I’ve always been a movie junkie, watching several movies every week across a wide range of genres. In 2004, my movie viewing habits underwent a dramatic shift. I continue to watch tons of movies, but I’m finding the ones I like best are no longer originating with the major Hollywood studios. My top 5 picks for 2004 all originate from China, Japan, and Korea. Some of them were originally released prior to 2004, but weren’t available in the United States until last year. I’m always drawn to a movie with a great story, in any language. Hollywood still tells a good story now and then, but lately, they can’t hold a candle to what’s being produced outside the United States. And with the long tradition of movie stories borrowing from other movies, I noticed what I think is the most blatant adaptation of a foreign film since The Magnificent Seven retold The Seven Samuari in the Natalie Portman flop, King Arthur, which maps closely to Musa the Warrior. Without further ado, here are the five best movies I viewed in 2004:

House of Flying Daggers is a period martial arts adventure sending a young military captain on an adventure to find and assassinate the leader of the House of Flying Daggers. If you’re lucky enough to live in a city currently running this movie on a big screen go see it, otherwise, you can order it from Red Sun DVD.

Hero was the big Chinese release in U.S. movie theaters during 2004, featuring Jet Li as a nameless warrior who defeats the top assassins of ancient China in an effort to win audience with the powerful ruler Qin.

Musa the Warrior is one of the more violent movies I’ve ever seen, featuring a group of warriors on a diplomatic mission trying to make it back home to Korea from China during a period of war between the Yuan and Ming dynasties.

The Missing Gun is a great detective adventure set in a Chinese town the night after a party when a local policeman wakes up to find his gun missing.

Casshern is the one Japanese title making my top five list, with complex green screen CGI paired with live action similar to what we saw from Sky Captain. The movie is based on a Seventies anime production and is set in a post-apocalyptic world with a surreal Third Reich feel.

All of these movies are currently available on DVD, although you may need to track down a boutique vendor like Red Sun DVD in order to get your hands on a copy.