East Asian cinema has been on the rise in recent years and has reached a whole new level of popularity. Despite Japanese, Chinese and Korean cinema being favorites among international cinema film buffs, the wider landscape has been slow to embrace the incredible films coming out of the region. Japanese anime used to be one of the most beloved genres to be accepted, but in recent times Chinese and Korean movies have also proven to deserve the spotlight. No longer are certain directors - although the attention for the likes of Zhang Yimou, Jia Zhangke and many others well deserved - only distribution and film festival slots.
Each country has its own version of crime and gangster films, and mainland China has created individual tropes and variants of crime films unique to the region. Some of mainland China's biggest actors have starred in these movies, though they've largely stayed under the radar for bigger blockbusters like wuxia, romance, and period dramas for television and the big screen. However, that doesn't mean these movies should be missed, and they are vastly underrated. That said, these are the top ranked Chinese crime and gangster movies.
12 A Writer's Odyssey
Lu Yang directed and wrote A Writer's Odysseywhich hit theaters in February 2021, just in time for the Lunar New Year. A Writer's Odyssey is based on a Chinese novel by contemporary author Shuang Xuetao. In this film, a man is looking for his lost daughter. Thinking she was kidnapped by traffickers, he believes he has a good chance of finding her himself, but when a company contacts him with a deal he can't refuse, he could be caught up in a nefarious conspiracy. In return for their help, they want him to kill a novelist - but when the novelist's fantasy world merges with reality, things get increasingly weird.
11 Mr Six
2015 Mr Six made its debut at the Venice International Film Festival, where it was screened out of competition, before making its way around the world through other film festivals. In Guan Hu's crime drama, Feng Xiaogang plays the role of a man named Mr. Six, a 50-year-old who has ruled the streets of Beijing for decades. When he finds out his son has broken up with a young gang leader, things don't end well and Mr. Six and his son get into trouble. A gang war begins, but Mr. Six has also been diagnosed with coronary artery disease and is struggling with his health.
10 One night only
One night only, which was co-produced by China and Taiwan, starring Aaron Kwok and Yang Zishan. The film was released in 2016. Kwok portrays Gao Ye, a man who ended up in prison because of his gambling addiction. He loses everything he has when imprisoned, including his family and friends, and when he is eventually released and becomes a free man, he has no one to turn to. When he crosses paths with a sex worker, he decides to win back everything he's lost. But fate turns out to have other plans for him, especially when the underworld gets involved.
9 Sheep without a shepherd
Sheep without a shepherd is a remake of an Indian movie titled Drishyam, and it was a success in mainland China, becoming one of the highest-grossing Chinese-language films to be released in 2019. A family in northern Thailand finds itself in the middle of conflict when one of the daughters is sexually assaulted by the mayor's son. After she is blackmailed, the perpetrator is killed, but that puts the family in a dangerous situation. When the patriarch of the family finds out, he decides to take matters into his own hands to protect his family.
8 The soul
Released in 2021, The soul is a co-production between Taiwan and China. With Chang Chen, Sun Anke and Janine Chang. The film opens with this fact: a CEO has been violently murdered and his wife has been found with the weapon that supposedly killed him. A detective who has just given birth is assigned to the case, while also grappling with her husband's new discovery that he has cancer, and the woman claims in court that she did not kill her husband. However, things don't add up, and whoever the killer may be, they need to be caught before anything else happens.
7 Shanghai Triad
Zhang Yimou came out with Shanghai Triad in 1995, and it marked the end of his collaboration with actress Gong Li throughout the decade - they would go on to work together in the decades to come, however. Based on a novel by Li Xiao published in 1994, this film is set in 1930s Shanghai. A young teenager is taken to Shanghai for seven days to work for the mafia. He is told to work under Xiao Jinbao, a comedian and the boss's mistress, and violence breaks out in the city.
6 Black coal, thin ice
Black coal, thin ice was released in 2014 and won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for its content. From 1999 onwards, loads of coal reveal pieces of a human body. When a detective, Zhang Zili, is assigned to the case, he discovers that the deceased is a coal worker and that the suspect kills Zhang's partners, but not him. Several years later, he quits his job due to the trauma of losing his partners, but several murders have occurred in the meantime. Despite not working as a detective anymore, Zhang decides to investigate.
5 Trader/healer
A movie from Hong Kong and co-produced with China, Trader/healer is based on a true story, albeit loosely. In the 1960s and 1970s, several men ruled the city due to police corruption and the presence of gangs all over Hong Kong. One of the men, Chan Wah, meets a woman and decides that she is the one he wants to spend forever with. Once the police decide he needs to be taken down, things start to go south and Chan eventually decides he wants to change his ways. For this he will work with young people to get rid of their drug addiction.
4 The wasted times
from Cheng Er The wasted times with Zhang Ziyi, Ge You and Tadanobu Asano. The 2016 film is set when the Japanese started invading China during World War II; the setting is Shanghai. Told in a non-linear format, the story focuses on the life of a Shanghai crime head, Lu (Ge You), and the man, who is Japanese, who eventually becomes his brother-in-law (Asano). As the Japanese begin to occupy Shanghai, Lu sees his gang's demise before his very eyes, as this story becomes entangled with that of an actress (Zhang) and others over time.
3 Cliff Walkers
Zhang Yimou came out with Cliff Walkers in 2021, and it takes place just before World War II, when Manchuria was ruled by a puppet ruler installed by the Japanese. In Cliff Walkers, the main characters are four Chinese Community Party agents who are on a secret mission to try and get a prisoner who can reveal the atrocities of the Japanese. They arrive in Harbin in search of him and part ways to complete their mission. It won't be easy though, and their enemies are vaguely aware they're coming, putting up obstacles that could potentially kill them.
2 The Wild Geese Lake
A seductive neo-noir thriller, The Wild Geese Lake was directed by Diao Yinan and starred Hu Ge, Liao Fan, Wan Qian and Gwei Lun-mei. It competed for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival the year of its release. A man comes to meet his wife at the train station, as he has been hiding behind him from the gangs. He accidentally killed a police officer while trying to escape during a gang fight, and a large bounty has been placed on his head throughout the film. Filled with social commentary, The Wild Geese Lake not to be missed.
1 Better days
One of the biggest releases when it came out, Better days starring Jackson Yee and Zhou Dongyu. It was only the third Hong Kong film to ever be chosen as a Best International Feature Film nominee. After a classmate commits suicide, a young girl, Chen Nian, becomes the new target of the school bullies. When she is attacked in the street, she meets Liu Beishan, who will eventually protect her from those who attack Chen Nian. However, violence becomes a tragic staple of the two, especially as things only get worse for Chen Nian.
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