20 Best Asian Gangster Movies Of All Time
From the gritty streets of Hong Kong to the criminal underworld of Japan, these films showcase the harsh realities of life as an organized crime member in Asia. These Asian gangster movies are filled with complex characters, intense action, and captivating storylines that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Whether you’re a fan of the classic yakuza film or the modern triad movie, this list has something for everyone. So sit back, relax, and get ready to explore the thrilling world of Asian gangster cinema.
The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil (2019)
Jang Dong-su is a cold-blooded criminal whose reputation is tarnished after he is nearly killed by a mysterious assailant. In order to defend his honor and maintain his position at the head of the gang, Jang Dong-su is forced to find an unknown maniac. But after realizing that the assailant is a notorious serial killer, Dong-su enlists the help of detective Jung Tae-seok.
The Man from Nowhere (2010)
The asocial owner of a small pawn shop, Cha Tae-sik (Bin Won), lives a modest and withdrawn life until he meets the girl next door, So-mi (Sae-ron Kim). Her mother, a heroin addict, makes a mistake when she steals drugs owned by a drug mafia, which results in her murder and the kidnapping of little So, who ends up with organ dealers.
Faced with the loss of the only person he cares about, Cha Tae embarks on a rescue mission during which we uncover details from his past. Namely, he is a former special forces operative with extraordinary combat and physical abilities who left the service after the assassination and the death of his pregnant wife.
Risking his own life, Cha will do anything to save So, and the criminals will realize that they made a big mistake by making him their enemy…
Breathless (2008)
Lorna (G. Gershon), a housewife from a trailer, has had enough of her petty thief husband Dave (V. Kilmer), especially when he decides not to share with her the loot from an armed robbery of a credit institution.
But before she and her friend Tiny (K. Giddish) can split the money and start a new life, they must find the money, dispose of the body, distract a nosy sheriff (R. Liotta) and outwit a persistent private investigator (W. Duvall).
A Bittersweet Life (2005)
Young Sun-woo (L. Byung-hun) is a successful hotel manager, a quiet and determined guy who always solves all problems efficiently. As a member of the gangster organization of ruthless boss Kang (K. Yeong-cheol), Sun-woo often resorts to violence.
When Kang entrusts him with the duty of a sort of bodyguard for his young girlfriend Hee-soo (S. Min-a), a gifted cellist whom Kang suspects has a lover, Sun-woo will suddenly find himself in deep trouble. Namely, after falling in love with the attractive Hee-soo himself at first sight, Sun-woo decides to keep quiet from Kang that the girl really has a lover. When, driven by jealousy but also loyalty to his boss, he beats up a young man, Sun-woo comes into conflict with two members of a rival gangster clan during a nighttime car ride.
On the same night, thugs broke into his apartment, beat him and threw him out into the rainy and muddy street. The young man learns that it is Kang who is behind everything, who does not want a conflict with the opposing clan and suspects that it is Sun-woo who is Hee-soo’s lover…
The Yellow Sea (2010)
Violent events are set in motion when a failed assassination attempt on a professor leads a taxi driver to flee for his life.
Public Enemy (2002)
In this film, a cop named Kang Chul-joong and a killer named Cho Kyu-hwan are pitted against each other. Kang is a corrupt, loose-cannon cop who takes bribes and steals drugs from criminals, while Cho is a successful businessman with a psychopathic streak, killing people for minor offenses. The two first meet when Cho murders his parents and Kang, investigating the case, becomes suspicious of Cho.
Despite being fired from the police force, Kang continues to investigate and eventually confronts Cho with evidence, leading to a fight in which Kang beats Cho to death. Kang is then reinstated to the force.
The City of Violence (2006)
Tae-su (Doo-hong Jung) is a detective who fights organized crime. Tae-su must return to his hometown to attend the funeral of his high school friend Wang-jae (Kil-Kang Ahn). There he meets his friends Pil-ho (Beom-su Lee), Dong-hwan and Seok-hwan with whom he reminisces about the old days.
Tae-su and Seok-hwan, after talking together, begin to suspect that their friend’s death is suspicious, and each of them starts an investigation in their own way.
Night in Paradise (2020)
Tae-Gu is a skilled member of a criminal gang, but decides to leave in order to take care of his sick sister and nephew. Tragically, his sister and nephew are killed in a car explosion orchestrated by a rival gang, leading Tae-Gu to seek revenge.
He then goes into hiding on Jeju Island, where he meets Jae-Yeon, a person also facing a difficult situation. Despite their circumstances, the two develop a sense of empathy for one another.
Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time (2012)
In an effort to save his job, a dishonest customs official comes across a large stash of drugs and joins forces with a ruthless gangster to dominate the criminal underworld of Busan.
