I've been falling in love with Korean movies again so I figured I would made a thread so we can recommend movies to each other that people might have missed and discuss them. This post is focusing on some of my favorite movies I've had the pleasure to watch, and I think all of them are available in most countries, so you could definitely pick them up on DVD or maybe on streaming services. Tell me your recs !
Peppermint Candy
The best Korean movie I've seen. It depicts the story of a man in reverse chronology starting from his suicide to his 20s, progressively showing how much society has shaped him to be the way he is. It goes at various important points in modern Korean history and the masculinity that was expected of him and how he was destroyed by it in the process. Lee-Chang Dong proves he's still the best filmmaker to exist and it also features my favorite actor with Sol Kyung-gu playing out of his mind to depict a flawed, messy character. The movie requires to know a little bit about Korean history such as Gwangju, mandatory military service, the 97 financial crisis and student uprisings in general but it is one hell of a movie.
Sympathy for Mr.Vengeance
Mr.Vengeance was a huge slap I didn't see coming. A heartwrenching, incredibly dark thriller that doesn't pull any punches at making your heart sink to the lowest depths of despair. It's the story of a deaf person who works at a factory and tries to raise money for his sister's kidney transplant as she is dying. And this is all I can say because it never stops, every character will find a new way to reach a new low. A complete, unstoppable trainwreck that will leave you in shambles. It's also helped with a cinematography that is among the best I've seen in the industry: slow-paced but incredibly consistent, with this dark green tint that permeates every set. It's one the best absurd Korean movie you'll get to see. Not a recommended watch if you're feeling under the weather. It's by the same director as Old Boy (Park Chan-Wook), but Mr.Vengeance is definitely the better movie of the two for me.
Memories of Murder
There is no way to avoid this classic. While not my absolute favorite, it is a required watch in every way. It chronicles the real serial killings happening in Hwaseong, but the investigation is only secondary to the lens that it applies on Korean society. Here, you have it all: corruption and incompetence goes hand in hand to show that it was a tragedy waiting to happen, rather than a gruesome event no one expected to happen. It's as funny as it is dark, Memories of Murder is forcing laughs out of you as absurd interrogation techniques are applied on suspects in ways you would find terrible otherwise. Comedy is used to strike you right at the heart and make you wonder about one of the biggest events that changed the way Koreans view each other. I also think it's one that started the trends of cops in movies being incredibly incompetent, not entirely sure about that. In any case, if you have one movie to watch, it's this one. The soundtrack is also exquisite.
The Chaser
There are many great thrillers in the Korean industry, but The Chaser, coming from a new generation of filmmakers, is the one that put me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. Ex-cop turned pimp, he turns to his investigation skills to find one of his girls that mysteriously disappeared. It's messy, it's gore, but it is surprising the whole way through. The movie could have ended in the first 15 minutes, but it goes on for 2 more hours, and this is what will make sure only the very edge of what supports your bottom will be used. Na Hong-jin struck gold with his very first movie.
The Wailing
In-between The Chaser and this one, Na Hong-jin had made The Yellow Sea, a movie that captures you during its first part only to completely collapse during the second. But this disappointment didn't set him back for the production of The Wailing. First of all, I think this is the first movie that manages to put the immense talent of Kwak Do-won in a lead role and isn't typecasted in the evil prosecutor seat that he had to go through for years, and it worked. Second of all, Na Hong-jin goes straight into supernatural and superstitions in a movie that is part-thriller, part-horror. Once again, he struck gold, as The Wailing is a massive success, but also a great movie.
The City of Violence
I realized all the movies I've mentioned up until then are depressing, but City of Violence is an exhilarating action movie that still finds time to be engrossing. Jung Doo-hong, a "stuntmaster" takes on the lead role as a detective trying to find who killed one of his best friends in his hometown. The collaboration between him and Ryoo Seung-wan makes it that every fight scene is expertly crafted. There is a reason Jung is considered the father of Korean action.Definitely check this movie out.
The President's Last Bang
An absurd movie on one of the most absurd moment of modern Korean history with the assassination of dictator Park Chung-hee by his best friend during a dinner. This movie makes fun of all of it, even on doubling down on making the president a japanophile. It didn't go well with the family of the dictator trying to use their connections to censor the movie, but the director responded by making the mandatory cuts a black screen that would play the whole time they are censored until the appeal was overturned. Its full version is a slick, incredibly stylish movie that doesn't pull any punches. It was also a huge gamble for actor Han Suk-kyu who further put his career at risk by playing in this highly controversial movie, but he played wonderfully. By the way, the dictator's daughter was the recently impeached president Park Geun-hye so it is still timely movie.
Waikiki Brothers
This movie is as sad as it is funny. A bunch of never-been men who still clings to a high-school dream of making it big with their music band, except everything is falling apart. So they turn back to their hometown to find answers. A very touching movie that touches on masculinity, depression, and music with grace. A bittersweet movie that is painfully realistic about the way people lives their lives, but ultimately wholesome. A hard recommend.
