Korean cinema
by Muellwind | created - 15 Dec 2017 | updated - 6 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Wailing (2016)
TV-MA | 156 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Soon after a stranger arrives in a little village, a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman, drawn into the incident, is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter.
Director: Na Hong-jin | Stars: Jun Kunimura, Hwang Jung-min, Kwak Do-won, Chun Woo-hee
Votes: 81,956
2. Poetry (2010)
TV-PG | 139 min | Drama
A 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.
Director: Lee Chang-dong | Stars: Yun Jeong-hie, Lee Da-wit, Kim Hee-ra, Ahn Nae-sang
Votes: 13,537 | Gross: $0.36M
3. Secret Sunshine (2007)
Not Rated | 142 min | Drama
A woman moves to the town where her dead husband was born. As she tries to fit in, another tragic event overturns her life.
Director: Lee Chang-dong | Stars: Jeon Do-yeon, Song Kang-ho, Lee Dong-yong, Lee Hee-joon
Votes: 9,570
4. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)
R | 103 min | Drama, Romance
A boy is raised by a Buddhist monk in an isolated floating temple where the years pass like the seasons.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Kim Ki-duk, Oh Yeong-su, Jong-ho Kim, Kim Young-min
Votes: 86,813 | Gross: $2.38M
5. Parasite (2019)
R | 132 min | Drama, Thriller
Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly-formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-sik
Votes: 959,247 | Gross: $53.37M
6. Oldboy (2003)
R | 120 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
After 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.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jeong, Kim Byeong-Ok
Votes: 635,762 | Gross: $0.71M
7. Sopyonje (1993)
112 min | Drama, Music
Despite its falling popularity, a father teaches his two children the Korean musical tradition of Pansori (one singer accompanied by one drummer).
Director: Im Kwon-taek | Stars: Kim Myung-gon, Jung-hae Oh, Kim Kyu-chul, Sae-kil Shin
Votes: 1,115
8. The Way Home (2002)
PG | 80 min | Drama
This 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.
Director: Jeong-hyang Lee | Stars: Yoo Seung-ho, Eul-boon Kim, Hyo-hee Dong, Kyung-hyun Min
Votes: 5,897 | Gross: $0.44M
9. The Bow (2005)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, Romance
On 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...
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Han Yeo-reum, Ji-Seok Seo, Jeon Gook-hwan, Seong-hwan Jeon
Votes: 11,797
10. Mother (2009)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A mother desperately searches for the killer who framed her son for a girl's horrific murder.
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Kim Hye-ja, Won Bin, Jin Goo, Yun Je-mun
Votes: 71,639 | Gross: $0.55M
11. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
R | 114 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
After 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.
Director: Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Lim Soo-jung, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Kap-su, Moon Geun-young
Votes: 68,262
12. Joint Security Area (2000)
Not Rated | 110 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
After 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.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Lee Yeong-ae, Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho, Kim Tae-woo
Votes: 34,203
13. Memories of Murder (2003)
Not Rated | 132 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In 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.
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roe-ha, Song Jae-ho
Votes: 216,320 | Gross: $0.01M
14. A Taxi Driver (2017)
Not Rated | 137 min | Action, Drama, History
A 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.
Director: Hun Jang | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Thomas Kretschmann, Yoo Hae-jin, Ryu Jun-Yeol
Votes: 31,213 | Gross: $1.53M
15. Bedevilled (2010)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A woman subject to mental, physical and sexual abuse on a remote island seeks a way out.
Director: Cheol-soo Jang | Stars: Seo Yeong-hie, Ji Seong-won, Min-ho Hwang, Min Je
Votes: 17,038
16. The Chaser (2008)
Not Rated | 125 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A disgraced ex-policeman who runs a small ring of prostitutes finds himself in a race against time when one of his women goes missing.
Director: Na Hong-jin | Stars: Kim Yoon-seok, Ha Jung-woo, Seo Yeong-hie, Kim Yoo-jung
Votes: 72,768
17. The Coachman (1961)
97 min | Drama
A man tries to raise his two sons and two daughters under some of the most adverse conditions known to man. The father operates a horse-drawn cart, but in a city that is modernizing after ... See full summary »
Director: Kang Dae-jin | Stars: Seung-ho Kim, Yeong-gyun Shin, Jeong-sun Hwang, Mi-lyeong Jo
Votes: 165
18. Train to Busan (2016)
Not Rated | 118 min | Action, Horror, Thriller
While a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan.
