Hollywood may be the biggest producer of films in the world, but it doesn’t deserve all the credit. Sure, plenty of filmmakers often film, write, and release their movies in Western nations such as the US, Canada, and the UK, but their inspiration has to come from somewhere.
RELATED:10 Ridiculous Action Movies That Are Self-Aware of Their RidiculousnessIn fact, many aspects of Western pop culture were inspired by movies from other countries all over the world. Whether it’s through internet fame, ingenius innovation, or even simply inspiring Hollywood filmmakers, plenty of action movies have served as the building blocks for what pop culture is today.
‘Who Killed Captain Alex?’ (Uganda, 2010)
Who Killed Captain Alex?is Uganda’s first action film. Though the movie may seem terrible at first glance, many have stated that they found the movie to be genuinely enjoyable. Directed byNabwana I. G. G., the film gained popularity online as being a “no-budget” action film.
The movie may be short and pretty ridiculous, but the attention it gained due to internet memes allowed the filmmakers to profit quite a bit off of the film. Many state that the reason it is so enjoyable is because it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that Nabwana I. G. G’s passion for filmmaking really shows. Heck, he even sold nearly eveything he owned just so he could buy a camera and a computer for shooting and editing. Most of the actors were even volunteers from his village. Ultimately, the movie really shows that it is the dream project of a man and his love for movies, which makes it feel more authentic and real, if anything. And let’s be honest, some Hollywood movies could do with a bit more of that.
‘Lady Snowblood’ (Japan, 1973)
You’ve probably already seen the influenceLady Snowbloodcreated, even if you don’t know it yet. This Japanese samurai movie focuses on a young woman who seeks revenge on the people who killed her father and brother. Many cinephiles don’t know this, but thefemale assassin plotline ofLady Snowbloodwas the primary inspiration behindQuentin Tarantino’sKill Billmovies. The cast and crew ofKill Billwere even made to watch the movie during breaks.
Aside from being the basis for a widely-beloved film,Lady Snowbloodis also present in other media. For example, scenes from the movie are referenced inPost Malone’s “Rockstar” music video.
‘District B13’ (France, 2004)
District B13stars French actor and athleteDavid Belleas he pulls off some pretty wild stunts. The movie helped kickstart an enormous subculture commonly known as parkour. It was the movie’s infamous freerunning chase scene which inspired many young athletes to replicate the movie’s stunts, leading to the birth of modern freerunning as we know it.
It may not be the only major influence on parkour, but it is for sure one of the biggest ones. Now, parkour is present in all forms of media, from video games such asMirror’s Edge(2008) to movies such asTracers(2015).
‘The Raid’ (Indonesia, 2011)
The Raidis quite possibly the most popular Indonesian film ever made. It won seven awards from several different countries, and was nominated for nearly a dozen more. The movie actually grossed more internationally than it did in its country of origin, as it made $9M in sales overseas, but only $1.8M in Indonesia. In 2013, the film was the United Kingdom’s best selling foreign-language film on home video.
The movie was so successful that a sequel was released in 2014. In January of 2022, it was also announced that an American remake is in the works, which will premiere onNetflixand will be directed by bothPatrick HughesandMichael Bay.
‘The Inglorious Bastards’ (Italy, 1978)
Does the title sound familiar? Well, it should. If it wasn’t already clear, this movie served as inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s World War II historical fiction,Inglorious Basterds(2009). Though Tarantino’s version isn’t a full-on remake, it does draw on heavy inspiration from the Italian film, and makes multiple references to it.
Ironically, the Italian movie is actually a loose remake in and of itself, this time of the Hollywood filmThe Dirty Dozen(1967). Still, it’s the Italian film that inspired Tarantino, not the original, so the former still managed to influence Western cinema.
‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ (China, 2000)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonis a Chinese film that was directed by Taiwanese filmmakerAng Lee.The movie was the first foreign-language film to break $100M in sales in the US. It even spawned a sequel several years later. But the main reason it influenced Western media was that it was what allowed Ang Lee to break out into American cinema.
Lee ended up directing somepretty incredible American movies, such asBrokeback Mountain(2005) andLife of Pi(2012). Both of these movies were critically-acclaimed, withLife of PIbeing extremely innovative as it was previously thought to be “unfilmable” due to the setting the film takes place in.
‘District 9’ (South Africa, 2009)
District 9is a unique sci-fi movie about alien invasion. What sets it apart from the rest is that the aliens aren’t on Earth by choice, but simply wind up there due to their mothership malfunctioning. It’s also shot in a very unique style, as the first half of the film is a sort of mockumentary that shows how humans interact with the aliens and cordon them off into camps so they can be studied. It’s a nice contrast to many Hollywood alien movies, where the human reaction is to blow up everything on-screen as soon as the aliens arrive.
The second half of the movie plays out more like an action flick, with the explosions and gunfire that many sci-fi fans expect. Produced byPeter Jackson,District 9served as directorNeil Blomkamp’s feature film debut and his big breakout into Hollywood, which allowed him to move on to bigger projects likeElysium(2013). It’s also rumoured that asequel toDistrict 9may be in development.
‘Hardcore Henry’ (Russia, 2015)
Hardcore Henryis one of the wildest, most ridiculous action movies ever made. It’s also one of the most innovative films of all time. The reason it stood out was due to its gimmick: the entire movie is shot from a first-person perspective, almost like a video game.
With versions in both Russian and English,Hardcore Henryshows some pretty intense action scenes all from the perspective of the protagonist, which makes it a non-stop thrill ride from start to finish. It set the stage for other first-person feature films to be made.
‘Karate Girl’ (Türkiye, 1974)
Karate Girlis a Turkish martial arts film that was slammed by critics upon its release. But that didn’t stop the internet from appreciating it in all of its glory. The movie gained notoriety when a viral video was uploaded to YouTube titled “Worst Death Scene Ever,” which portrayed the villain’s painstakingly slow death from the movie with dramatic screams edited overtop.
The video quickly became an internet meme and gained millions of views on YouTube. Despite being the butt of many jokes, the popularity of the hilarious clip did prompt many more to watch the whole movie, which is every bit as absurd as the clip. It’s widely regarded as one of those “so-bad-it’s-good” movies now.
‘The Man From Nowhere’ (South Korea, 2010)
The Man from Nowherewas South Korea’s highest-grossing movie of 2010, and for good reason. It was received extremely well, not only in South Korea, but in the US and Canada as well. Initially its Western release was limited to one theatre in the US, but when that grossed over $35,000, it was widened to nineteen different theatres across North America, where it then gained half a million dollars in the box office.
The film received dozens upon dozens of awards from Korean and International organizations alike. It won seven awards at the 2010 Korean Film Awards alone. It was even remade for Bollywood in 2016, under the titleRocky Handsome. Not only that, but Dimension Films acquired the rights to the movie in 2012, and in 2020, it was announced that an American remake would be produced byChad Stahelski, who also directedJohn Wick(2014).
