On the occasion of Quantum of Solace's recent release, APA counts out our top ten Bond-inspired Asian films.
By APA Staff
Few recurring characters in film history are as identifiable -- and thus easy to imitate -- as James Bond. In some sense, each subsequent Bond in the official series is simply a variation on a theme -- a Bond for a new generation. In Asia, we've been getting new Bonds for decades, at least since Dr. No blasted on scene in 1962. Now that Quantum of Solace has affirmed once again that Bond is popular in the Asian box office, we remind readers that Bond's popularity doesn't simply mean bowing at the altar of EON Productions. Asia has its own permutations on the Bond formula, some sincere, most parodic, and all a little nutty.
APA's got Asian Bond knock-offs galore, in chronological order:
International Secret Police: Key of Keys (Senkichi Taniguchi, 1965)
Thanks to Woody Allen's What's Up, Tiger Lily?, this installment in the International Secret Police series is the most famous Asian Bond film. But what Allen's parody of Japanese spy films overshadows is the fact that Key of Keys (as well as Keg of Gunpowder, also ripped for What's Up) was originally itself a parody of the Bond formula, complete with crime fighting gizmos and gangster molls.
The Spy with My Face (Chor Yuen, 1966)
The sequel to the legendary Cantonese film The Black Rose, Chor Yuen's The Spy with My Face has secret underground lairs, sadistic villains, and a pair of dazzling heroines. A classic of the “Jane Bond” cycle in Hong Kong cinema and a defining moment of 1960s youth culture, The Spy with My Face stars Nam Hung and Connie Chan Po-chu, one of the biggest teen idols of her time.
Black Tight Killers (Yasuharu Hasebe, 1966)
Hoping to save his kidnapped girlfriend, combat photographer Daisuke Hondo (played by Japanese hearthrob Akira Kobayashi) teams up with a bunch of catsuited female assasins, called the Black Tight Killers. Creating a campy version of James Bond, director Hasebe gives these girls their unique assortment of gadgets -- including blinding bubble gum, razor-sharp 7" vinyl, exploding golf balls, and exploding bra pads.
Interpol (Ko Nakihara, 1967)
Tang Ching was Shaw Brothers' James Bond, playing the ladies man with the quick gun. In Interpol, he is Agent 009, dispatched to Hong Kong, where he cracks down on a counterfeiting ring and dabbles with women of multiple ethnicities. But bad girl Margaret Tu Chuan steals the show as the perfect Bond villainess: mysterious, sexy, and up to no good.
Don (Chandra Barot, 1978)
An Amitabh Bachchan classic, the film Don is named after its main character, a powerful leader of an underworld gang. Always two steps ahead, Don has been outsmarting the police for years. When he's finally caught, the police officer who killed him tries to get a look-alike named Vijay (also played by Amitabh Bachchan) to infiltrate and take down the rest of the gang. Don has been remade over six times, most notably the 2006 Farhan Akhtar remake, Don - The Chase Begins Again, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, and Kareena Kapoor.
Lupin III: The Mystery of Mamo (Soji Yoshikawa, 1978)
Lupin III is a thief and spy -- part Bond, part Indiana Jones. He hunts for treasures, but loves his wine, cars, and fast women. A Japanese manga series that spawned film and television adaptations, Lupin III has had a huge influence on action and fusion anime, particularly Cowboy Bebop. Mystery of Mamo, directed by Soji Yoshikawa, is the first of three animated films based in the character. Later, Hayao Miyazaki made The Castle of Cagliostro, and Seijun Suzuki and Shigetsugu Yoshida co-directed Legend of the Gold of Babylon.
Mr. Bond (Raj N. Sippy, 1992)
Akshay Kumar may now be a Bollywood veteran, still making hit films almost two decades into his career, but one of his first roles was in Mr. Bond, an Indian James Bond who knows how to seduce the ladies. Later, Kumar would gain greater notice with his Khiladi action films, the first in 2002, followed by Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), Sabse Bala Khiladi (1995), Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi (1997), and Khiladi 420 (2000).
From Beijing with Love (Stephen Chow and Lee Lik-chi, 1994)
With awesome knife-throwing skills, blow-drying shoes, and a tender heart, Stephen Chow's 007 shows you suaveness that is made in China. From Beijing With Love is Chow's most touching romance, as 007 wins the heart of rival spy Li Xiang Qin (Anita Yuen) by plucking her a rose as she shoots him in the thigh. The movie was banned in China for its satiric humor against government officials.
Forbidden City Cop (Stephen Chow and Vincent Kok, 1996)
Set during ancient times in the Forbidden City, 008 is just as smooth as 007, just a few centuries later. The emperor guard reject 008 finds his daily delights by practicing gynecology and inventing useless pre-electronic gadgets. When the evil tribeman Faceless tries to take over the empire, 008 must use his inventions and his wit to save his country.
Dachimawa Lee (Seung-wan Ryoo, 2008)
Dachimawa Lee is a 2008 action comedy disguised as a serious espionage flick. Of course, its seriousness, its excessive gags, and its pudgy 1940s Korean super spy protagonist (Im Won-Hee) is what makes the film so entertaining. In perfect parody, Dachimawa Lee's tagline is: "The spy, his lover, his villain... and his revenge."
compiled by Brian Hu, Winghei Kwok, Bryan Hartzheim, and Ada Tseng