Hong Kong, April 18 -- Japanese cinema is known for producing some of the best-known thriller movies of all time. But what makes Japanese thrillers stand out from the rest is that they often interweave stories of morality and social commentary through elements of drama.

Japanese cinema is indeed known for its outstanding (and long-running) samurai films. Auteurs such as Akira Kurosawa and Masaki Kobayashi as well as modern-day icon Keishi Otomo have made Japanese cinema synonymous with the stories of heroic characters who showcase an indomitable will and showman-like skill with the katana in their struggle against impossible odds. At the same time, in its long and illustrious cinematic history, Japan has witnessed some of the greatest cl...