Oldboy (2003)
Dae-su Oh (Choi Min-Sik) is a young clerk from Seoul who has a good family and a more or less settled life. However, one day, at the end of the eighties, he is kidnapped while walking down the street and spends fifteen full years imprisoned in a small, dark room, with a television set as his only contact with the outside world, without getting any answers as to who did it and why.
Although he tried many times to escape and even kill himself, it didn’t work out, he decides to stay cool and wait for the day when he will be freed. One day it comes true, Dae-su Oh is free, and when he was released from captivity, he received a cell phone through which he communicates with an unknown man who suggests to him where and how he could track down his tormentors…
Rough Cut (2008)
Gang-pae, portrayed by So Ji-sub, is a gang leader with a secret desire to be an actor. Soo-ta, played by Kang Ji-hwan, is an arrogant actor who gets too involved in his role as a gangster on set and injures a stuntman.
The two men meet at a room salon, where Soo-ta asks Gang-pae to join the film production. Gang-pae agrees, but only if the fights are real. The two characters constantly try to outdo each other.
Gendai yakuza: Hito-kiri yota (1972)
The film, shot in Kawasaki, follows Okita, a former street thug who returns to society after a decade in prison to find that both the criminal underworld and the political climate in Japan have significantly changed.
New World (2013)
As the powerful crime organization ‘Goldmoon’ grows in influence, Kang, the head of the police investigation planning department, instructs undercover cop Ja-Seoung to join “New World,” a project aimed at bringing down ‘Goldmoon’. Ja-seong is torn between following Kang’s orders as a cop and remaining loyal to Jeong Cheong, the underboss of ‘Goldmoon’.
Kim Du-han lost his mother at a young age and grows up as a singing beggar on the streets, using his innate fighting skills to survive. He is eventually noticed for his strength and becomes involved with the kisaeng house Wumigwan in Jongno. Du-han learns that he is the son of General Kim Jwa-jin, a hero who fought against the Japanese army.
General’s Son (1990)
As the Yakuzas try to take over Jongno, Du-han protects Korean vendors and gains their respect. When the leader of Wumigwan is arrested, Du-han becomes the head of the Jongno gang.
Once Upon a Time in Seoul (2008)
After the Korean War ends in 1953, Tae-ho and Jong-du, both 18, struggle to survive in a camp for orphaned boys that is more like a concentration camp, with hunger, abuse, and difficult work conditions. Tae-ho is intelligent and resourceful, while Jong-du is a tough street fighter.
They work together to steal supplies from the US Army and recruit other boys to join their venture. However, their success attracts the attention of local gangsters, turning their fight for survival into a full-blown war.
Failan (2001)
After her parents pass away, Failan travels to Korea to find her remaining relatives, only to learn that they have already moved to Canada. Desperate to stay in Korea, she agrees to an arranged marriage through a matchmaking agency. Kang-jae, a struggling and disrespected gangster, also agrees to the arrangement to receive some financial assistance.
Despite never meeting in person, Failan writes letters to Kang-jae expressing her longing for him, but never has the courage to give them to him. When Kang-jae is asked by his boss to accept responsibility for a murder in exchange for money, he sees his marriage as his only hope.
Sunflower (2006)
After serving time in prison, Tae-sik returns to his hometown and moves in with a woman to start a new life at a small restaurant. He takes a job at a garage and tries to avoid involvement with the local gangs, who still fear his reputation for violence. However, when a politician threatens to destroy the restaurant to build a shopping mall, Tae-sik faces the temptation to return to a life of crime.
Election (2005)
Every two years, the senior members of Hong Kong’s oldest Triad, The Wo Shing Society, choose a new chairman. Rivalries arise between two eligible candidates, Lok and Big D, with Lok favored by the “Uncles” to win. Big D will do whatever it takes to defeat him.
A Dirty Carnival (2006)
After his boss cheats him for a promotion and a better job for the umpteenth time, Byung-doo decides to skip him in the hierarchy and go straight to the main boss. so for him, after much brainstorming and thinking, he kills the state prosecutor.
This is where his problems begin, because now his lower boss, offended that he skipped over him, decides to kill him, and an old friend from high school decides to talk to him about gangster life, because he wants to make a gangster movie. There, an old crush appears and an old flame is rekindled.
After getting rid of his boss, Byung-doo’s life finally gets a wind at his back and his success in the gangster organization begins to climb astronomically. Of course, at the moment when he comes to the girl and takes the money, when he should be enjoying the fruits of his labor, his life brightens.
Friend (2001)
Four friends in custom-made uniforms walk the streets with confidence, unafraid when together. Joon-suk, the son of a gang boss; Dong-su, the son of an undertaker; Sang-taek, a student; and Joong-ho, a talkative man, share fantasies and admiration for Bruce Lee.
As they grow up, their paths cross and conflict with each other’s. Joon-suk becomes a henchman for his father’s gang, while Dong-su works for a rival gang. Sang-taek and Joong-ho watch as their friends wield knives against each other.
