My Favourite Korean Movies
Korean cinema has really taken off since the late 1990s, and become, really, one of the coolest and most creative movie industries in the world. Though usually not as wild and weird as the contemporary Japanese cinema I so admire, Korean cinema usually has far more impressive production values, known for its superbly crafted thrillers; dark and gritty films that sidestep the clichéd Hollywood happy ending... But hey, I don't want to pigeon-hole it. Here's a list of my 40 favourite Korean films, across all genres and decades.
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- DirectorLee Hae-junStarsJeong Jae-yeongJung Ryeo-wonYeong-seo ParkA failed suicide attempt leads a heartbroken man to live a life in the wilderness.This movie is, first of all, the best Cast Away parody ever, but it also has an enormous heart that carries it beyond its riotously funny premise, making for a wonderful film from start to end. A truly one-of-a-kind movie, that might be my favourite of all Korean films.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoKim Sang-kyungKim Roe-haIn a small Korean province in 1986, two detectives struggle with the case of multiple young women being found raped and murdered by an unknown culprit.A stunning thriller, a hilarious dark comedy, and a wonderful satire of Korean police all in one. Cements Joon-ho Bong as one of my favourite directors and Kang-ho Song as one of my favourite actors. A masterpiece.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsChris EvansJamie BellTilda SwintonIn a future where a failed climate change experiment has killed all life except for the survivors who boarded the Snowpiercer (a train that travels around the globe), a new class system emerges.This explosive blockbuster sci-fi masterpiece, Joon-ho Bong's English-language debut, might just be my favourite film of the decade. Insane, dark, exciting, interesting, funny, and unapologetically weird, this is the kind of creative and visionary filmmaking you just rarely see, on a budget that's almost never afforded to Asian filmmakers.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsTilda SwintonPaul DanoAhn Seo-hyunA young girl risks everything to prevent a powerful, multinational company from kidnapping her best friend - a fascinating beast named Okja.Joon-ho Bong's second international (mostly-English) production, following Snowpiercer, is another gobsmacking homerun for the director. I had no idea what to expect going into this film, and I was frankly blown away by what might be his most wildly creative and darkly hilarious film yet, a spot-on and much-needed satire of the food industry (surprisingly), that's filled to the brim with crazy and colourful characters and performances.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsKim Hye-jaWon BinJin GooA mother desperately searches for the killer who framed her son for a girl's horrific murder.Another original, incredibly dark and kind of funny thriller from Korea's best director. A jaw-dropping ending.
- DirectorHun JangStarsSong Kang-hoThomas KretschmannYoo Hae-jinA widowed father and taxi driver who drives a German reporter from Seoul to Gwangju to cover the 1980 uprising, soon finds himself regretting his decision after being caught in the violence around him.Having just watched "The Attorney" a couple weeks earlier, which I considered one of the best movies I've seen all year, I was amazed to come across this film, which manages to be even better. Both films deal with the protests and politics of Korea in the early 1980s, and both star Kang-ho Song, who's character arc in this film, it is immediately obvious, will be basically the same as it was in "The Attorney". However, the stories these two films tell are both quite different, and they're both phenomenally well-executed, beautiful films.
- DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsSol Kyung-guKim Yeo-jinMoon So-riFollowing a man's suicide, time traverses back to reveal six chapters of his life on why he committed suicide.The story of a man's life, told in reverse chronological order, beginning with his suicide. A painful, but extremely touching masterpiece from the "early days", when Korean cinema was really starting to take off.
- DirectorNa Hong-jinStarsKim Yoon-seokHa Jung-wooSeo Yeong-hieA disgraced ex-policeman who runs a small ring of prostitutes finds himself in a race against time when one of his women goes missing.One of the greatest, most breathtaking, heart-rending, and compelling thrillers I've ever seen.
