s 1978 post-mortem movie Game of Death is more than a curiosity, it’s a cultural phenomenon that irreparably bashed its way into modern consciousness. | |||
| New Kung Fu Cult Master 2 | 09 Aug 2025 | 01:01:55 | |
The Sequel to Wong Jing’s most serious adaptation to date, his magnum opus, the Asian Action Cast takes on the New Kung Fu Cult Master pt 2! | |||
| Ninjas And Dragons | 26 Jul 2025 | 01:03:23 | |
The hidden 1984 gem Japan-China action collaboration Ninja and Dragons is everything you’d expect, with magic ninjitsu alongside and vs Kung Fu. | |||
| The Prodigal Son | 12 Jul 2025 | 00:57:57 | |
The Prodigal Son is a Wing Chun paradise, combining some of the siliest slapstick and brutal beatings into one tasty bowl. Yuen Biao's kung fu is the worst in Canton, but luckily he's a spoilt rich kid whose father bribes everyone to lose to him. Only opera star and kung fu master Leung Yee Tai (Lam Ching Ying) gives him the beating he deserves, resulting in Leung Chang (Yuen) begging him to teach him the real thing. Sammo Hung later shows up to teach him some bad habits, but Lam Ching Ying steals the show, graciously acting with no eyebrows. This 1981 Sammo Hung directed film is well worth a look. | |||
| Motorway | 28 Jun 2025 | 01:04:58 | |
Slick, tense and intimate, the 2012 Soi Cheang directed vehicle stalker flick Motorway has a surprising amount of style and feeling for what could have been a flat chase movie. | |||
| Hard Boiled | 14 Jun 2025 | 00:59:05 | |
This week we revisit 1992’s Hard Boiled, directed by John Woo, part of the Princess Films avalanche of Chow Yun Fat movies coming your way soon on Blu-ray. How does it stack up 30 years later? A cop who won’t take no for an answer, Tequila ends up in the middle of a gangland munitions war. When his investigations reveal an undercover cop, they combine to stop it all from going sky high. Filled with glorious shootouts, explosions and cute babies, this is the most Woo film of them all. | |||
| The City Of Violence | 31 May 2025 | 01:12:13 | |
The City of Violence is a 2006 Ryoo Seung-wan directed friendship thriller starring dapper detective Jung Doo-hong’s Tae-Soo. | |||
| Twelve Deadly Coins | 17 May 2025 | 01:06:46 | |
In the martial arts world, even your spare change can become a lethal weapon! Enter 'Twelve Deadly Coins', a 1969 Shaw Brothers production starring the excellent Lo Lieh and Ching Li. When your senior disciple isn't as good as you think, who will protect your treasure convoy against bandits? Fighter Qiao Mao (Lo Lieh) can do it all, but he's also acting a little suspiciously. The life of a poor fighter is a hard one! Also file under creepy eyeball villain, red haired axe thug and one armed swordsman! | |||
| 11 Rebels | 03 May 2025 | 01:07:35 | |
What’s more deadly than 13 Assassins? Cooler than 7 Samurai? Gorier than 5 Deadly Venoms? Why its Director Kazuya Shiraishi’s 11 Rebels! This 2024 Samurai Epic is 60 years in the making with ascript written back in 1964! | |||
| The Prosecutor | 19 Apr 2025 | 01:16:35 | |
Donnie Yen’s 2025 Dram-action THE PROSECUTOR will have you questioning what you know about legal procedurals with its labyrinthine plot and non stop exposition. | |||
| Mr. Nice Guy | 05 Apr 2025 | 01:25:07 | |
In honour of the recently passed great man, Mr Richard Norton, we celebrate his intersection and elevation of Hong Kong action cinema in Jackie Chan’s 1997 Sammo Hung Directed Mr Nice Guy. | |||
| Who Am I? | 22 Mar 2025 | 01:12:27 | |
Ever forget who you but somehow have access to special forces training, martial arts and parkour moves and hardcore riz with the ladies? No you’re not Jason Bourne, you’re Jackie Chan in his 1998 Amnesia Thriller, Who Am I? | |||
| Broken Rage | 08 Mar 2025 | 00:50:30 | |
Beat Takeshi (Kitano) subverts your expectations with one of the best and/or worst (!) most polarising films in recent memory in his 2025 film Broken Rage. | |||
| Stuntman (Bonus Episode) | 22 Feb 2025 | 00:53:42 | |
We've all cheered, laughed and been amazed at the phenomenal stunts in Hong Kong action movies over the years: but what about the people behind the stunts? What happens when things go pear shaped? 2024's Stuntman shows that sometimes "the good old days'"aren't always that fondly remembered for some and the old adage of "they don't make them like they used to" is probably a good thing. Starring Stephen Tung as an old school star, Terrence Lau as a newcomer eager to please and Philip Ng as a more safety first stunt coordinator. | |||
| Luc Van Tien Kung Fu Warrior | 08 Feb 2025 | 01:08:40 | |
What looks, smells and feels like a Hong Kong Action movie but is not a Hong Kong Action movie? 2017’s Luc Van Tien! Star vehicle for the incredibly agile and talented Vietnamese/German martial artist and Jackie Chan Stunt Team alumni Andreas Nguyen. | |||
| Rumble In The Bronx | 25 Jan 2025 | 01:18:21 | |
High octane fight scenes, bone crunching action and exhilarating stunts. Jackie takes his blend of action comedy to New York (actually Vancouver but who cares). We are all garbage! It's Rumble In The Bronx! | |||
| 2024 End of year wrapup and tournament | 07 Dec 2024 | 01:31:24 | |
The Asian Action Cast calls last drinks on 2024! All the movies we watched will go into a no holds barred slugfest to see which one comes out on top. Will it be another victory for Hong Kong? Will we remember who starred in what movie? Do we actually praise Donnie Yen for being a *good* actor??? Tune in and find out. Thanks everyone for listening and as always, stick around for the remix. | |||
| Knockabout | 16 Nov 2024 | 01:15:21 | |
Knockabout is Yuen Biao's outstanding debut film in a starring role, directed by Peking Opera "Dai Gor" (big brother) Sammo Hung. This 1979 action romp is deliciously quirky with some of the best martial arts action of the golden age of Hong Kong cinema.
