Best Of, South Korean Cinema.
I LOVE Asian Cinema. Films from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan as well as a few South East Asian features. However, for the past few years Ive been noticing a trend... a lot of the truly GREAT, Original films Asian or Non Asian alike have been coming out of SOUTH Korea. It seems they have been going through a "film renaissance" in the past few years and have been releasing great film after great film after another.
Today their film industry reminds me of how Hollywood used to be, from way back in the 70's BEFORE they started remaking EVERYTHING and adapting every comic book and video game there is (and doing a horrible job mind you), back when the movies that came out were original and superbly directed.
Ive compiled a list of some of the Best South Korean films Ive seen so far. And if you're anything like me, burnt out on crappy Superhero films (not counting the Nolan Batman Trilogy of course.), Pointless Horror Sequels and more mindless Hollywood turds, Feel free to give this list a look through and provide a few suggestions if i missed any notable ones... im always open to "discover" more gems.
Today their film industry reminds me of how Hollywood used to be, from way back in the 70's BEFORE they started remaking EVERYTHING and adapting every comic book and video game there is (and doing a horrible job mind you), back when the movies that came out were original and superbly directed.
Ive compiled a list of some of the Best South Korean films Ive seen so far. And if you're anything like me, burnt out on crappy Superhero films (not counting the Nolan Batman Trilogy of course.), Pointless Horror Sequels and more mindless Hollywood turds, Feel free to give this list a look through and provide a few suggestions if i missed any notable ones... im always open to "discover" more gems.
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- 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.
- 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.Like many have said before me: Its a masterpiece.
- DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsLee Byung-hunChoi Min-sikJeon Gook-hwanA secret agent exacts revenge on a serial killer through a series of captures and releases.No one does Modern Revenge films quite like East Asian Cinema. Another instant Classic. Brutal stuff.
- 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.Take note hollywood, this is how a suspense/thriller is done, and done right.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsKim Min-heeHa Jung-wooCho Jin-woongA woman is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, but secretly she is involved in a plot to defraud her.
- DirectorKang Je-kyuStarsJang Dong-gunWon BinEun-ju LeeWhen two brothers are forced to fight in the Korean War, the elder decides to take the riskiest missions if it will help shield the younger from battle.Makes Saving Private Ryan look like a walk in the park.
- DirectorLee Hae-junStarsJeong Jae-yeongJung Ryeo-wonYeong-seo ParkA failed suicide attempt leads a heartbroken man to live a life in the wilderness.A nice quirky film that is extremely well acted, especially from Ryeo-won Jeong. A definite must see.
- 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.Another Great, Great film from master story teller Chan Wook Park.
- DirectorKwang-Hyun ParkStarsJeong Jae-yeongShin Ha-kyunKang Hye-jeongSoldiers from both sides of the Korean divide live among villagers who know nothing of the war.(Along with JSA) Its One of the BEST Anti War movies ever made.
- DirectorYeon Sang-hoStarsGong YooJung Yu-miMa Dong-seokWhile a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsNam-mi KangJeong-nam ChoiHye-Sook GoAfter being wrongfully imprisoned for thirteen years and having her child taken away from her, a woman seeks revenge through increasingly brutal means.Beautifully made. Kinda like, Poetry... in motion.
- 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.A work of Art.
- DirectorJae-young KwakStarsCha Tae-hyunJun Ji-hyunIn-mun KimA young man sees a drunk, cute woman standing too close to the tracks at a metro station in Seoul and pulls her back. She ends up getting him into trouble repeatedly after that, starting on the train.The RomCom All other RomCom wishes they were. Actually Funny and Romantic at the same time.
- 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.
- DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsYun Jeong-hieLee Da-witKim Hee-raA sixty-something woman, faced with the discovery of a heinous family crime and in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, finds strength and purpose when she enrolls in a poetry class.
- DirectorLee Jeong-beomStarsWon BinKim Sae-ronKim Tae-hoonA quiet pawnshop keeper with a violent past takes on a drug-and-organ trafficking ring in hope of saving the child who is his only friend.
- 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.
- 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.Imagine if Tony Montana SURVIVED the hit put out on him at the end of Scarface. Thats what this film expands on, after refusing to execute a woman, Korean Gangster Sun-woo gets beaten half to death, tortured, and even buried alive, he somehow escapes and takes REVENGE on the people who wronged him up until the highly stylized climactic shootout, there is even a great homage to Taxi Driver at the end.
- DirectorCheol-soo JangStarsSeo Yeong-hieJi Seong-wonMin-ho HwangA woman subject to mental, physical and sexual abuse on a remote island seeks a way out.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoByun Hee-BongPark Hae-ilA monster emerges from Seoul's Han River and begins attacking people. One victim's loving family does what it can to rescue her from its clutches.
- DirectorPark Kyung-JinJohn H. LeeKim Tae-WonStarsJung Woo-sungSon Ye-jinBaek Jong-hakA young couple's enduring love is tested when 27-year-old Su-jin is diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.
- 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.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsLee Seung-yunJae HeeHyuk-ho KwonA transient young man breaks into empty homes to partake of the vacationing residents' lives for a few days.
- DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsSong Kang-hoLee Byung-hunJung Woo-sungThe story of two outlaws and a bounty hunter in 1940s Manchuria and their rivalry to possess a treasure map while being pursued by the Japanese army and Chinese bandits.
- DirectorRyoo Seung-wanStarsChoi Min-sikRyu Seung-beomJeong-ah BaeTae Sik, a troubled middle aged man and Sang Hwan, a troubled youth will meet in the ring with their respective mission. To change their life.After the success of the modern-day comic martial arts epic Arahan, writer/director Ryu Seung-wan changed gears and again teamed up with his brother, actor Ryu Seung-beom, to produce Crying Fist, a much more serious boxing drama. Actor Ryu plays Yu Sang-hwan, a street thug who rejects the life of his hard-working, struggling father for a life of petty crime and run-ins with the law. He winds up in a juvenile detention center, where he responds to some bullying by flying at the bully, Roc (Kim Su-hyeon), and biting his ear off. Yu is then taken under the wing of the prison’s boxing trainer, and he learns a bit of self-discipline through boxing, gradually recognizing his own strengths, and eventually acknowledging the support of his caring family. Meanwhile, 40-year-old Kang Tae-shik (Choi Min-sik of Oldboy), is a washed up former champion whose home and professional life have completely fallen apart. His wife leaves him, taking their young son. Besieged by creditors, Kang earns a meager living by charging people on the street for the privilege of punching him out. In danger of losing his son forever, his own health deteriorating rapidly, Kang decides to enter one last boxing competition, the same one which the equally desperate Yu has chosen to show his mettle. Crying Fist won a FIPRESCI Award at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, and had its North American premiere at Subway Cinema’s 2005 New York Asian Film Festival, with director Ryu in attendance.
- 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.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsKim Hye-jaWon BinJin GooA mother desperately searches for the killer who framed her son for a girl's horrific murder.
- DirectorHyun-seung LeeStarsLee Jung-jaeJun Ji-hyunMu-saeng KimIn 1999, a voice actor moves from Il Mare, a seaside house, and leaves a Christmas card in its (magical) mailbox. An architecture student receives it in 1997, and a friendship separated by 2 years begins.
- 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.
- DirectorJae-young KwakStarsSon Ye-jinZo In-sungCho Seung-wooA college student finds a diary detailing a long-ago love triangle involving her mother, her future father, and his best friend.
- 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.
- DirectorHae-sung SongStarsChoi Min-sikCecilia CheungSon Byung-hoA marriage of convenience between a petty gangster and an illegal immigrant he has never met has unforeseen consequences for them both.
- DirectorYoon Jong-binStarsChoi Min-sikHa Jung-wooCho Jin-woongOn the verge of being fired, a corrupt customs official finds a haul of drugs and teams up with a vicious gangster to become the most powerful crime partnership in Busan.
- 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.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsLim Soo-jungRainPark Byeong-eunA girl who thinks she is a combat cyborg checks into a mental hospital, where she encounters other psychotics. Eventually, she falls for a man who thinks he can steal people's souls.
- DirectorJin-won ChoiStarsKang Shin-ilLee Jong-hyukYoon Tae-youngA low-life scumbag gets kidnapped by a mysterious gang and put through inhumane training to become a mole inside the police force.Asking his father who is imprisoned in jail for money, threatening a friend who became a murderer by mistake, stealing money from his friends…KU Dong-hyuk (KIM Rae-won) is the worst scumbag you can ever imagine. Living a low-life existence like a street dog, one day, Dong-hyuk gets kidnapped by a mysterious gang. Held captive for no reason, Dong-huk is repeatedly trained by the gang in a secret and inhumane way. Dong-hyuk tries to escape but fails, which makes the training more harsh and cruel than before. After finishing all the training, the gang orders Dong-hyuk to become a police detective as their secret connection.
- 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.
- DirectorKim Sung-suStarsJung Woo-sungAhn Sung-kiJu Jin-mo1375. Nine Koryo warriors, envoys exiled by Imperial China, battle to protect a Chinese Ming Princess from Mongolian troops.
- DirectorYun-hyeon JangStarsGo SooSong Ji-hyoLee Dong-kyuClose to $10 million of illegal drugs, intended to be presented as evidence in court, is stolen from the police as they are transporting it to the station. The police name as a suspect the man in charge of transporting the evidence, Section Chief Oh (Kang Shin-Il) of the violent crimes division, and an investigation begins. However, a younger colleague Kang Sung-Joo (Ko Soo) who believes that Section Chief Oh is innocent pursues another suspect in hopes of finding the criminal. In a car chase with the suspect, who is driving under the influence of drugs, there is a car crash and the suspect is killed. By tracing phone numbers on the dead man's mobile phone, Sung-joo continues to pursue the investigation, however the next suspect he follows is also killed, and the incident becomes shrouded in mystery. At the same time, while investigating Sung-Joo gets to know a friend of one of the suspects, traffic reporter Seo Yu-Jin (Song Ji-Hyo).Although they are meeting for the first time, both of them get the odd sense that the other person is not unfamiliar, that they have seen each other before. What's more, Yu-Jin in a flash of deja-vu sees Sung-Joo get killed. A city in which black rain falls from a blue sky. Some... 24 hours in which this man and woman, who have given each other the keys to their lives, rush towards a predestined death. At this moment, this is the extent of what we can reveal about the story.It’s hard to describe the plot in this movie without spoilers, since the plot kind of unfolds with every twist and turn. We first meet Kang Seong-ju, a young detective on the trail of a gang of loosely organized members who have gotten in way over their heads. It’s not long before he encounters Seo Yu-jin, a charming news reporter who seems to hold the key to the mystery at hand. As Kang attempts to unravel the the clues and track down a mysterious name, Yu-jin is haunted by deja vu. She is sure that the two have met before, and begins to experience visions.
