Johnnie To’s Top10
Prolific Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To has directed more than forty films, including Election, Exiled, and Mad Detective. His latest, Vengeance, is currently in some North American theaters, from IFC Films.
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1
Akira Kurosawa
Seven Samurai
The opening scene, with the horses, is one of the best ever. It always mesmerizes me.
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2
Akira Kurosawa
High and Low
It has a great setup, great characters, and a great theme. Kurosawa’s vision raised the film to another level.
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3
Sam Peckinpah
Straw Dogs
Sam Peckinpah and Dustin Hoffman at their best. The rape scene is horrific and haunting.
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4
Masaki Kobayashi
Harakiri
The first view of the sword sent chills through my spine.
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5
Jean-Pierre Melville
Le samouraï
This film gave birth to the cool hit man archetype.
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6
Jean-Pierre Melville
Le cercle rouge
It contains a Buddhist concept that is echoed in some of my own works. Here we see three heroes caught in a unique situation where their friendship matters more than anything else.
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7
In the Mood for Love
It’s a film with great flavors. I wish it would just play on and on.
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8
Terry Gilliam
Brazil
An abstract and strange world. A view of what we all may become one day.
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9
Bernardo Bertolucci
The Last Emperor
It’s almost surreal to see Chinese costume drama performed with English dialogue!
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10
Akira Kurosawa
Yojimbo
A film that combines the sitcom and the samurai film.
