Metalluk’s Top-Ten Non-English Language Action/Adventure Films
Oct 26 '04 (Updated Nov 10 '05)
The Bottom Line Action & Adventure films are not the forte of international cinema, but here’s ten excellent non-English language offerings that can compete with the best from Hollywood.
My tradition is to mark the occasions when I reach a century mark in reviews with a list. This being my 300th review, I’m reaching into the genre bag for the Action/Adventure category. As is typical of my top-ten lists, my list will be limited to non-English language films. This particular list poses a bit more of a challenge than my other genre top-ten lists for non-English language films because action/adventure is probably the genre where international films compete least actively with Hollywood. International films hold their own in comedy and exceed (in my opinion) Hollywood in the drama and art film categories, but they seldom match Hollywood for special effects and stunts, which are often integral to action and adventure films. Although almost any film listed in the “War” genre could also be characterized as an action film, I am also arbitrarily excluding those films that I already selected for my Ten Best Non-English Language War Movies!! listing, posted several months ago. Please check out that list for some other great foreign films. My ranking for the following films is based expressly on their quality as action films, which may differ from how I might rate them overall as films.
*****************************************************************************
My Top Ten Non-English Language Action/Adventure Films
*****************************************************************************
1. The Seven Samurai (1954). The setting is 16th century Japan, which has been reduced to chaos by civil war. Roving bands of outlaws prey upon small rural communities, plundering, kidnapping, and murdering. The farmers in one small village hire seven samurai to help defend the village. The samurai supervise the preparation of defenses and teach the villagers how to fight. They launch a preemptive strike on the camp of the bandits, which is followed by the inevitable attack by the bandits on the village. This Kurosawa classic is one of the most popular films of all time.
2. Grand Illusion (1937). This great film from Jean Renoir is set in a POW camp during World War I. A French pilot, Maréchal (Jean Gabin), is shot down by a German fighter ace named Von Rauffenstein (Erich von Stroheim). In prison, Boeldieu meets up with Rosenthal (Marcel Dallo), a Jew and son of a wealthy French banker. The prisoners work continuously on plans for escape, even after Von Rauffenstein becomes the camp's commandant. Captain de Boeldieu (Pierre Fresnay) sacrifices his life to provide the distraction for the breakout by Boeldieu and Rosenthal, who must then traipse across the German countryside to escape back to France.
3. The Horseman on the Roof (1995). Set in France in 1862, during the chaos after the fall of Napoleon, a Italian freedom fighter, Angelo Pardi (Olivier Martinez), is on the lam from agents of the brutal Austrian Empire and trapped in the midst of a cholera epidemic. A chance encounter with Pauline De Theus (played by the magnificent Juliette Binoche), puts the two on a shared quest to pass through the quarantine roadblocks to reach their respective destinations. Action and a subtle kind of romance dominate this film.
4. Wages of Fear (1952). This suspense thriller from Henri-Georges Clouzot (sometimes known as the “French Hitchcock”) provides heart-stopping action, at times, but is also well-grounded in rich character development and philosophical underpinnings. The entire second half of the film follows the dangerous journey of two trucks loaded with liquid nitroglycerin and four hapless truckers across the rugged rural terrain. One substantial jolt could cause either truck to blow sky-high.
5. Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972). This Werner Herzog film is part adventure story but part psychodrama. It combines an exotic locale and incredible cinematography with a magnetic performance by Klaus Kinski as the power-obsessed and, ultimately, delusional Aguirre. This is as close as most of us will ever come to a trip into the Amazon.
6. Diva (1981). With its stylized Parisian atmosphere, this film not only makes a stunning visual impact, it’s also loaded with action. In a noiresque urban cityscape, dizzying chase scenes involving characters of almost comic book appearance take place amidst resplendent colors and the sounds of mopeds, speeding cars, gun shots, piano music, and opera.
7. Fitzcarraldo (1982).
Fitzcarraldo is another film from Werner Herzog. It plays like something of a fever dream but that dream gradually becomes a reality by the sheer force of human will. The action takes place in the wilderness of the Amazon where an eccentric protagonist (Klaus Kinsk) is determined to tote a ferryboat over a mountain from one river to another. The ending of the film is a real adrenaline rush.
8. La Femme Nikita (1990).
La Femme Nikita is an action thriller featuring a highly original plot premise: the Pygmalion-like transformation of a pathetic, drug-addled female street punk (Anne Parillaud) into a methodical government assassin. The premise was solid enough, in fact, to stimulate almost immediate remakes by both Hollywood and American television. There’s a solid mix of sex, violence, and action that will keep you glued to the screen.
9. The Hidden Fortress (1958).
Everybody loves a story about a princess in distress and dashing heroes that come to her aid. Throw in a little comic relief and masterful cinematography, and you’ve pretty much got a winning combination. Apparently, George Lucas thought so because he borrowed elements from this Kurosawa masterpiece for his Star Wars concept.
10. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). This film by Ang Lee features martial arts combined with out-of-this-world special effects and choreography. Think Matrix, think Darth Maul vs. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon in Star Wars I, then – think better! Superlative scenery, performances, and soundtrack add to this film's overall appeal.
************************************************************
You may also enjoy my other genre lists for non-English language films:
Ten Excellent Spanish-Language Films
Ten More Excellent Spanish-Language Films
Coming-of-age – Outside the USA!
Top Ten Foreign Language Psychodramas
Top Ten Non-English Language Political Movies
My Top Ten Non-English Language Tragedies
Top Non-English Language Comedies
Top-Ten Non-English Language Film Biographies
Top-Ten Non-English Language Mystery Films
Top-Ten Non-English Language ~Horror~ Films
Top-Ten English-Language ~Horror~ Films from Outside the USA
Ten Excellent Films Featuring Royalty
Ten Excellent Non-English Language Thrillers
Ten Non-English Language High-Yield Tearjerkers
Ten Best Non-English Language War Movies!!
Ten Excellent Non-English Language Senior Films
Top-Ten Non-English Language Films Featuring Classical Music
The Top Non-English Language Epics
The 10 Best Foreign Language Romance Movies!!
The Ten Best Non-English Language Love Story Movies!!
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
metalluk
|
 - Top 100 |
|
Location: Saunderstown, RI, USA
Reviews written: 930
Trusted by: 230 members
About Me:
Five ... Four ... Three ... Two ... One ...
Blastoff!
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.