The story was pretty well written. Not too over the top, and the twists were not so confusing as many directors try to do. The thing that really made this movie work was that it took care not to lean too much into one genre that it became stereotypical. IMDb lists it as an Action / Crime / Mystery movie and certainly it contains just the right portions of all those. They even threw in just a touch of Sci -Fi to make it that much more interesting. All together, this is a movie cocktail guaranteed to please. - DirectorKang Woo-sukStarsSol Kyung-guLee Sung-jaeKang Shin-ilA detective plays cat-and-mouse with a banker who brutally murdered his own parents.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsLee EolKwak Ji-minHan Yeo-reumJae-Young is an amateur prostitute who sleeps with men while her best friend Yeo-Jin "manages" her, fixing dates, taking care of the money and making sure the coast is clear. When Jae-Young falls in love with one of those man she suppresses her feelings towards him in respect of her friend who's jealous.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsBae DoonaLee Sung-jaeKim Ho-jungAn idle part-time college lecturer is annoyed by the yapping sound of a nearby dog. He decides to take drastic action.
- DirectorJong Hyeon YangStarsShin Hyeon-junKang Hye-jeongKim Hye-OkAlso called Kiss me, Kill me A contract killer's life gets complicated when he fails to kill his target, a girl who wants to die because of a bad break-up.
- DirectorRyoo Seung-wanStarsRyoo Seung-wanLee Beom-suKim Byeong-OkAfter their childhood friend is murdered, a two-man martial arts army beats a path to the perp.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsJang Dong-gunKim Jeong-hakPark Ji-ahA member of Coast Guard Platoon 23, Private Kang monitors a high-infiltration stretch of beach lined with barbed-wire fencing. Driven by the belief that killing a spy is the highest honor, he waits for a chance to prove his worth.
- DirectorLee Jong EonOunie LecomteStarsKim Sae-ronKo Ah-sungSol Kyung-guYoung Jinhee is taken by her father to an orphanage near Seoul. He leaves her there never to return, and she struggles to come to grips with her fate. Jinhee desperately believes her father will come back for her.
- DirectorLee Joon-ikStarsKam Woo-seongJung Jin-youngKang Seong-yeonTwo clowns living in Korea's Chosun Dynasty get arrested for staging a play that satirizes the king. They are dragged to the palace and threatened with execution but are given a chance to save their lives if they can make the king laugh.
- DirectorRyoo Seung-wanStarsRyu Seung-beomYoon So-yiAhn Sung-kiAs a dorky cop falls in with five Tao masters who admire his c'hi, an ancient foe comes looking for them all.
- DirectorJin JangStarsShin Hyeon-junShin Ha-kyunWon BinFour unlikely assassins genuinely care about their customers and victims, meanwhile a prosecutor is on their trail.Guns and Talks follows a team of four skilled hitmen who will assasinate anyone for money. However, these are not your normal hitmen. They actually wouldn’t kill anyone without a contract, and still ponder why people would ever want someone to be killed.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsHan Yeo-reumSeo Ji-seokJeon Gook-hwanOn a fishing boat at sea, a 60-year old man has been raising a girl since she was a baby. It is agreed that they will get married on her 17th birthday, and she is 16 now. They live a quiet and secluded life, renting the boat to day fishermen and practicing strange divination rites. Their life changes when a teenage student comes aboard...
- DirectorHan Jae-rimStarsSong Kang-hoOh Dal-suChoi Il-hwaA light hearted action noir about a part time gangster who tries to be a full time daddy and wants to live a peaceful life with his family despite of being in trouble almost all the time, due to his profession.With middle age creeping up on him, the life and achievements of amiable, mid-level Korean gangster Kang In-gu are about due for an objective assessment. He’s certainly not in top streetfighting form anymore, and the young thugs under his command aren’t exactly an elite troop of criminals. Moreover, his wife is running out of patience with his career choice and the lack of social finesse it entails, and his dearly loved daughter is embarrassed beyond words by her often uncouth dad (but then, aren’t all teenagers?). Kang’s dream is to buy one of those impressive, Western-style suburban homes, in which domestic peace may at last blossom.
