People who say they can’t watch movies with subtitles are missing out on a whole world of amazing movies, particularly Korean ones. I was first introduced to a Korean movie eight years ago while searching for movies to watch. It was Oldboy and at the time I’m not sure I knew it was a Korean movie nor could I locate Korea on the map, but it was one of the best movies I had watched. It didn’t occur to me that there could be others like it. It wasn’t until last year a friend recommended some to me and opened a world I didn’t know existed. They are raw, emotional and don’t rely on explosions and guns like most Hollywood blockbusters. The stories are complex, layered and fresh. They aren’t reboots, they aren’t sequels, they are original plots with stylistically unique cinematography. Of course, not all Korean movies are like this, there’s a fair share of bad ones, but watching the best Korean will have you wondering why you didn’t find out about them sooner and why more do people not know about them.
Not including Oldboy, here is a list, in no particular order of the recent Korean movies I’ve watched. They deserve to be watched by (almost) everyone, especially by those who like crime thrillers.
1. I Saw the Devil (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Directed by: Kim Jee-Woon
The first movie that started my desire to watch the best Korean movies. I started it while eating dinner and within the first few minutes had to pause it to so I could finish eating, it’s a brilliantly gruesome story about revenge. It’s not for the squeamish.
2. The Handmaiden (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Directed by: Park Chan-Wook
By the same director who did Oldboy, the Handmaiden is a movie that you could definitely start and finish your dinner with no problem. It’s visually stunning with gorgeous cinematography and a story that reveals itself like a seven-layer dip as you get towards the bottom.
3. The Chaser (2008)
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Director: Na Hong-Jin
If you’re an extremely slow eater then don’t start eating dinner while watching this one. The roller coaster of emotions that this movie brings you on will have you throwing any food left on your plate at the TV by the end. Watch it and be happy you live in a country (if you do) where the police are competent.
4. The Wailing (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Director: Na Hong-Jin
The same director as the Chaser and the second highest rated movie on the list and one of my least favorite. Maybe it’s because it’s a supernatural thriller and these movies don’t really work for me. It’s long but doesn’t feel it in length with cleverly created nuances and atmosphere. One thing that is interesting is that the type of housing in the movie is found throughout the area I live in and right behind my school
5. A Bittersweet Life (2005)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Director: Kim Jee-Woon
By the same director, who did I Saw the Devil, ignore the melodramatic title and you’ll find yourself watching an incredibly well-done action movie.
6. Memories of Murder (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Director: Bong Jun-Ho
By the same director who brought you the Netflix film Ojka, it is a movie that’s based on a true story of the first ever serial killer in South Korea during 1986. Each actor in the movie seems to play their role with absolute believability, you’d think you were watching a documentary.
7. The Man From Nowhere (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Director: Lee Jeong-Beom
Sharing the top spot on Rotten Tomatoes with A Bittersweet Life, The Man From Nowhere falls into the category of an action-packed-revenge film with amazingly choreographed fight scenes and an emotional underdone.
8.Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
Director: Park Chan-Wook
Coming in with the lowest rotten tomato score and the oldest on the list, this is part of Chan-Wooks vengeance trilogy, the other two being Oldboy and Sympathy for Mr. Vegence. They aren’t a trilogy in the traditional sense that their story lines overlap and consist of the same characters, but rather of the same theme, revenge. To put this in perspective Oldboy only received 80% on rotten tomatoes and is considered by many to be the best Korean film ever. Either the other movies are that much better or it exposes the flawed rating system.
9.Castaway on the Moon (2009)
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
Director: Lee Hae-Jun
If you’re eating dinner, you definitely don’t have to worry about finishing it or pausing the movie for this one. Invite your friends and family over and watch it together. I absolutely loved this movie and recommend it to everyone who has yet to see it, it’s offbeat, quirky, and absolute nonsense. A romantic comedy about a mans failed suicide attempt, in which he ends up on an island in the middle of Seoul’s busiest rivers.
Movies on my list I have yet to see
- J.S.A: Joint Security Area
- Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
- Thirst
- Failan
- The Berlin File
- The Terror Live
- A Dirty Carnival
- Duelist
- Peppermint Candy
- Brotherhood of War
- Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
- Midnight Runners
- Forgotten
- The King and the Clown
- The Age of Shadows
- A Man Who Was Superman
- Welcome to Dongmakgol
If you’ve made it this far and you’ve never watched a Korean film before I would definitely start with Oldboy followed by I Saw the Devil, The Handmaiden and then The Chaser. After that, watch whichever ones interest you.