Director: Yeon Sang-ho | Stars: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an
Votes: 258,657 | Gross: $2.13M
19. Gilsodom (1986)
100 min | Drama
A historical drama that incorporates real footage from the 1983 KBS campaign to reunite families divided by the Korean War with the fictional story of Hwa-yeong, a woman who leaves her ... See full summary »
Director: Im Kwon-taek | Stars: Ji-mee Kim, Shin Seong-il, Ji-il Han, Kim Jee-young
Votes: 110
20. Lady Vengeance (2005)
R | 115 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After being wrongfully imprisoned for thirteen years and having her child taken away from her, a woman seeks revenge through increasingly brutal means.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Nam-mi Kang, Jeong-nam Choi, Hye-Sook Go, Bok-hwa Baek
Votes: 86,101 | Gross: $0.21M
21. 3-Iron (2004)
R | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A transient young man breaks into empty homes to partake of the vacationing residents' lives for a few days.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Lee Seung-yun, Jae Hee, Hyuk-ho Kwon, Joo Jin-mo
Votes: 58,267 | Gross: $0.24M
22. Save the Green Planet! (2003)
Not Rated | 118 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Byeong-gu believes that the world is on the verge of an alien invasion, and sets out to save the world.
Director: Joon-Hwan Jang | Stars: Shin Ha-kyun, Baek Yun-shik, Hwang Jung-min, Lee Jae-yong
Votes: 8,703 | Gross: $0.01M
23. Failan (2001)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama, Romance
A marriage of convenience between a petty gangster and an illegal immigrant he has never met has unforeseen consequences for them both.
Director: Hae-sung Song | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Cecilia Cheung, Son Byung-ho, Kong Hyeong-jin
Votes: 6,220
24. Pieta (2012)
Not Rated | 103 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Jo Min-soo, Lee Jung-Jin, Woo Ki-hong, Eunjin Kang
Votes: 15,769 | Gross: $0.02M
25. Christmas in August (1998)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama, Romance
Hahn 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?
Director: Hur Jin-ho | Stars: Han Suk-kyu, Shim Eun-ha, Shin Goo, Oh Ji-hye
Votes: 3,918
26. The Demilitarized Zone (1965)
62 min | Drama, War
The film exposes the atrocities of war through the eyes of two children who are stranded in the DMZ after the end of the Korean War. The DMZ, strewn with abandoned tanks, dead bodies, land ... See full summary »
Director: Sang-ho Park | Stars: Mi-lyeong Jo, Won Namkung, Bin-a Ju, Yeong-kwan Lee
Votes: 156
27. Painted Fire (2002)
Unrated | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
In 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.
Director: Im Kwon-taek | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Ahn Sung-ki, Yoo Ho-jeong, Kim Yeo-jin
Votes: 2,825 | Gross: $0.06M
28. The Host (2006)
R | 120 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
A 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.
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-Bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona
Votes: 132,713 | Gross: $2.20M
29. Silenced (2011)
Not Rated | 125 min | Drama
Based 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.
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk | Stars: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Kim Hyeon-soo, Kim Jee-young
Votes: 21,664
30. Gajokeui tansaeng (2006)
113 min | Drama
Mira is a shy, single woman who runs a small restaurant and tends her plants with love and care. Her life is thrown into mayhem when her brother Hyung Chul, shows up out of the blue after ... See full summary »
Director: Kim Tae-yong | Stars: Moon So-ri, Ko Du-shim, Uhm Tae-woong, Kong Hyo-jin
Votes: 376
31. Gimyakgukui ttaldeul (1963)
108 min | Drama
After an aggressive man lets his anger get the better of him, his wife takes her own life and he is forced to go on the run. The son he leaves behind grows up to have 4 daughters, but there is rumored to be a curse on his family.
Director: Yu Hyun-mok | Stars: Dong-won Kim, Aeng-ran Eom, Ji-hie Choi, Min-ja Lee
Votes: 54
32. Hope (2013)
Not Rated | 122 min | Drama
Story 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.