But his headaches at home are matched by even more sinister developments in the criminal underworld he inhabits. Kang is highly esteemed by his boss, who favours him over his own brother — an underling to Kang, seething with resentment. A conflict with another gang puts Kang and his childhood buddy on opposite sides of the fence. The fact is, Kang just wants everything to work out right for everyone –- and we all know which road is paved with good intentions… the road to hell. - DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsJung SuhKim Yu-seokCho Jae-hyunWorking at a fishing resort in an idyllic location, but surrounded by various facets of human unpleasantness, a young mute woman falls in love with a man on the run from the law for committing murder.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsHa Jung-wooPark Ji-yeonBaek Gwang-DooTo save her relationship, a woman puts herself through extensive plastic surgery.
- DirectorCheol-hie ParkStarsShin Ha-kyunYun Ji-hyeKim Min-joonA mute hit-man vows to kill only the rude, and save up enough money for tongue surgery.
- DirectorSuh-Goon LeeStarsRyu Seung-ryongLee Yo-wonLee Dong-wookThe Recipe centers on a TV producer searching for the recipe for an enchanting spicy bean-curd stew--and its elusive creator. Producer/presenter Choi Yu-jin smells a scoop when he learns that the last request of mass murderer and famed fugitive Kim Jong-gu before he was executed in February 2009 was for a bowl of dwinjang jjigae (beancurd stew). Choi discovers Kim was arrested at the tiny Sanjang Restaurant in a mountain pine forest outside Seoul, while eating a bowl of dwinjang jjigae so delicious that it reduced him to a state of pure bliss. Choi discovers that the soup was made not by the restaurant's owner but by a mysterious young woman, Jang Hye-jin, who turned up one day with a suitcase and was taken in by the owner. Choi becomes obsessed with finding Jang, who's since disappeared, and tracing her precise ingredients and preparation method.
- 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.
- DirectorAndrew LauStarsJun Ji-hyunJung Woo-sungLee Sung-jaeAbout a tragic love triangle story involving young painter Hye-young, Interpol detective Jeong Woo, and professional hitman Park Yi.
- DirectorIm Sang-sooStarsJeon Do-yeonLee Jung-jaeYoun Yuh-jungA man's affair with his family's housemaid leads to dark consequences.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsYang Dong-geunMin-jung BanKim Young-minRomances end in blood and the frail hopes of individuals are torn apart in a vile karmic continuity of colonialism, civil war and occupation. After surviving Japanese colonization, Korea became the first war zone of the Cold War. The legacy of war remains today in this divided country.
- DirectorKyung-taek KwakStarsYu Oh-seongJang Dong-gunSeo Tae-hwaFour childhood friends go their separate ways, two go off to college while the others become rival gangsters.
- DirectorYoung-jun KimStarsShin Hyeon-junHuh Joon-hoIn-hwa JeongA man serving a life sentence for murder is given a short reprieve to be with his daughter, who suffers from Wilson's disease and desperately needs a liver transplant.This film tells an emotional tale about a pair of fathers – an adopted father and a birth father – who risk all to save their ailing daughter from losing her life. Though one is a cop and the other a convicted murderer, the two share a fatal bond through the little girl.
- DirectorHa YooStarsZo In-sungChun Ho-jinMin Nam-koongA small time thug collecting debts for the local triad is torn between his criminal aspirations and his devotion to family.
- DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsPark In-hwanNa Moon-heeSong Kang-hoA family opens a mountain inn where their first guest commits suicide. Suddenly all their guests befall horrible fates.
- DirectorRyoo Seung-wanStarsSeong-bin ParkRyu Seung-beomBae Jung-shik"Die Bad" is an inventive feature made up of four distinct episodes, each with their own style. With their criss-crossing characters and themes, they add up to a fairly comprehensive account of the causes and effects of male aggression, both tribal and individual.
- DirectorHur Jin-hoStarsHan Suk-kyuShim Eun-haShin GooHahn Suk-Kyu suffers from a fatal disease. He meets Shim Eun-Ha and falls in love with her. Will their love story have a tragic ending?When Jung-won (Han Suk-kyu), a thoughtful and sensitive shopkeeper, is diagnosed as being terminally ill he decides for the sake of his family and friends, to suffer in silence, running his photography business and his life as if nothing was wrong. However, when he meets the luminous Da-rim (Shim Eun-ha) and instantly falls for her, his life and his decisions are given a stark reality that brings home the seriousness of his situation. With the pair spending more and more time together and as his condition becomes more serious, the shopkeeper is forced to make a heart-breaking decision.
- DirectorDae-wung LimStarsLee Dong-kyuSeong-won JangSeol-ah YuBuried grudges have disasterous consequences for a class reunion in this unapologetically bloody film from Korean director Dae-wung Lim.With all her heart Mi-ja (Seo Young-hee) cares for her former elemental school teacher Ms. Park (Oh Mi-hee), who is now bound to a wheelchair and living in a secluded house in the countryside. Before she dies Mi-ja wants to invite her old school mates she hasn’t seen for 16 years, in order to do something good for their mutual teacher. However, when the visitors arrive it becomes apparent that every one of them has a good reason to hold a deep grudge against their teacher. At first everyone hides their feelings and they show her the appropriate respect, but soon the false mask they put on falls to pieces.
