Fourteen Fantastic Foreign Films

Ying huang boon sik (A Better Tomorrow)

Many fans view this gritty, stripped-down film as director John Woo's (Mission: Impossible) finest hour. Two brothers (one a neophyte counterfeiter, one a rookie cop) try to balance honor, family and duty. Chow Yun-Fat steals the show with his usual flair, and A Better Tomorrow brilliantly fuses fully drawn characters, thrilling action, family bonds and blistering firepower.

Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (Amelie)

Impish gamine Amélie (Audrey Tautou) lives alone and works in a café. When she finds a trove of toys hidden for 40 years behind a baseboard in her apartment, she's inspired to repatriate the items, an impulse of generosity that sparks more benevolent acts. A celebration of life, Amélie reminds us of the small wonders that abound around us … if only we paused to look.

The Asphyx

A wealthy philanthropist and psychic researcher (Robert Stephens) in 19th century England enjoys a morbid hobby: He photographs people as they're dying. In so doing, he discovers a smudge on each photo. At first, he believes it' the person's soul leaving his or her body. Soon, however, he comes to realize that the smudge is the asphyx -- the spirit of death --and he becomes obsessed with ensuring his own immortality by capturing it.

Cashback

After breaking up with his girlfriend, aspiring artist Ben Willis (Sean Biggerstaff) develops insomnia and takes a night-shift job at a supermarket to pass the hours. He soon discovers that he can freeze time and begins fantasizing about pretty checkout clerk Sharon (Emilia Fox). When he's not dreaming of Sharon -- who may hold the key to resolving his sleeplessness -- Ben roams the aisles disrobing beautiful customers and sketching them.

Long hu feng yun (City On Fire)

Often cited as the inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's first film, Reservoir Dogs, this classic Hong Kong kung fu action thriller features Chow Yun-Fat at his best. Ko Chow (Yun-Fat) is a police detective who goes undercover to shake down some jewel thieves. When he's injured in the middle of a heist, the thieves suspect he's an infiltrator. Guns blaze and cars speed in this fast-paced film from Ringo Lam.

Die Fälscher (The Counterfeiters)

Facing an ethical quandary, Jewish master forger Salomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics) must choose between abetting the Nazis and saving his own skin in this taut, Oscar-nominated drama based on actual events during World War II. Assembled at a death camp, a cadre of printers, artists and chiselers is tasked with counterfeiting currencies to weaken Allied economies. But will Sorowitsch's conscience begin to gnaw at him as the war draws to a close?

Wu Hu Zang Long (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)

Ang Lee's articulate direction, coupled with Yuen Woo-Ping's (The Matrix) balletic martial arts choreography, makes for a devastating one-two punch. Potent performances from Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh and newcomer Ziyi Zhang also give heft to this story about a young woman in ancient China who longs for an adventurous life rather than a dull arranged marriage. The treetop fight scene is not to be missed.

Le dîner de cons (The Dinner Game)

A group of French intellectuals gather each Wednesday for the dinner game, where the challenge is to bring along the most idiotic guest each can find. Pierre (Thierry Lhermitte) thinks he's found a ringer in François (Jacques Villeret), a civil servant whose passion is making architectural models out of matchsticks. But Pierre gets more than he bargained for when François becomes his houseguest -- and nursemaid!

Elevator to the Gallows

When the bewitching Florence (Jeanne Moreau) and her lover, Julien (Maurice Ronet), plot to kill Florence's husband (Jean Wall), they don't count on a technical glitch -- a broken elevator -- getting in the way of the perfect murder. Louis Malle directs this haunting French thriller in his feature film debut, an impressive achievement heightened by the film's memorable improvisational score composed by jazz legend Miles Davis.

Ying Xiong (Hero)

The Qin King has long been obsessed with conquering all of China and becoming her first Emperor -- which makes him the target of three legendary assassins. To anyone who defeats the assassins, the King promises great power, mountains of gold and a private audience with the King himself. Jet Li heads the stellar cast of Hero as Nameless, the enigmatic county sheriff who earns his audience with the mighty King. Zhang Yimou directs.

Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others)

Set in 1980s East Berlin, director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's debut feature (which earned an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film) provides an exquisitely nuanced portrait of life under the watchful eye of the state police. When a successful playwright and his actress companion become subjects of the Stasi's secret surveillance program, their friends, family -- and even those doing the watching -- find their lives forever changed.

Persepolis

Marjane (voiced by Chiara Mastroianni) just wants to be an ordinary kid, but that isn't easy in 1978 Iran. This profound animated film follows Marjane's childhood in a repressive society, her adolescence in France and her return to Tehran as an adult. Based on Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel, this Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature Film also features the vocal talents of Catherine Deneuve and Simon Abkarian.

Léon (The Professional)

Léon (Jean Reno), the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective "cleaner." But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by a loose-cannon DEA agent (Gary Oldman), he becomes the unwilling custodian of 12-year-old Mathilda (Natalie Portman). Before long, Mathilda's thoughts turn to revenge, and she considers following in Léon's footsteps. Luc Besson directs this gritty and unflinching actioner.

Siu Lam Juk Kau (Shaolin Soccer)

A soccer player down on his luck (he was unfairly injured by his nemesis during a match) puts together an unlikely group of players headed by kung fu phenomenon Stephen Chow. They plan to use Shaolin kung fu to achieve victory and win $1 million at a local soccer tournament. It's Karate Kid with faster feet as these underdogs battle entire teams of corrupt players!

Comment on this post with any foreign films I might enjoy.