Director: Lee Joon-ik | Stars: Lee Re, Sol Kyung-gu, Uhm Ji-won, Kim Hae-sook
Votes: 9,659
33. Three... Extremes (2004)
R | 125 min | Horror
An Asian cross-cultural trilogy of horror films from accomplished indie directors.
Directors: Fruit Chan, Park Chan-wook, Takashi Miike | Stars: Bai Ling, Lee Byung-hun, Kyoko Hasegawa, Pauline Lau
Votes: 20,869 | Gross: $0.08M
34. The Handmaiden (2016)
Not Rated | 145 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
A woman is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, but secretly she is involved in a plot to defraud her.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, Moon So-ri
Votes: 172,684 | Gross: $2.01M
35. The Shower (1979)
100 min | Drama, Romance
Country boy Suk-ie learns the meaning of love and loss when he meets city girl Yeon-ie.
Director: Young Nam Ko | Stars: Yeong-su Lee, Yun-suk Jo, Shin-jae Kim
Votes: 233
36. A Hard Day (2014)
Not Rated | 111 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After trying to cover up a car accident that left a man dead, a crooked homicide detective is stalked by a mysterious man claiming to have witnessed the event.
Director: Kim Seong-hun | Stars: Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Jin-woong, Jeong Man-sik, Shin Jeong-geun
Votes: 16,594
37. Time (2006)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
To save her relationship, a woman puts herself through extensive plastic surgery.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Ha Jung-woo, Park Ji-yeon, Baek Gwang-Doo, Jung Gyu-woon
Votes: 12,877 | Gross: $0.01M
38. Il Mare (2000)
105 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
In 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.
Director: Hyun-seung Lee | Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Jun Ji-hyun, Mu-saeng Kim, Jo Seung-yeon
Votes: 9,461
39. The Call (2020)
TV-MA | 112 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
Two people live in different times. Seo-Yeon lives in the present and Young-Sook lives in the past. One phone call connects the two, and their lives are changed irrevocably.
Director: Chung-Hyun Lee | Stars: Park Shin-hye, Jeon Jong-seo, Kim Sung-ryung, Lee El
Votes: 43,581
40. Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005)
Not Rated | 133 min | Comedy, Drama, War
Soldiers from both sides of the Korean divide live among villagers who know nothing of the war.
Director: Kwang-Hyun Park | Stars: Jeong Jae-yeong, Shin Ha-kyun, Kang Hye-jeong, Ha-ryong Lim
Votes: 7,535
41. Night Fishing (2011)
30 min | Short, Fantasy
A fisherman becomes entangled in his line when he catches something unexpected.
Directors: Park Chan-wook, Chan-kyong Park | Stars: Oh Gwang-Rok, Lee Jung-hyun
Votes: 1,146
42. A Day Off (1968)
73 min | Drama
Two lovers face a bleak future in 1960s Seoul.
Directors: Lee Man-hee, Lee Man-Hee-I | Stars: Kim Eun-Ok, An Eun-Suk, Kim Gyeong-Ra, Jo Hyang
Votes: 233
43. Road to Sampo (1975)
101 min | Drama
Going through a jail and a site of construction, a young laborer Young-Dal meets middle aged Mr. Jeong on his way to his hometown Sampo after ten years' absence. They become to know a ... See full summary »
Director: Lee Man-hee | Stars: Baek Il-seob, Jin Kyu Kim, Suk Mun, Ki-beom Kim
Votes: 178
44. Nobody's Daughter Haewon (2013)
90 min | Drama, Romance
The secret relationship between a student and a teacher, will their love last?
Director: Hong Sang-soo | Stars: Jung Eun-chae, Lee Sun-kyun, Yoo Joon-sang, Ye Ji-won
Votes: 1,825
45. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A 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.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Shin Ha-kyun, Bae Doona, Lim Ji-eun
Votes: 75,135 | Gross: $0.05M
46. Forgotten (2017)
TV-MA | 108 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
When his abducted brother returns seemingly a different man with no memory of the past 19 days, Jin-seok chases after the truth behind the kidnapping.
Director: Jang Hang-jun | Stars: Kang Ha-neul, Yeon Je Hyung, Kim Mu-yeol, Nam Myung-ryul
Votes: 46,028
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