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| Kill | 02 Nov 2024 | 01:10:38 | |
Take an express train to New Delhi with 'Kill' (2023), a super stylish and rather gruesome Indian Hindi-language actioner. What's the worst that can happen? Murder and robbery, that's what! On a confined train, you want to be careful who you cross. In this case it's Amrit Rathod (Lakshya), an army commando who through a series of events, is now on a journey of revenge. Bandit Fani Bhushan (Raghav Juyal) is determined to get everything he can and they are set for a collision course. The final quarter really goes off the rails - let the Asian Action Cast keep you on track! | |||
| Visa To Hell | 19 Oct 2024 | 01:06:59 | |
Get a ‘Visa To Hell’ in the second of our Spooktober podcast specials! Starring, directed, action directed, presented and planned (whatever that means) by legendary film villain Dick Wei, this Halloween mashup will have you asking, what kind of film has both ninjas and Dracula on screen? A Taoist monk (Lin Kuang-Yung) sends policeman Jiu Mo (Lam Wei) on a journey to hell, to avenge the death of his family by heartless criminal Black Panther (Dick Wei). What follows is a cultural mish mash of beliefs and religions, making Hell seem like a pretty fun place after all. Don’t question the method, just come along for the ride. | |||
| Holy Virgin Versus the Evil Dead | 05 Oct 2024 | 01:06:00 | |
Donnie Yen in a R rated, Category III sleazefest? Now available in an added nudity theatrical cut on BluRay! Holy Virgin Versus the Evil Dead is the English title of this 1991 movie that has it all: wacky cop comedy, unexplained kung fu powers for all and a mystical schlock plot set in a Cambodian holiday. Donnie finds himself a suspect of some gory murders, which have actually been committed by the fiendish and gloriously wigged out Moon Devil (Ken Lo). Along the way he gains some sidekicks including not Chow Yun Fatt, a fantastic cop buddy (Ben Lam) and an ex-wife who kicks ass and loses her clothes occasionally, oops. But it turns out that a Cambodian princess holds the key to a mysterious prophecy that may be the only way to defeat the Moon Devil. There’s so much going on to talk about in this episode of Asian Action Cast! | |||
| She Shoots Straight | 21 Sep 2024 | 01:35:14 | |
In memory and tribute to the late, great Corey Yuen, we honour his legacy by delving into his 1990 action-melodrama, She Shoots Straight. This action packed Joyce Godenzi vehicle takes us into the lives of a blue-blood-esque police family where (Big) Tony Leung marries Joyce’s Mina and brings her into his family of female cops. | |||
| Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In | 08 Sep 2024 | 01:19:40 | |
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In is the unicorn of Hong Kong action films, bringing the brash and raw adrenaline of the golden age, with a modern aesthetic, a cohesive if not convenient plot and genuine emotions.
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| Legend of the Fist: Return of Chen Zhen | 25 Aug 2024 | 01:00:39 | |
Always a polarizing figure, love him or hate him you can’t deny Donnie Yen is one of the most prolific martial artists working today. His 2010 love letter to himself Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen is wish fulfilment in its purist form. | |||
| In The Line Of Duty IV | 10 Aug 2024 | 01:15:55 | |
If you want Peak Hong Kong Action Cinema, it’s hard to go past Master Yuen Woo Ping’s 1989 Donnie vehicle, IN THE LINE OF DUTY IV! Sassy police action with young talent, hot bod’s and a new attitude. | |||
| Raid On The Lethal Zone | 27 Jul 2024 | 00:54:51 | |
Raid on the Lethal Zone is Hermann Yau’s 2023 Chinese border force drama, outlining the trials and tribulations of a special drug enforcement group 8077 trying to stop a narcotics shipment while battling nature’s fury on the southeast Asian Chinese border. | |||
| Godzilla Minus One | 13 Jul 2024 | 01:25:09 | |
The Kaiju film taking the world (and Oscars) by storm, Godzilla Minus One has arrived on the Asian Action Cast. We navigate the bloated deep sea fish to look at Takashi Yamazaki’s 2023 award winning monster epic – and like most of the main characters, we are woefully unqualified for the task. | |||
| Return Of The Bastard Swordsman | 29 Jun 2024 | 01:06:13 | |
The Bastard Swordsman Returns! This 1984 Shaw Brothers effects extravaganza brings you eye popping martial arts with the colour and flare that only an SB production can bring. | |||
| Outlaw Brothers | 16 Jun 2024 | 01:06:03 | |
You want 90’s Hong Kong action cinema choreographed by Jackie Chan? You got it! 1990’s Outlaw Brothers has some of the best action choreography and stunt work you’ll find in a golden age blockbuster, just no Jackie Chan! | |||