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Best of South Korea: Crime Movies/Thrillers

by d_smojver • Created 13 years ago • Modified 1 week ago
South Koreans have GREAT and ''deep'' thrillers and plenty of FASCINATING stories about revenge: Oldboy, A Bittersweet Life, The Man from Nowhere, I Saw the Devil, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Montage, Lady Vengeance, Princess Aurora, No Mercy...

This is my choice and I think I was very objective and didn't miss any notable titles here.

My other lists:

Best of South Korea: Action/Adventure Movies


Best of South Korea: Anime

Best of South Korea: Comedies

Best of South Korea: Drama Movies

Best of South Korea: Horror Movies

Best of South Korea: Romance Movies

Best of South Korea: War/Military Movies
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  • 244 titles
  • Memories of Murder (2003)

    1. Memories of Murder

    20032h 12mNot Rated82Metascore
    8.1 (247K)
    In 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.
    DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoKim Sang-kyungKim Roe-ha
  • Oldboy (2003)

    2. Oldboy

    20032hR78Metascore
    8.3 (688K)
    After 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.
    DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsChoi Min-sikYoo Ji-taeKang Hye-jeong
  • Lee Byung-hun in A Bittersweet Life (2005)

    3. A Bittersweet Life

    20051h 59mNot Rated
    7.5 (45K)
    Things go wrong for a high ranking mobster when he doesn't follow his boss's orders.
    DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsLee Byung-hunShin Min-aKim Yeong-cheol
  • Ha Jung-woo and Kim Yoon-seok in The Chaser (2008)

    4. The Chaser

    20082h 5mNot Rated64Metascore
    7.8 (77K)
    A disgraced ex-policeman who runs a small ring of prostitutes finds himself in a race against time when one of his women goes missing.
    DirectorNa Hong-jinStarsKim Yoon-seokHa Jung-wooSeo Young-hee
  • I Saw the Devil (2010)

    5. I Saw the Devil

    20102h 24mNot Rated67Metascore
    7.8 (158K)
    A secret agent exacts revenge on a serial killer through a series of captures and releases.
    DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsLee Byung-hunChoi Min-sikJeon Gook-hwan
  • Kim Jin-kyu, Jeung-nyeo Ju, and Eun-shim Lee in The Housemaid (1960)

    6. The Housemaid

    19601h 49mNot Rated
    7.2 (6.3K)
    A composer and his wife are thrown into turmoil when a housemaid becomes more than they bargained for.
    DirectorKim Ki-youngStarsKim Jin-kyuJeung-nyeo JuEun-shim Lee
  • Yoo Joon-sang, Jeong Jae-yeong, and Park Hae-il in Moss (2010)

    7. Moss

    20102h 43mNot Rated
    6.7 (2.6K)
    A mysterious person calls a young man and informs him that his estranged father has died in a country village. The curious son travels to the town to discover what happened. From there out the audience is led on a thrilling and hauntingly atmospheric journey into the history of the father and the truth about his relationship to the threatening and violent locals. The film is 2h40m, long even for Korean standards, but it is the magically haunting and at the same time threatening atmosphere in the film that sustains the audience interest. Let yourself be carried away...
    DirectorKang Woo-sukStarsJeong Jae-yeongPark Hae-ilYoo Joon-sang
  • Song Kang-ho in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)

    8. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

    20022h 9mR59Metascore
    7.5 (79K)
    A 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.
    DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsSong Kang-hoShin Ha-kyunBae Doona
  • Lee Yeong-ae in Lady Vengeance (2005)

    9. Lady Vengeance

    20051h 55mR75Metascore
    7.5 (90K)
    After being wrongfully imprisoned for thirteen years and having her child taken away from her, a woman seeks revenge through increasingly brutal means.
    DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsLee Yeong-aeChoi Min-sikYea-young Kwon
  • Choi Min-sik, Lee Jung-jae, and Hwang Jung-min in New World (2013)

    10. New World

    20132h 15mNot Rated58Metascore
    7.5 (28K)
    An undercover cop finds it difficult to play both a cop and a goon.
    DirectorPark Hoon-jungStarsLee Jung-jaeChoi Min-sikHwang Jung-min
  • The Wailing (2016)

    11. The Wailing

    20162h 36mTV-MA81Metascore
    7.4 (92K)
    Soon after a stranger arrives in a little village, a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman, drawn into the incident, is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter...
    DirectorNa Hong-jinStarsJun KunimuraHwang Jung-minKwak Do-won
  • Zo In-sung in A Dirty Carnival (2006)

    12. A Dirty Carnival

    20062h 20mNot Rated
    7.3 (9.5K)
    A small time thug collecting debts for the local triad is torn between his criminal aspirations and his devotion to family.
    DirectorHa YooStarsZo In-sungChun Ho-jinMin Nam-koong
  • Uhm Junghwa and Kim Sang-kyung in Montage (2013)