- DirectorJung Doo HongKim Jee-woonStarsLee Byung-hunShin Min-aKim Yeong-cheolThings go wrong for a high ranking mobster when he doesn't follow his boss's orders.I'm writing this blurb upon my second viewing of A Bittersweet Life, 4+ years after my first viewing. Around that same time, I watched Oldboy, and The Man From Nowhere, all Korean thrillers that I felt had a grandeur and style, in their set designs and depictions of violence, that was very impressive. However, The Man From Nowhere, I thought, crossed the line sometimes into trying too hard to be cool or risqué, and A Bittersweet Life, I don't know, I just didn't really follow it or connect with it; Oldboy is the only one out of the three that I've thought all along to be a truly great movie. However, something compelled me to import the expensive Korean blu-ray release of A Bittersweet Life and give it another chance, and oh boy am I glad I did. I am now quite certain that I was half-asleep the first time I watched this movie. This is a straight-up masterpiece of the gangster film genre, it's Kim Jee-woon's best film, and it's better than Oldboy, or, frankly, any of Park Chan-wook's stuff. I actually can't believe how good this film is.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsSong Kang-hoShin Ha-kyunBae DoonaA recently laid off factory worker kidnaps his former boss' friend's daughter, hoping to use the ransom money to pay for his sister's kidney transplant.The first Korean movie I ever watched, and my personal favourite in the Vengeance trilogy. The characters and scenario are just wonderful, especially in the first half. On first viewing I thought the second half turned too abruptly into a bloodbath, but I've not only warmed up to it, I've come to love that shift. In fact, this is a movie I love more and more on each viewing.
- DirectorChang-min ChooStarsLee Byung-hunRyu Seung-ryongHan Hyo-jooA look-alike commoner is secretly hired to take the place of a poisoned king to save his country from falling into chaos.One of my top films of this decade so far. Reminiscent of a more light-hearted 'Kagemusha'. The first Korean costume drama I've seen, and it's absolutely fantastically made.
- DirectorHwang Dong-hyukStarsGong YooJung Yu-miKim Hyeon-sooBased on real events, this film depicts the story of a school for the hearing-impaired where young deaf students were sexually assaulted by the faculty members over a long period of time.Rarely do I call a movie important. This is an important movie. That it's also as well-directed and compellingly-made as only the very best Korean films I've seen is an enormous achievement.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsSong Kang-hoKim Ok-binChoi Hee-jinThrough a failed medical experiment, a priest is stricken with vampirism and is forced to abandon his ascetic ways.My favourite "serious" vampire movie after Herzog's Nosferatu. This movie is as crazy as it is moody and atmospheric.
- DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsLee Byung-hunChoi Min-sikJeon Gook-hwanA secret agent exacts revenge on a serial killer through a series of captures and releases.Think 'The Chaser' but more over-the-top and more explicitly a genre (revenge) film. Still, compelling and flawlessly directed.
- DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsSol Kyung-guMoon So-riAhn Nae-sangAn irresponsible and childish ex-con befriends a girl with cerebral palsy and develops a progressively stronger bond with her.A very different sort of romance, between a socially dysfunctional man and a severely handicapped woman. Unidealized and uncompromising, and not soon to be forgotten.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsLee Yeong-aeLee Byung-hunSong Kang-hoAfter a shooting incident at the North-South Korean border DMZ leaves two North Korean soldiers dead, a neutral Swiss and Swedish team investigates what actually happened.This is a brilliantly structured mystery film featuring outstanding performances by Kang-ho Song and Lee Byung-hun, maybe Korea's two best actors. But more than that, it's a powerful anti-war statement and call for reunification of the Korean peninsula, a topic I care deeply about and have never seen handled like this in a film before.
- DirectorIm Sang-sooStarsHan Suk-kyuBaek Yun-shikSong Jae-hoA look at the life of President Park Chung-hee and the events leading up to his assassination.This movie didn't click with me the first time I watched it; I don't think I knew enough background about the real events. But after reading a bit of Korean history (having been inspired by movies like "The Attorney") I was reminded of this film and felt I needed to give it a second chance; I had the feeling I'd appreciate it more on a second viewing. And did I ever! What a diabolical film this is; it takes this pivotal event in Korean history, and interprets it with all the irreverence of a Martin Scorsese black comedy. This is a madly one-of-a-kind political satire!
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsKim Ki-dukOh Yeong-suJong-ho KimA boy is raised by a Buddhist monk in an isolated floating temple where the years pass like the seasons.It seems impossible to me that anyone actually lives like this, and if not, that any filmmaker could have the strength of vision, or means, to realize such a movie. This film is an absolute wonder. Though it ended on a redundant note of animal cruelty which left a bad taste in my mouth, I would still recommend this movie to anybody.
- DirectorWoo-seok YangStarsSong Kang-hoKwak Do-wonIm Si-wanAn ambitious tax attorney decides to represent an old friend in court.More than just a great courtroom drama, this is a phenomenally well-made, well-acted, inspiring film, that I think is a great jumping-off point for learning a little bit about Korean politics and history.