Ms. Park is responsible for several traumatic experiences of her students, or she even indirectly phyisically handycapped them for the rest of their life. There is Dar-bong (Park Hyo-jun), who is limping and had to leave behind his dream of becoming a professional Baseball player, Sun-hee (Lee Ji-hyun), who is now constantly having cosmetic surgery and is suffering from anorexia, because as she was a bit chubby as a child and has always been bullied by her teacher. Every one of the six visitors has been marked for life by Mrs. Park, the one way or the other, and therefore couldn’t achieve anything in life. Mrs. Park, however, remembers things differently of her time as a teacher. Disapproval and hatred soon starts to spread among the visitors.
But suddenly one after another the former class mates get brutally slaughtered. Has this something to do with the disfigured child of Mrs. Park, whom she always locked up in the basement? - DirectorSo Yong KimStarsChae Gil ByoungJung Gil JaShin Hyun JeIn Seoul, Korea, two sisters must look after each other when their mother leaves them to search for their estranged father.
- DirectorSeong-gook KwonStarsLee Min-wooHahaHa-ryong LimWon-Tak's dad, an old-time con-man, was suddenly killed during a freak accident in the prison, just one day before his release. Having waited for so many years to be reconciled with his dad and to start a new life together, Won-Tak felt betrayed and vowed to ruin his own life and bring shame to his parents. However, unknown to him, Wong-Tak's dad has managed to strike a bargain with an angel to return to the living world as Won-Tak's new best friend.Won-Tak’s dad, an old-time con-man, was suddenly killed during a freak accident in the prison, just one day before his release. Having waited for so many years to be reconciled with his dad and to start a new life together, Won-Tak felt betrayed and vowed to ruin his own life and bring shame to his parents. However, unknown to him, Wong-Tak’s dad has managed to strike a bargain with an angel to return to the living world as Won-Tak’s new bestfriend…
- DirectorIm Kwon-taekStarsChoi Min-sikAhn Sung-kiYoo Ho-jeongIn a time of political and social unrest in nineteenth-century Korea, an uncouth, self-taught painter explores his natural talent amidst the repressive world around him.
- DirectorUi-seok JoStarsKim Sang-kyungPark Yong-wooHan Bo-baeJung-Ho a famous photographer who has a special ability to read people's minds, has just returned to Korea from abroad. Jung-Ho still can't get rid of traumatic memories of his late girlfriend who ended her life in front of him. In the midst of this, Jung-Ho becomes a temporary guardian for Soo-Yeon a little girl whose mother is in a coma. Detective Kim begins to suspect Jung-Ho is involved in the gruesome events that surround him. And the case becomes even more desperate when Soo-Yeon herself disappears.Up-and-coming director Jo Eui Seok, who made a strong impression five years ago with debut feature Make It Big, breaks his silence with his sophomore film, the crime thriller World of Silence. Beautifully shot and tightly told, the suspenseful story pulls the viewer into a dangerous mind game between the police and a serial murderer. Lead Kim Sang Kyung is no stranger to crime drama, having portrayed a detective in the acclaimed Memories of Murder, but this time his mysterious character falls on the other side of the case. Park Yong Woo, fresh off the success of My Scary Girl, stars as a police officer who must race against the clock to save a young girl’s life. The tense chemistry between the two men drives the film as the plot builds up to its gripping conclusion.
- DirectorHun JangStarsSong Kang-hoGang Dong-wonKo Chang-seokA fired South Korean agent and a deserted North Korean spy meet by chance after six years and start a business partnership, each with the intention of stealing information from the other.
- DirectorHong Sang-sooStarsEun-ju LeeMoon Sung-KeunJeong Bo-seokRelationship filled with pitfalls between a pleasant female video producer and a gallery owner as they become embroiled in their self-spun web of illusions. Bitter-sweet serenade to modern courtship.
- DirectorKang Hyo-jinStarsDo Ji-WonKim Byeong-cheolSulli Choi(Korean with English subtitles) Ha-eun is a housewife physically abused by her mixed martial artist husband regularly. When her husband hit their daughter one day, Ha-eun is driven to her absolute breaking point. To put an end to his constant harassment, she starts training as a boxer, and publicly challenges her abusive husband to an organized fight in front of the whole nation!Do ji-won stars in this tense and cathartic South Korean drama as a battered housewife whose husband’s regular beatings drive her to the absolute breaking point. In defiance, she tears away from him and trains as a boxer, then publicly challenges him to an organized fight before an audience of spectators.
- DirectorYun-ho YangStarsYang Dong-geunAya HirayamaMasaya KatôIt is a Korean boy who went to Japan and started to learn Karate from his brother.Fighter in the Wind is a dramatic and stylized portrayal of the life of Kyokushin karate founder Masutatsu Oyama, or as he is known in this movie by his original Korean name, Choi Baedal. As a biopic of a man who wrestled bulls and whom the New York Times declared in 1961 to be “the toughest man in the world,” it falls far short of giving an accurate portrayal of someone whose real-life exploits are more fascinating than any fiction. That said, Fighter in the Wind is an immensely entertaining martial arts movie that’s full of breath-taking action and heart.
- DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsPark Sang-MyeonSong Kang-hoJin-young JangA wimpy, incompetent bank clerk decides to become a pro wrestler.
- DirectorYang Ik-joonStarsKim KkobbiHwan LeeYang Ik-joonA bitter loan shark strikes a friendship with a troubled schoolgirl as he faces his own troubled past with his abusive father.
- DirectorHa YooStarsKwon Sang-wooLee Jung-JinHan Ga-inBy "Fist of Fury", Kim Hyun-Soo (Sang-Woo Kwone) addicted to Bruce Lee. Year 1978. Hyun-Soo moved to KangNam, Seoul. Hyun-Soo transferred to JungMoon High, Maljuk Street, Kangnam, Seoul. He goes schooling by No.78 Bus. First day a senior male took Hyun-Soo's collar and made Hyun-Soo being punished inside JungMoon playground because of forgetting collar Hyun-Soo made friends with Kim Woo-Sik (Bruce Lee fan) and Hamburger. Hamburger always bring adult magazines to school and was always being found by the school soldiers. Hyun-Soo father had his own TaeKwonDo Dojo - his wish is to see Hyun-Soo being the top 5 in his JungMoon High class, and got himself promoted to University. One day inside #78 bus, Hamburger and Hyun-Soo met Kang Eun-Ju (EunYang Female High), a female Bruce Lee fan who looks like "Olivia Hussey", whose music favorites are Agaetha (ABBA) and Celsia Chan, Hyun-Soo began to fall in love with Eun-Ju. Hyun-Soo and Woo-Sik became rivals of Cha Jung-Hoon (Triad Head, JungMoon High) when Jung-Hoon took Eun-Ju's schoolbag inside #78 Bus, and Woo-Sik settled everything. Woo-Sik tried flirting Eun-Ju but she refused him because she loves Hyun-Soo. On a Rainy day, Hyun-Soo talked with Eun-Ju in #78 Bus, knew that Eun-Ju keep listening to a midnight radio program, and she had even wrote postcards to that program but it didn't speak out her postcard messages. Hyun-Soo lent Eun-Ju his black Umbrella and ran to home. Eun-Ju ask Woo-Sik to return the umbrella to Hyun-Soo, Hyun-Soo wrote postcard to the radio program and it spoke the message at 2am when Eun-Ju was in #78 bus. Hyun-Soo invited Eun-Ju to listen to his guitar playing. Eun-Ju asked Hyun-Soo to return Woo-Sik's pen. She even wrote her reply to the radio program. Woo-Sik and Hyun-Soo were being punished inside a wardrobe, with the soldier telling them how many Viet Congs he had ever killed in Vietnam War by himself without any comrades to help. Hyun-Soo went to library and heard Eun-Ju's postcard message in the radio program which both Eun-Ju and Hyun-Soo always listened to. Eun-Ju regret asking Woo-Sik to return umbrella and she promised Hyun-Soo that she won't ever disappoint him anymore. Then, Hamburger became Jung-Hoon's gang member. Woo-Sik tore Hamburger's adult photos, Jung-Hoon challenged Woo-Sik to roof battle. Finally Woo-Sik was defeated and was carried by Hyun-Soo. Woo-Sik even left JungMoon High without contacting Hyun-Soo anymore. Eun-Ju was being rumored to leave with Woo-Sik but later Hamburger found that she had not left with Woo-Sik, but was being suspended one year for bad results. One day, Hyun-Soo met Jung-Hoon's gang. they threatened to remove Hyun-Soo's eyeballs from his eyes. Hyun-Soo decided to train himself for any further struggle with Jung-Hoon's gang. On the day of Hyun-Soo's battle, a classmate threw his milk to Jung-Hoon. Jung-Hoon's gang ran into Hyun-Soo's class and ask who did that. Hamburger tried pacifying Jung-Hoon but failed. Hyun-Soo stood up and challenged Jung-Hoon at roof. Hyun-Soo used his double-stick to hit Jung-Hoon when they went upstairs. Finally, in great resistance, Hyun-Soo won the battle and went downstairs. Soldiers stopped Hyun-Soo, but he escaped, destroyed 2 windows and spoke, "F**k all schools in Korea!" Hyun-Soo father talked to Jung-Hoon's mother but she blame Hyun-Soo for destroying her son's face. Hyun-Soo said sorry to father, father asked Hyun-Soo if Bruce Lee had ever studied into University. Hyun-Soo smiled, father knew no. Hyun-Soo studied in G.E.D. (General Education Diploma) and met Hamburger when Hamburger sold his adult magazines to classmates for 2 bucks. Hamburger told Hyun-Soo that Eun-Ju also studied this GED center. Hyun-Soo waited Eun-Ju but failed, got up to #78 Bus. Hyun-Soo missed Eun-Ju until females said "Bye-bye, Eun-Ju!" Hyun-Soo turned his head and saw Eun-Ju alone. Eun-Ju said that Korea weather is colder than before, Hyun-Soo said yes. Eun-Ju got off in HanNam station. Hamburger ask Hyun-Soo to watch Jackie Chan movie, "Drunken Master" and even said Bruce Lee is already outdated. Hyun-Soo kicked to revenge for Bruce Lee outside the cinema door.