EDIT: More recommendations :)
Nowhere to Hide
It looks like an action movie, but it's most of all a movie about movement than true action. Everything moves in this movie, sometimes for no reason other than the act of moving. The director goes through great lengths to depict this and it makes for a really fascinating art movie that pushes the boundaries of kinetic stage-play. It has some cinematographic effects that are still incredible, and while you might not be satisfied with the plot, I think literally everything else more than makes up for it. Honestly a great movie to recommend if you want to step out of your comfort zone.
1987 When the Day Comes
I've seen this movie twice, and it made me cry even more the second time. The director of the cult movie Save the Green Planet comes back with a mainstream movie, but is still isn't afraid to experiment. Based on the real events of the June struggle, the movie takes the viewpoint of several people during the lead-up of Korea's burgeoning democracy. It's a relay race of several people passing the baton in order to uncover the story behind the killing of a student by the anti-communist brigade that has ignited the whole country as a result. It's an ensemble cast that manages to really shines even with the limited screen-time. Everything could have failed horribly in this movie considering how it switches viewpoint in order to take a snapshot of Korean people in this era, but it worked really well. The music is also
I honestly think that we're getting into an era where "mainstream" movies are actually getting super interesting and well done, it's like the rebirth of the "Shiri" era. Mainstream movies that aren't afraid to take risks to do things you wouldn't see elsewhere. They play into their strengths. I'm a big softie, but this movie emotionally ruined me, snot on my face and all. I actually watched it during the Paris Film Festival and pretty much everyone was crying. Hard recommend.
Midnight Runners
Less daring, but very fun, Midnight Runners manages to really work as a comedy movie that takes code from the golden age of Korean cinema with genre whiplash. The history of two awkward guys who joins the police academy and ends up embroiled into a human trafficking gang. The chemistry between the two leads is very good. A very good movie to spend the evening.
The Truth Beneath
I actually didn't expect much of that movie...but I was never so happy to be wrong about my initial assessment. It's a powerful movie with such a strong lead in the name of Son Ye-Jin. She's a tremendous actress in every way as she tries to uncover the mystery behind her daughter's sudden disappeareance. It's a great thriller as well as it is a drama. But it does it with the kind of gravitas I honestly haven't seen in a long time. The way she is developed throughout the movie really highlights the kind of movies we should have when we give the opportunity to tell stories that are not centered around men. I dare say she is the best actress in Korea right now, that's how impressive she was. Also a much stronger movie than Sympathy for Lady Vengeance even. Must watch. Also RIP Kim Joo-hyuk, his car accident was a tragedy and I will forever be sad that such an excellent actor is no longer of this world. His role in this movie was stellar too.
I think that's already a long list so I'll stop there, I'd appreciate more recommendations if you have them and I'm happy to recommend more movies if you want more.
Peppermint Candy
The best Korean movie I've seen. It depicts the story of a man in reverse chronology starting from his suicide to his 20s, progressively showing how much society has shaped him to be the way he is. It goes at various important points in modern Korean history and the masculinity that was expected of him and how he was destroyed by it in the process. Lee-Chang Dong proves he's still the best filmmaker to exist and it also features my favorite actor with Sol Kyung-gu playing out of his mind to depict a flawed, messy character. The movie requires to know a little bit about Korean history such as Gwangju, mandatory military service, the 97 financial crisis and student uprisings in general but it is one hell of a movie.
Sympathy for Mr.Vengeance
Mr.Vengeance was a huge slap I didn't see coming. A heartwrenching, incredibly dark thriller that doesn't pull any punches at making your heart sink to the lowest depths of despair. It's the story of a deaf person who works at a factory and tries to raise money for his sister's kidney transplant as she is dying. And this is all I can say because it never stops, every character will find a new way to reach a new low. A complete, unstoppable trainwreck that will leave you in shambles. It's also helped with a cinematography that is among the best I've seen in the industry: slow-paced but incredibly consistent, with this dark green tint that permeates every set. It's one the best absurd Korean movie you'll get to see. Not a recommended watch if you're feeling under the weather. It's by the same director as Old Boy (Park Chan-Wook), but Mr.Vengeance is definitely the better movie of the two for me.
Memories of Murder
There is no way to avoid this classic. While not my absolute favorite, it is a required watch in every way. It chronicles the real serial killings happening in Hwaseong, but the investigation is only secondary to the lens that it applies on Korean society. Here, you have it all: corruption and incompetence goes hand in hand to show that it was a tragedy waiting to happen, rather than a gruesome event no one expected to happen. It's as funny as it is dark, Memories of Murder is forcing laughs out of you as absurd interrogation techniques are applied on suspects in ways you would find terrible otherwise. Comedy is used to strike you right at the heart and make you wonder about one of the biggest events that changed the way Koreans view each other. I also think it's one that started the trends of cops in movies being incredibly incompetent, not entirely sure about that. In any case, if you have one movie to watch, it's this one. The soundtrack is also exquisite.