- DirectorWon Shin-yeonStarsSol Kyung-guKim Nam-gilKim Seol-hyunA former serial killer with Alzheimer's fights to protect his daughter from her psychotic boyfriend.Another fresh take on the serial killer genre from South Korea, that captures some of the greatness of The Chaser and Memories of Murder before it (albeit somewhat derivative of those films).
- DirectorJung Sung HoJoon-Hwan JangStarsKim Tae-riYeo Jin-gooHa Jung-wooIn 1987 Korea under an oppressive military regime, the unlawful interrogation and death of a college student ignite ordinary citizens to fight for the truth and bring about justice.I've become interested in the political history of South Korea, thanks to films like A Taxi Driver, The Attorney, and The President's Last Bang. To think of where Korea is now, compared to even just a few decades ago, to think of the huge progress that's been made in such a short amount of time, is really sobering and inspiring. 1987 is arguably the ultimate film in this genre: dramatizing the events that finally led to the democratization of South Korea. It's definitely a must-see for anyone interested in these topics.
- DirectorBenson LeeStarsCha In-pyoJustin ChonJessika VanIn 1986, a group of foreign-born Korean teenagers attend a summer camp in South Korea.If the poster art didn't give it away, this movie takes some inspiration from John Hughes: This is 100% The Breakfast Club for second-generation Korean expats. This is an English-language film by a Korean-American writer-director, set in Seoul in 1986, when a short lived summer-camp program by the Korean government seeked to acquaint Korean teenagers who had grown up abroad with the culture and heritage they had been estranged from. With as much camp, humour, emotional punch, and classic 80s jams as the Hughes film and more, this movie is an overlooked gem, and well worth seeking out.
- DirectorKang Hyeong-cheolStarsA.J. SimmonsOh Jung-seDo Kyung-sooThe story of Ro Gi Soo, a tap dancing North Korean soldier who was held captive in the Geoje prison camp during the Korean War.A Korean War POW tap-dance musical extravaganza from the director of Sunny – yes this movie is as good as it sounds.
- DirectorLove LeeStarsKim Soo-hyunSung Dong-ilLee Sung-minA criminal aspiring to build a casino finds himself in endless threat when a man starts imitating every single thing he does.This batshit insane and visually mindblowing film was a huge bomb in Korea, ridiculed by critics as, I guess, an expensive vanity project for its lead actor, and maybe even the worst Korean movie ever made. But this is in fact, one of the weirdest and most unique films ever to come out of South Korea; a cult film ripe for discovery.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoLee Sun-kyunCho Yeo-jeongGreed and class discrimination threaten the newly-formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.It's weird to see Joon-ho Bong, who is easily my favourite Korean filmmaker – and maybe my favourite filmmaker in the world right now, based on recent output – despite being kind of niche in his style and humour (he is basically making movies for me), suddenly gain world recognition as Korea's most famous filmmaker, with Parasite being the first Korean film to win the Palme D'Or (with a unanimous vote), and I fully expect, being the first Korean film to get an Oscar nomination. Well, Parasite is as awesome as I expected it to be, and he deserves it. It's only his fifth best movie though IMHO!
- DirectorKang Hyeong-cheolStarsYoo Ho-jeongShim Eun-kyungJin Hee-kyungSeven girls become good friends in high school, then events pull them apart for 25 years. When one of the friends lies dying in a hospital, she wishes to see each of them one last time.This is not the type of movie I'd ordinarily go in for... It's a chick-flick, it's kinda corny at times... But it's funny, it's uplifting... Honestly, it made me laugh and it made me cry. It's just a really well done little movie.
- DirectorPark Kyung-JinJohn H. LeeKim Tae-WonStarsJung Woo-sungSon Ye-jinJong-hak BaekA young couple's enduring love is tested when 27-year-old Su-jin is diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.The Alzheimers could be have been anything, to represent "how cruel life can be". But keep in mind it's only a third of the story and of the movie. This is a great romance.
- DirectorSang-Jin KimStarsLee Sung-jaeYu Oh-seongKang Seong-jinFour disaffected youths rob a gas station but find their plans complicated and sidetracked before the night is through.A wildly original, spirited and energetic, and surprisingly touching punk dark comedy about four disaffected youths holding up a gas station. This is the kind of movie I love, that feels like a breath of fresh air after watching so many samey movies.
