Korean Cinema
Dubbed the 'new Hong Kong', Korean cinema has taken the international film world by storm with its brutal and confrontational style and original political perspectives. Encompassing both the North and South Korean industries it is the films from the south that have become worldwide hits. From border security thriller, 'JSA' to the haunting 'Oasis' to the mesmerising madness of 'Old Boy', Korean cinema is bold, diverse and here to stay.
Pictured: Horror-chiller already slated for an American remake, 'A Tale of Two Sisters'.
Phone (2002)
6.2/10
Director: Byeong-ki Ahn
Starring: Ji-won Ha, Yu-mi Kim, Woo-jae Choi, Ji-yeon Choi, Seo-woo Eun
Journalist Ji-won, (Ji-won Ha) changes her cellphone after an investigation into a scandal leads to her receiving threats â?? but things only get scar... Read more
Oasis (2002)
8/10
Director: Chang-dong Lee
Starring: Nae-sang Ahn, So-ri Moon, Kyung-gu Sol, Seung-wan Ryoo
Hailed as a seminal film of the Korean New Wave, acclaimed director Lee Chang-dong's "Oasis" is the story of the struggle of two social misfits to fin... Read more
The Isle (2001)
7/10
Director: Kim Ki-duk
Starring: Jung Suh, Kim Yoo-Seok, Park Sung-Hee
'The Isle' tells the tale of a beautiful woman living on an eerie, remote lake selling food to fisherman by day, and her body by night. When the woman... Read more
Musa: The Warrior (2001)
6.2/10
Director: Sung-su Kim
Starring: Woo-sung Jung, Zhang Ziyi, Sung-kee Ahn, Jin-mo Ju, Yong-woo Park
It is 1375 and tribal clans are at war. When the Korean peace envoys are betrayed, they escape and stumble across a Ming Princess (Zhang Ziyi) and the... Read more
Volcano High (2001)
Director: Tae-gyun Kim
Starring: Hyuk Jang, Min-a Shin, Su-ro Kim
Kyeong-su is a seemingly hopeless case, transferred to Volcano High - a school for only the most supernaturally gifted martial arts students. When riv... Read more
Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000)
7.1/10
Director: Boon Joon-ho
Starring: Bae Doo-na, Sung-jae Lee
The first film from Korean director Boon Joon-ho ('Memories of Murder', 'The Host') is a dark comedy about a man who has decided dogs are not his best... Read more
JSA: Joint Security Area (2000)
Director: Chan-wook Park
Starring: Jeong Seong-San, Kim Hyeon-Seok, Lee Mu-Yeong
This harrowing political thriller from South Korea rides on the trend of phenomenally popular action blockbusters from East Asia. In the extremely sen... Read more
Bichunmoo (2000)
Director: Young-jun Kim
Starring: Hyeon-jun Shin, Hee-seon Kim, Jin-young Jeong, Dong-jik Jang
The most expensive film ever made in Korea, "Bichunmoo" is a sweeping epic set in 14th century China where the warrior Jin-ha and concubine Sullie hav... Read more
Tell Me Something (1999)
6.6/10
Director: Yoon-Hyun Chang
Starring: Eun-ha Shim, Suk-kyu Han, Hang-Seon Jang, Jung-ah Yum
After accepting cash from an underworld figure to pay his dying mother's medical bills, Seoul detective Cho sees a chance at redemption when he takes... Read more
Attack the Gas Station (1999)
7.1/10
Director: Sang-Jin Kim
Starring: Sung-jae Lee, Oh-seong Yu, Seong-jin Kang, Ji-tae Yu, Yeong-gyu Park, Jun Jeong,...
An imaginative and stylish Korean comedy, satirising the prolific Asian crime genre and South Korea's social turmoil. Four bored youths decide to rob... Read more