Summary
- Korean filmmakers are gaining popularity in the West despite language barriers.
- Recommendations for those just diving in to Korean cinema include noir thrillers, westerns, and emotional tales.
- Films like Train to Busan and Oldboy showcase Korea's talent to newcomer fans.
Korean entertainment exports have seen an explosion of popularity in Western media over the past decade. From the record sales of K-pop acts like BTS, the pop culture Netflix phenomenon of Squid Game, the rise of Manhwa, and, of course, Parasite becoming the first foreign language film to collect the Academy Award for Best Picture.
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There is a wealth of fantastic Korean filmmakers, and their works are increasingly finding a greater presence in the Western zeitgeist. With Parasite director Bong Joon-ho's Mickey 17 marking the latest Korean cinematic crossover, now is a great time for intrigued fans to jump into the medium. For those looking for a good place to start, here are some of the best Korean films for newcomers.
8 Decision To Leave
A Noir Detective Thriller
- Cast
- Tang Wei, Park Hae-il, Lee Jung-hyun, Go Kyung-Pyo, Park Yong-woo, Jung Yi-seo
- Director
- Park Chan-wook
Certain names will appear among the best Korean films for beginners, and this is a testament to their talent but also a reminder that accessibility to new audiences is a primary consideration for the rankings, and some filmmakers and actors have better mastered the transition. Decision to Leave is the first from Park Chan-wook, which documents an excellent and familiar romantic mystery.
The story centers on a detective investigating the potentially suspicious death of a man who fell whilst rock climbing. As the investigation unfolds, he becomes infatuated with the primary suspect, the deceased's wife, which complicates the investigation. It borrows some themes from the director's previous film, The Handmaiden, which is, in many ways, superior but considerably more complex.
7 The Good, The Bad, The Weird
A Wild, Wild Western
The Good, The Bad, The Weird
- Release Date
- July 17, 2008
- Runtime
- 139 Minutes
- Director
- Kim Jee-woon
The Good, The Bad, The Weird falls at the opposite end of the spectrum, being an outlandish film that's equal parts amusing and entertaining, even beyond the language barrier. It's a high-octane MacGuffin movie, where rival forces are all competing to get their hands on an ancient treasure map.
The hero of the piece is forced to partner up with a bumbling sidekick who is also seeking the treasure, leading to some classic odd couple hijinks and a heaping helping of western-themed action, including train robberies and Gatling guns.
6 The Host
A Tense Creature Feature
- Cast
- Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona, Go Ah-sung
- Director
- Bong Joon-ho
The first film by Academy Award winner Bong Joon-ho to make a splash in the West, The Host achieved a cult status among cinephiles following its release in 2006. It's a classic monster/Kaiju movie about a strange creature that emerges from the Han River and runs amok through the city.
The movie immediately stands out from contemporary Hollywood monster movies for its bizarre pacing and offbeat humor. It starts off exciting and action-heavy but gradually blends a myriad of contrasting genres, providing a greater focus on the central cast and an altogether more unique and interesting take on the genre.
5 I'm A Cyborg, But That's OK
An Unconditional Romance
I'm a Cyborg, but That's OK
- Release Date
- December 7, 2006
- Runtime
- 105 Minutes
- Director
- Park Chan-wook
- Cast
- Lim Soo-jung, Rain, Oh Dal-su, Lee Yeong-mi, Kim Chun-gi, Park Jun-myun, Cheon Seong-hoon, Choi Hee-jin, Lee Yong-nyeo, Son Young-soon, Park Byung-eun, Kim Byeong-ok, Lee Ji-hyeon, Joo Hae-eun, Jung-yong Lee, Joo Yoo-Rang
An exceptionally quirky film from Park Chan-wook, I'm a Cyborg, but That's OK tells the tale of an awkward romance that occurs between two patients at a mental hospital. Young-goon believes she is a cyborg, built to protect her grandmother, whilst Il-soon has a compulsion to keep stealing to prevent himself from fading out of existence.
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The pair feed into each other's delusions, leading to an array of visually fantastical elements that ensure the audience can never be quite sure which version of reality is true. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter what is real; it's a story of boundless love and two lost people who accept the other for who they are, serving as a sweet and wholesome experience.
4 Okja
Caring For The Super Pig
- Cast
- Hee-Bong Byun, Steven Yeun, Jake Gyllenhaal, Seo-Hyun Ahn, Tilda Swinton, Je-mun Yun, Shirley Henderson, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito, Paul Dano
- Director
- Bong Joon Ho
A co-production between Korean and American studios, Okja features an international cast including Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, and Steven Yeun. The screen time is split between the US and South Korea, with the language changing for the appropriate setting, meaning that a good chunk of the film is in English.
