In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason travel to the Kingdom of Joseon to witness the Qing invasion of Korea in the War of the Arrows (2011). Both hosts characterized this film as a fairly straightforward historical action flick, albeit one with excellent action scenes, pacing, and historical accuracy.

We hope you enjoy our discussion.

Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/07/s5e7-war-of-arrows.html

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In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, John, Jason, and invited guest Jack (Optimism Vaccine) discuss Hideo Gosha's 1965 chanbara film, The Sword of the Beast. Far from a simple minded samurai flick, the film reflects the anxieties, tensions, and complex politics of the time by deconstructing the faux nobility of a past era.

We hope you enjoy our discussion.

Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/07/s5e6-sword-of-beast-with-guest-jack.htmIn

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In this episode of Heroic Purgatory we put on our wuxia hats and EastmanColor glasses for King Hu's 1967 iconic piece, Dragon Inn. It is a film of many influences coalesced into a Ming dynasty tale of brave warriors standing up to an evil eunuch's army, with beautiful action pieces and big emotional swings. We discuss how the film holds up today and how it compares with the more recent Tsui Hark produce New Dragon Gate Inn (1992).

We hope you enjoy our discussion.

Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/05/s5e5-dragon-inn.html

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This week in the Heroic Purgatory podcast, we talk about Zhang Yimou's 2002 wuxia film, Hero, staring Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, and Tony Leung. A film as beautiful as it is controversial, Hero is one of the director's best known works, toping both Chinese and international box offices and catapulting the filmmaker into the world of commercial mainstream filmmaking.

We hope you enjoy our discussion.

Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/05/s5e4-hero-2002.html

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This week, the Heroic Purgatory team travel to Edo period Japan to witness the bravery of 13 warriors against a tyrannical and sadistic lord. That's right, in this double whammy of an episode we discuss 13 Assassins, both the 1963 version directed by Eiichi Kudo and the 2010 version directed by Takashi Miike (with a light sprinkling of the 1990 version also thrown into the mix). Listen to the heated debate between John and Jason about which version is the better film.

We hope you enjoy our discussion.

Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/05/s5e3-13-assassins.html

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The year is 1978. The place: a high school in Seoul, South Korea. The film: Once Upon a Time in High School. The Heroic Purgatory Asian Cinema Podcast is excited to bring you one of the most celebrated films of New Korean Cinema, Yoo Ha's 2004 coming of age story in an increasingly militaristic nation. John and Jason are joined by long time South Korean film reviewer Paul Quinn (http://www.hangulcelluloid.com/) to discuss the film themes, historical significance, and various references to Bruce Lee.

We hope you enjoy our discussion.

Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/04/s5e2-once-upon-time-in-high-school.html

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The Heroic Purgatory Podcast returns with a brand new season, this time focusing in historical martial arts. We kickstart the fifth season with the 1972 Bruce Lee film, Fist of Fury. We discuss the film's historical context, action choreography, it's impact on Lee's career as well as its legacy in Hong Kong and Asian cinema.

We hope you enjoy our discussion.

Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/04/s5e1-fist-of-fury.html

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In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, we celebrate the life and works of the recently passed David Lynch (1946 - 2025). We discuss Lynch's career and the films that left the biggest impression on our lives.

Enjoy!

Website link: https://www.heroic-purgatory.com/2025/02/special-remembering-david-lynch.html

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