- DirectorKyung-taek KwakStarsYu Oh-seongMin-seo ChaeSeung-won YunThe true story of Korean boxer Kim Duk-koo.Champion is the true story of Korean boxer Kim Duk-koo. Born into poverty,
Kim turned to boxing and embraced the sport in the late 70s. He quickly shot through
the Korean boxing ranks and was dubbed by the WBA as the world’s #1 lightweight contender.
His fight against Champion Ray 'Boom Boom’ Mancini was held in an arena outside of Caesar’s
Palace on November 13, 1982 and ultimately ended in tragedy. - DirectorYoung-jun KimStarsShin Hyeon-junYoon So-yiLee Seo-jinSo-ha, a deadly female warrior, is sent to find a exiled prince after the Killer Blade Army killed the royal family.
- DirectorKim Tai-sikStarsKwang-jung ParkJeong Bo-seokJo Eun-jiAfter realizing that his wife has been cheating on him, mild-mannered stamp maker Tae-han leaves his small seaside town of Naksan determined to track down his wife's lover, a taxicab driver from Seoul named Joong-sik.
- DirectorKwon-tae AhnStarsShin Ha-kyunWon BinKim Hae-sookThe younger brother, Jong-hyeon (Won Bin) is a good-looking, class-A fighter. The older brother, Seong-hyeon (Shin Ha-gyun) is unbelievably tender and pure, a class-A student. They've been fighting, nearly non-stop for 17 years. Trouble began when their mother (Kim Hae-suk) favored Seong-hyeon over his younger brother. Round 2 began when both brothers fell for the same girl, the most beautiful girl in the neighborhood, Mi-ryeong (Lee Bo-yeong). When the long-simmering emotions finally explode and a huge fight breaks out, Seong-hyeon tells his younger brother something he had never been able to say before: "Jong-hyeon, would you call me hyeong just once? I've never heard it before from you..." "Hyeong" - the word that younger Korea brothers call their older brothers. And yet Jong-hyeon has never said it to his brother.The story is narrated by the younger brother of a cleft-lipped boy, who is the runt of the family and thus gets all the attention from his doting mother. The boys’ father left them because of his son’s disfigurement, and shortly after that, the mother discovered she was pregnant (with the narrator).
The father leaves little behind – except an old camera. The show begins and ends with that camera. As the boys grow up, there is rivalry for a girl, and the older son’s heart is broken as his brother plagiarises his love poetry for her, and ends up going out with her instead. Still, the older son shows love and patience to his brother, despite getting constantly abused by him. Eventually they start to get along. But there is one thing the narrator is unable to do – call his disfigured sibling ‘his brother’. His whole life has been filled with jealousy towards his older brother, and resentment towards his mother for the unequal treatment.
While the older son goes on to medical school, the narrator falls out with society, his mother, and even his brother, becoming a debt-collector. Ultimately a string of unfortunate misdeeds which he commits, comes back to haunt him, and it is finally then that he can call his cleft-lipped sibling ‘his brother’. - DirectorFruit ChanPark Chan-wookTakashi MiikeStarsBai LingLee Byung-hunKyoko HasegawaAn Asian cross-cultural trilogy of horror films from accomplished indie directors.Chan-wook Park (segment "Cut")
- DirectorHong Sang-sooStarsKim Sang-kyungMoon So-riYoo Joon-sangTwo friends, while having drinks together, share their memories of visiting the seaside resort of Tongyeong.Movie director Moon-kyeong Jo (Sang-kyung Kim), who recently decided to immigrate to Canada, takes a trip down to the small sea-side town of Tongyeong, South Korea. There he meets acquaintance Jong-sik Bang (Jun-Sang Yu) who is a movie critic. The film director and movie critic sits down to have drinks and talk about their past.
They also come across Seong-wook Yang (So-ri Moon), who is an amateur poet and cultural guide in Tongyeong and a charming young woman (played by Min-sun Kim). - DirectorMin-ho WooStarsKim Myung-minUhm Ki-joonPark Joo-miThe life of a respected minister and loving family man shatters after his daughter is kidnapped. When she is not returned, he renounces God and becomes a corrupt businessman.Joo Young-Soo is a minister whose daughter gets kidnapped. Eventually the minister loses his faith in God, quits the church and opens a business. 8 years later, Young-Soo’s wife still works feverishly to find their daughter and in the process becomes hospitalized. Then out of the blue, the abductor contacts Young-Soo and demands a ransom for his daughter. The former minister must make the most difficult of choices. He then sets out to rescue his daughter once and for all …
- DirectorJeong-hyang LeeStarsYoo Seung-hoEul-boon KimHyo-hee DongThis is the story of a 7-year-old boy, Sang-woo, born and raised in the big city, and his mute grandmother, who has spent her whole life in a small rural village.