- DirectorYu Hyun-mokStarsMu-ryong ChoiKim Jin-kyuJeong-suk MoonA pressured accountant, his war veteran brother and their dysfunctional family struggle with integrating into post-War Korean society.Arguably the greatest classic Korean film. Think of a Korean "The Best Years of Our Lives", but painting a far bleaker picture of the prospects for a decent life in the post-Korean War ROK. This is a movie that was banned in Korea and only survives because of one print that was allowed to be sent abroad and shown at the SFIFF in 1963 – which recently had a remarkable restoration by the Korean Film Archive. This should be essential viewing for fans of classic world cinema.
- DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsPark Sang-MyeonSong Kang-hoJin-young JangA wimpy, incompetent bank clerk decides to become a pro wrestler.Song Kang-ho is brilliant in this film, as an office worker who takes up wrestling in order to learn how to escape his bullying boss's headlocks. The fantastic and hilarious first half of this film is unfortunately let down a little by the second half, where it becomes more of an actual wrestling movie...
- DirectorHwan-kyung LeeStarsRyu Seung-ryongKal So-wonOh Dal-suA story about the love between a mentally-ill father and his lovingly adorable daughter.A lot of great Korean films tell stories from the perspectives of people who are handicapped or mentally ill in some way. This is a very touching movie about a mentally handicapped single father who is wrongfully imprisoned.
- DirectorLee Man-heeLee Man-Hee-IStarsKim Eun-OkAn Eun-SukKim Gyeong-RaTwo lovers face a bleak future in 1960s Seoul.This movie is very much in the same vein as Aimless Bullet, and was also banned in Korea at the time for presenting too bleak (and probably realistic) a picture of 1960s Korean life. The run-time on this one is super-digestible, the soundtrack is gorgeous (in an old film score way), and there are some wickedly innovative scenes of storytelling without dialogue. Just a really lyrical and interesting little film.
- DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsLim Soo-jungYum Jung-ahKim Kap-suAfter being institutionalized in a mental hospital, Su-mi reunites with her sister, Su-yeon, and they return to live at their country home. But strange events plague the house, leading to surprising revelations and a shocking conclusion.This movie is kind of a classic of creepy, twisty psychological horror. Like Memories of Murder for the serial killer film (also from 2003, a banner year for Korean cinema by all accounts), many Korean genre films have been inspired by A Tale of Two Sisters, but it remains, probably, the best of its kind.
- DirectorJoon-Hwan JangStarsShin Ha-kyunBaek Yun-shikHwang Jung-minByeong-gu believes that the world is on the verge of an alien invasion, and sets out to save the world.A wild mash-up of genres, that isn't afraid to go in some very dark directions. This movie is a true one-of-a-kind.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsChoi Min-sikYoo Ji-taeKang Hye-jeongAfter being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must track down his captor in five days.The most popular Korean film ever, for good reason. A dark, fascinating and compelling thriller, that genuinely stands out in so many ways: story, Choi Min-sik's performance, production design, and some of the most insane action sequences.
- DirectorHwang Dong-hyukStarsLee Byung-hunKim Yoon-seokPark Hae-ilIn 1636, King Injo hides in the mountains to avoid being part of the Qing dynasty.A sweeping period epic, the best I've seen since Masquerade, and the best-produced. A compelling bit of history, with excellent performances, and gorgeous snowy cinematography, complemented by a score from the great Ryuichi Sakamoto.
- DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsJeon Do-yeonSong Kang-hoLee Dong-yongA woman moves to the town where her dead husband was born. As she tries to fit in, another tragic event overturns her life.Another phenomenally well-made and well-acted movie from Chang-dong Lee, maybe Korea's most "mature" filmmaker.
- DirectorLee Joon-ikStarsLee ReSol Kyung-guUhm Ji-wonStory of an 8-year-old girl who faces a horrible rape that damages her internally and affects her emotionally, trying to overcome all the obstacles following the incident with the good support of those around her.The subject matter here is beyond distressing, and risky for a film. But the movie never feels exploitative, and handles its story with care and delicacy. It will however, tug at your heartstrings, maybe more incessantly than any other Korean film I've seen.
- DirectorGeun-hyun ChoJo Geun-HyeonJo Geun HyunStarsJin GooHan Hye-jinBae Soo-bin26 years ago, state troops were ordered to open fire on civilians in city of Gwangju who were demonstrating as apart of a democratic movement.Another great political thriller, concerning a fictional assassination attempt on ex-President Chun Doo-hwan.
- DirectorChan-sang LimStarsSong Kang-hoMoon So-riLee Jae-eungFollows a president's barber, his wife, and their only son through four decades of tumultuous Korean history.Four decades of Korean history from the perspective of a barber - a lovely little film and great, overlooked Song Kang-ho role.