10 Incredible Asian Action Movies You Have To See Before You Die

10. The Man From Nowhere (2010)

From: South Korea

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

The highest grossing Korean film of 2010, The Man From Nowhere stars heartthrob-turned-action-hero Won Bin, an A-List South Korean actor who was inspired to take his career in a new direction after the completion of his mandatory state military service. He plays a retired agent who runs a small pawn shop and lives in a basement apartment in the slums of Seoul, where the action takes place.

Although Mister (the only name Bin's character goes by) tries to avoid the gangs that operate in and around his building, he is forced to jump fist first into the city's violent underworld when one of his neighbours decides to steal a large amount of heroin from a local dealer. The fate of the addict is of no concern to Mister, but when the woman's daughter So-mi is kidnapped as a result of her mother's theft, the unassuming shopkeeper launches his own personal rescue mission.

Lee Jeong-beom directs with pace, showcasing a flair for action sequences that are not only thoroughly convincing and well choreographed, but manage to be emotionally engaging at the same time. The trend in modern South Korean action movies is extreme violence, and this eye-ball popping thrill ride is a perfect example of the country's commitment to pushing the boundaries the genre.