The Chaser
There are many great thrillers in the Korean industry, but The Chaser, coming from a new generation of filmmakers, is the one that put me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. Ex-cop turned pimp, he turns to his investigation skills to find one of his girls that mysteriously disappeared. It's messy, it's gore, but it is surprising the whole way through. The movie could have ended in the first 15 minutes, but it goes on for 2 more hours, and this is what will make sure only the very edge of what supports your bottom will be used. Na Hong-jin struck gold with his very first movie.
The Wailing
In-between The Chaser and this one, Na Hong-jin had made The Yellow Sea, a movie that captures you during its first part only to completely collapse during the second. But this disappointment didn't set him back for the production of The Wailing. First of all, I think this is the first movie that manages to put the immense talent of Kwak Do-won in a lead role and isn't typecasted in the evil prosecutor seat that he had to go through for years, and it worked. Second of all, Na Hong-jin goes straight into supernatural and superstitions in a movie that is part-thriller, part-horror. Once again, he struck gold, as The Wailing is a massive success, but also a great movie.
The City of Violence
I realized all the movies I've mentioned up until then are depressing, but City of Violence is an exhilarating action movie that still finds time to be engrossing. Jung Doo-hong, a "stuntmaster" takes on the lead role as a detective trying to find who killed one of his best friends in his hometown. The collaboration between him and Ryoo Seung-wan makes it that every fight scene is expertly crafted. There is a reason Jung is considered the father of Korean action.Definitely check this movie out.
The President's Last Bang
An absurd movie on one of the most absurd moment of modern Korean history with the assassination of dictator Park Chung-hee by his best friend during a dinner. This movie makes fun of all of it, even on doubling down on making the president a japanophile. It didn't go well with the family of the dictator trying to use their connections to censor the movie, but the director responded by making the mandatory cuts a black screen that would play the whole time they are censored until the appeal was overturned. Its full version is a slick, incredibly stylish movie that doesn't pull any punches. It was also a huge gamble for actor Han Suk-kyu who further put his career at risk by playing in this highly controversial movie, but he played wonderfully. By the way, the dictator's daughter was the recently impeached president Park Geun-hye so it is still timely movie.
Waikiki Brothers
This movie is as sad as it is funny. A bunch of never-been men who still clings to a high-school dream of making it big with their music band, except everything is falling apart. So they turn back to their hometown to find answers. A very touching movie that touches on masculinity, depression, and music with grace. A bittersweet movie that is painfully realistic about the way people lives their lives, but ultimately wholesome. A hard recommend.
EDIT: More recommendations :)
Nowhere to Hide
It looks like an action movie, but it's most of all a movie about movement than true action. Everything moves in this movie, sometimes for no reason other than the act of moving. The director goes through great lengths to depict this and it makes for a really fascinating art movie that pushes the boundaries of kinetic stage-play. It has some cinematographic effects that are still incredible, and while you might not be satisfied with the plot, I think literally everything else more than makes up for it. Honestly a great movie to recommend if you want to step out of your comfort zone.
1987 When the Day Comes
I've seen this movie twice, and it made me cry even more the second time. The director of the cult movie Save the Green Planet comes back with a mainstream movie, but is still isn't afraid to experiment. Based on the real events of the June struggle, the movie takes the viewpoint of several people during the lead-up of Korea's burgeoning democracy. It's a relay race of several people passing the baton in order to uncover the story behind the killing of a student by the anti-communist brigade that has ignited the whole country as a result. It's an ensemble cast that manages to really shines even with the limited screen-time. Everything could have failed horribly in this movie considering how it switches viewpoint in order to take a snapshot of Korean people in this era, but it worked really well. The music is also
I honestly think that we're getting into an era where "mainstream" movies are actually getting super interesting and well done, it's like the rebirth of the "Shiri" era. Mainstream movies that aren't afraid to take risks to do things you wouldn't see elsewhere. They play into their strengths. I'm a big softie, but this movie emotionally ruined me, snot on my face and all. I actually watched it during the Paris Film Festival and pretty much everyone was crying. Hard recommend.
Midnight Runners
Less daring, but very fun, Midnight Runners manages to really work as a comedy movie that takes code from the golden age of Korean cinema with genre whiplash. The history of two awkward guys who joins the police academy and ends up embroiled into a human trafficking gang. The chemistry between the two leads is very good. A very good movie to spend the evening.
The Truth Beneath
I actually didn't expect much of that movie...but I was never so happy to be wrong about my initial assessment. It's a powerful movie with such a strong lead in the name of Son Ye-Jin. She's a tremendous actress in every way as she tries to uncover the mystery behind her daughter's sudden disappeareance. It's a great thriller as well as it is a drama. But it does it with the kind of gravitas I honestly haven't seen in a long time. The way she is developed throughout the movie really highlights the kind of movies we should have when we give the opportunity to tell stories that are not centered around men. I dare say she is the best actress in Korea right now, that's how impressive she was. Also a much stronger movie than Sympathy for Lady Vengeance even. Must watch. Also RIP Kim Joo-hyuk, his car accident was a tragedy and I will forever be sad that such an excellent actor is no longer of this world. His role in this movie was stellar too.
I think that's already a long list so I'll stop there, I'd appreciate more recommendations if you have them and I'm happy to recommend more movies if you want more.
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