Asian films have played an important role in the preferences of both Western audiences and filmmakers since the 1950s, when Akira Kurosawa's films had a large impact in the United States, with auteurs like Sergio Leone, George Lucas and Martin Scorsese including him among their most important influences.
During the 1980s, Hong Kong action films had a similar effect, while Japanese anime became a sensation in the 90s and 00s. In the last two decades, Japanese cult films have attracted large audiences, while Korean films, particularly thrillers, have become popular in the West.
Here is a list of 25 of them, in chronological order.