It tells a classic tale of a young girl's love for her abnormal creature, a 'Super Pig.' Her family farm is gifted the piglet as part of an international farming initiative, but when the company returns years later to collect their asset, Mija must do battle with the industrial complex in a bid to save her childhood friend from slaughter. It's a moving and emotional take on a familiar format, and probably one of the more accessible Korean movies for beginners thanks to the lower language barrier.
3 Train To Busan
A Perfect Zombie Feature
- Cast
- Gong Yoo, Kim Su-an, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Choi Woo-shik, An So-hee, Kim Eui-sung, Ye Su-jeong, Park Myung-shin, Choi Gwi-hwa, Jeong Seok-yong, Kim Chang-hwan, Jang Hyuk-jin, Shim Eun-kyung, Lee Joo-sil, Kim Jae-rok, Cha Chung-hwa, Kim Won-jin, Han Ji-eun, Han Sung-soo, Lee Jung-ok, Kim Ju-hun, Kim Keum-soon, Jung Young-ki, Ok Joo-ri
- Director
- Yeon Sang-ho
Train to Busan is arguably the perfect zombie film for anyone who loves the tropes of the genre. Equal parts dread and exhilaration, the film constantly teeters on a knife edge of action that ensures the zombies maintain a constant threat to the central cast from the very beginning. Nowhere is safe, and it makes for an incredibly exciting watch.
It also pulls a wonderful trick that so many zombie flicks fail in and really makes the audience care for this cast of characters. That leads to several genuinely moving deaths, with some involving noble sacrifices, shocking blindsides, and characters slowly succumbing to the harrowing and increasingly nihilistic situation and losing the will to keep fighting. Train to Busan demonstrates a mastery of the subgenre, and it's easy to follow for anyone who's seen a zombie movie before.
2 Parasite
Layers Of Deception
Parasite
- Release Date
- May 30, 2019
- Runtime
- 133 minutes
- Director
- Bong Joon Ho
- Cast
- Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Lee Jung-eun, Jang Hye-jin, Park Myung-hoon, Jung Ji-so, Jung Hyeon-jun, Park Keun-rok, Jung Yi-seo, Cho Jae-myung, Jeong Ik-han, Kim Kyu-baek, Ahn Seong-bong, Yoon Young-woo, Park Jae-wook, Lee Dong-yong, Jeon Eun-mi, Kim Geon, Lee Joo-hyung, Lee Ji-hye, Kim Bo-ryeong, Park Hye-sook
Bong Joon-ho turns his darkly comic and genre-mashing hand to domestic strife and social commentary in this Academy Award winning hit. Parasite follows a penurious Korean family as they slowly integrate themselves into the lives of an excessively wealthy neighbor.
Lies are built upon lies as new members of the family take up odd jobs around the lavish estate and eventually begin to supplant the wealthy residents. It's not as accessible as Okja or The Host, but as one of the director's most seminal pieces of work to date, it's definitely not one to be missed for newcomers.
1 Old Boy
A Disturbing Revenge Thriller
Oldboy
- Release Date
- November 21, 2003
- Runtime
- 120 minutes
- Director
- Park Chan-wook
- Cast
- Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung, Kim Byeong-ok, Ji Dae-han, Oh Dal-su, Lee Seung-shin, Yoon Jin-seo, Oh Tae-kyung, Yoo Yeon-seok, You Il-han, Lee Young-hee, Kim Yeong-ae, Han Jae-duk, Kwak Jung-ae, Kim San, Syd Lim, Choi Jae-sup, Yoon Jin-yul, Park Jae-Woong, Mun Seong-bok, Oh Soon-tae, Lee Hong-pyo, Heo Myeong-haeng, Kim Won-jung
For many, Oldboy will have been their first experience with Korean cinema, such was its impact upon release, breaking ground with Western audiences far ahead of the current trends. It's a great introduction to Park Chan-wook's signature visual style and off-kilter humor, making for an ideal access point to one of the country's most talented filmmakers.
Its pioneering appeal and widespread acclaim is what makes it one of the best Korean movies for beginners, but it's worth noting that it is also a pretty violent and disturbing tale that won't be everyone's cup of tea. The story follows Oh Dae-su, who is mysteriously imprisoned for 15 years. When his cell door opens one day, he sets out on a quest to find out who did this to him and make them pay. The film did receive a US remake from Spike Lee, but with all due respect, it's difficult to recommend that version over the superior original.
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