- DirectorYoung-hoon ParkStarsLee Byung-hunLee Mi-yeonLee Eol2 Korean brothers live together with the older's wife. The 2 each have a car accident and end up in a coma. After a year the younger wakes up but behaves like and claims to be the older brother. Is he and will the wife accept it?
- DirectorHan Jae-rimStarsPark Hae-ilLee Dae-yeonKang Hye-jeongAn introvert, indifferent woman joins a high school as a student teacher, under supervision of a shameless, nymphomaniac man who is a year younger than her. On a school trip, the supervisor tells the trainee that he wants to have sex with her. The movie deals with the woman willing yet indifferent to indulge in physical relationship with her professional senior. Ethics, morals, feelings, love show up and are turned down.Dating isn’t easy, but it gets even more complicated when it happens in the workplace. And if the two people dating are already involved with other people, then that’s a whole new batch of complications to add to the equation. Can true love really bloom in such circumstances? Director Han Jae Rim received the Best New Director Award at the 43rd Daejong Awards for his work in this unconventional tale of lust and love.
- DirectorNeung-han SongStarsBang Eun-heeSong Kang-hoSeong-ho LeeTae Ju, number 3 man in his gangster organization, he wants to be the number one. Can he realize his ambition?No. 3 (넘버3)is a (1997) South Korean gangster comedy film starring Han Suk-kyu as the titular no. 3 man of a gangster organization who’s aspiring to rise up the ranks and become the leader of his own gang. It was writer-director Song Nung-han’s debut film.
- DirectorJae-young KwakStarsJun Ji-hyunJang HyukKim Soo-roThe heart-warming romance story between Kyungjin and Myungwoo. Even though he has passed away, he will be always with Kyungwoo forever.
- DirectorNa Hong-jinStarsLee Yoo-miHa Jung-wooLee Hee-joonWhen the attempt to kill a professor goes wrong, a series of violent events are triggered which force a taxi driver to run for his life.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsCho Jae-hyunWon SeoKim Yun-taeAn unfeeling gangster seeks to ruin the life of a young girl who rejected him. He forces her into prostitution and spies on her regularly, then he soon begins to fall for her.
- DirectorWon Tae-yeonStarsKwon Sang-wooLee Bo-youngLee Beom-su"K" loves Cream but has terminal cancer so he keeps his love for her secret and tries to find a mate for her before he dies so she will not be alone after he dies.
- DirectorKi-hyeong ParkStarsShim Hye-jinKim Jin-geunOh-bin MunAfter unsuccessfully trying to have a baby of their own, Dr. Kim Do-il and his father convince his wife Choi Mi-sook to adopt a child in an orphanage. Mi-sook is connected to arts and chooses the six years Kim Jin-sung that loves to draw trees. The boy becomes close to the eight years old next door neighbor Min-jee and is attracted to an old Acacia tree in their lawn. When Mi-sook unexpectedly gets pregnant, her mother asks her to return Jin-sung to the orphanage, beginning the rejection process of the boy. When the baby is born, Mi-sook does not treat Jin-sung well, who believes the acacia tree is his mother, and in a rainy night he vanishes. Along the next days, the family becomes insane, disclosing a dark secret about Jin-sung.
- DirectorSung-ho KimStarsYoo Ji-taeKim Myung-minKim Hye-naAn ex-cop, now working as a security guard in a shopping mall, tries to uncover the secret behind a series of mysterious deaths linked to mirrors.
- DirectorJin JangStarsJung Dong-hwanShin GooJeong Gyu-suA woman is killed in a hotel room. The ensuing police investigation is conducted in front of TV cameras for the entire country to watch as it unfolds.
- DirectorSong Il-gonStarsJang Hyun-sungYong-cheol KimLee So-yeonHyeon-seong, a film director struggling with writing a new screenplay, visits a remote southern island he stayed 10 years ago to fulfill a promise he made with his girlfriend at the time. As he waits on the secluded island to see if the promise will also be kept by now his ex-girlfriend, he gets to know an oddly charming young motel operator So-yeon.
- DirectorSoo-il JeonStarsChoi Min-sikHamo GurungNamgya GurungA Korean executive ventures into the Himalayas to visit a family in a small mountain village, where time seems to have stood still for 100 years.
- DirectorHa YooStarsKam Woo-seongUhm JunghwaPark Won-sangJun-young (Kam Woo-seong) is a man in his early thirties who has seen his friends and younger brother get married but has yet to open himself to a serious relationship. Rather he is happy floating through life with little direction or ambition. Yeon-hee (Eom Jeong-hwa) is girl approaching thirty who is desperate to find a suitable husband, but is looking for a match based on social and economic suitability rather than love. They meet on a blind date and quickly find that they are incompatible intellectually, but have an instant physical and emotional connection. Both are extremely practically minded, and as such decide to explore each other by starting a casual physical relationship, while she continues looking for more suitable husband and he avoids commitment.
- DirectorJeong Jung KimStarsJo Hie-bongChizuru IkewakiLee Min-kiA down and out musician goes to Japan where he befriends a local woman.
- DirectorPil-sung YimStarsSong Kang-hoYoo Ji-taeKyeong-ik KimStrange things begin happening to an expedition deep in the Antarctic.