    13. Montage

    20132hNot Rated
    7.4 (8.8K)
    15 years ago, a mother lost her child in a kidnapping case. A similar crime happens again and she won't let him go this time.
    DirectorJeong Geun-seopStarsUhm JunghwaKim Sang-kyungSong Young-chang
  • Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho, Gong Yoo, and Han Ji-min in The Age of Shadows (2016)

    14. The Age of Shadows

    20162h 20mTV-MA78Metascore
    7.1 (12K)
    Korean resistance fighters smuggle explosives to destroy facilities controlled by Japanese forces in this period action thriller.
    DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsLee Byung-hunGong YooSong Kang-ho
  • Choi Min-sik, Ha Jung-woo, and Cho Jin-woong in Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time (2012)

    15. Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time

    20122h 14mNot Rated
    7.0 (7.7K)
    On the verge of being fired, a corrupt customs official finds a haul of drugs and teams up with a vicious gangster to become the most powerful crime partnership in Busan.
    DirectorYoon Jong-binStarsChoi Min-sikHa Jung-wooCho Jin-woong
  • Night in Paradise (2020)

    16. Night in Paradise

    20202h 11mTV-MA59Metascore
    6.8 (9.8K)
    Hiding out in Jeju Island following a brutal tragedy, a wronged mobster with a target on his back connects with a woman who has her own demons.
    DirectorPark Hoon-jungStarsUm Tae-gooJeon Yeo-beenCha Seung-won
  • Spider Forest (2004)

    17. Spider Forest

    20041h 52mR
    6.5 (2.3K)
    A recently widowed TV producer is drawn to an isolated cabin in a mysterious woods.
    DirectorSong Il-gonStarsKam Woo-seongJung SuhKang Kyung-hun
  • Antarctic Journal (2005)

    18. Antarctic Journal

    20051h 55mNot Rated
    5.9 (2.2K)
    Strange things begin happening to an expedition deep in the Antarctic.
    DirectorPil-sung YimStarsSong Kang-hoYoo Ji-taeKim Kyeong-ik
  • Voice of a Murderer (2007)

    19. Voice of a Murderer

    20072h 2m13+
    6.7 (2.3K)
    One day, the only son of famous news anchor HAN Kyung-bae, disappears without a trace. Soon, the kidnapper calls the mother demanding a $100,000 ransom. The police assign a veteran inspector to the case and assemble a top-notch task force to work under his command. But the kidnapper constantly outwits the police and continues calling the parents with yet more instructions for the money drop.
    DirectorPark Jin-PyoStarsSul Kyung-guKim Nam-juGang Dong-won
  • The Housemaid (2010)

    20. The Housemaid

    20101h 47mNot Rated68Metascore
    6.4 (14K)
    A man's affair with his family's housemaid leads to dark consequences.
    DirectorIm Sang-sooStarsJeon Do-yeonLee Jung-jaeYoun Yuh-jung
  • Shiri (1999)

    21. Shiri

    19992h 5mR50Metascore
    6.5 (8.8K)
    South Korean agents Ryu and Lee are tracking a female assassin from North Korea who has mysteriously disappeared. With new killings and the theft of a deadly bomb, time is running out to catch her.
    DirectorKang Je-kyuStarsHan Suk-kyuChoi Min-sikYunjin Kim
  • Forgotten (2017)

    22. Forgotten

    20171h 48mTV-MA
    7.4 (56K)
    Jin-seok, 21-year-old, moves into a new house with his family. One night, his beloved brother is kidnapped before his eyes. After long silence of 19 days, suddenly Yu-seok returns home. And soon Jin-seok feels Yu-seok is a total stranger.
    DirectorJang Hang-junStarsKang Ha-neulKim Mu-yeolMoon Sung-keun
  • Park Hae-il and Tang Wei in Decision to Leave (2022)

    23. Decision to Leave

    20222h 19m85Metascore
    7.3 (63K)
    A detective investigating a man's death in the mountains meets the dead man's mysterious wife in the course of his dogged sleuthing.
    DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsTang WeiPark Hae-ilLee Jung-hyun
  • Ha Jung-woo and Kim Yoon-seok in The Yellow Sea (2010)

    24. The Yellow Sea

    20102h 16mR70Metascore
    7.3 (24K)
    When the attempt to kill a professor goes wrong, a series of violent events are triggered which force a taxi driver to run for his life.
    DirectorNa Hong-jinStarsHa Jung-wooKim Yoon-seokJo Sung-ha
  • Ryu Seung-beom, Sul Kyung-gu, and Han Hye-jin in No Mercy (2010)

    25. No Mercy

    20102h 3mNot Rated
    7.4 (10K)
    Despite being nearly proven the murderer, a serial killer threatens to kill the daughter of a forensic pathologist if he doesn't get him bailed out.
    DirectorKim Hyeong-joonStarsSul Kyung-guRyu Seung-beomHan Hye-jin

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