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 BinLee Eun-juWhen 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.