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Korean Screen's 100 Greatest Korean Films

by thierry-05295 • Created 1 year ago • Modified 1 year ago
In 2021, Korean Screen asked 158 critics from 28 countries to vote for the greatest Korean films ever.
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  • 100 titles
  • Yoo Ah-in in Burning (2018)

    1. Burning

    20182h 28mNot Rated91Metascore
    7.4 (82K)
    Jong-su bumps into a girl who used to live in the same neighborhood, who asks him to look after her cat while she's on a trip to Africa. When back, she introduces Ben, a mysterious guy she met there, who confesses his secret hobby.
    DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsYoo Ah-inSteven YeunJeon Jong-seo
  • Song Kang-ho, Jung Ik-han, Jung Hyun-jun, Lee Joo-hyung, Lee Ji-hye, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Park Myeong-hoon, Park Keun-rok, Jang Hye-jin, Lee Jeong-eun, Choi Woo-sik, Park Seo-joon, Park So-dam, and Jung Ji-so in Parasite (2019)

    2. Parasite

    20192h 12mR97Metascore
    8.5 (1.1M)
    Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.
    DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoLee Sun-kyunCho Yeo-jeong
  • Memories of Murder (2003)

    3. Memories of Murder

    20032h 12mNot Rated82Metascore
    8.1 (243K)
    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)

    4. Oldboy

    20032hR78Metascore
    8.3 (681K)
    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
  • Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, and Kim Tae-ri in The Handmaiden (2016)

    5. The Handmaiden

    20162h 25mNot Rated85Metascore
    8.1 (189K)
    In 1930s Korea, a girl is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress who lives a secluded life on a countryside estate. But the maid has a secret: She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler to help seduce the Lady and steal her fortune.
    DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsKim Min-heeHa Jung-wooCho Jin-woong
  • Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)

    6. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring

    20031h 43mR85Metascore
    8.0 (89K)
    In the midst of the Korean wilderness, a Buddhist master patiently raises a boy while teaching wisdom and compassion through experience and endless exercises.
    DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsKim Ki-dukOh Yeong-suJong-ho Kim
  • Kim Jin-kyu, Jeung-nyeo Ju, and Eun-shim Lee in The Housemaid (1960)

    7. 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
  • Poetry (2010)

    8. Poetry

    20102h 19mTV-PG87Metascore
    7.8 (14K)
    A sixty-something woman, faced with the discovery of a heinous family crime and in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, finds strength and purpose when she enrolls in a poetry class.
    DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsYun Jeong-hieLee Da-witKim Hee-ra
  • Sul Kyung-gu in Peppermint Candy (1999)

    9. Peppermint Candy

    19992h 9m
    7.6 (12K)
    Following a man's suicide, time traverses back to reveal six chapters of his life on why he committed suicide.
    DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsSul Kyung-guKim Yeo-jinMoon So-ri
  • Aimless Bullet (1961)

    10. Aimless Bullet

    19611h 50mNot Rated
    7.2 (871)
    A pressured accountant, his war veteran brother and their dysfunctional family struggle with integrating into post-War Korean society.
    DirectorYu Hyun-mokStarsMu-ryong ChoiKim Jin-kyuJeong-suk Moon
  • Won Bin and Kim Hye-ja in Mother (2009)

    11. Mother

    20092h 9mR79Metascore
    7.7 (77K)
    A mother desperately searches for the killer who framed her son for a girl's horrific murder.
    DirectorBong Joon HoStarsKim Hye-jaWon BinJin Goo
  • The Wailing (2016)

    12. The Wailing

    20162h 36mTV-MA81Metascore
    7.4 (91K)
    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
  • Kim Su-an, Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Sohee, and Choi Woo-sik in Train to Busan (2016)

    13. Train to Busan

    20161h 58mNot Rated73Metascore
    7.6 (286K)
    While a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan.
    DirectorYeon Sang-hoStarsGong YooJung Yu-miMa Dong-seok
  • Moon So-ri and Sul Kyung-gu in Oasis (2002)

    14. Oasis

    20022h 13m79Metascore
    7.8 (11K)
    An irresponsible and childish ex-con befriends a girl with cerebral palsy and develops a progressively stronger bond with her.
    DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsSul Kyung-guMoon So-riAhn Nae-sang
  • Right Now, Wrong Then (2015)

    15. Right Now, Wrong Then

    20152h 1mNot Rated81Metascore
    7.1 (5.3K)
    A married film director falls for a young painter - twice.
    DirectorHong Sang-sooStarsJeong Jae-yeongKim Min-heeYoun Yuh-jung
  • Kim Kap-su, Yum Jung-ah, Lim Soo-jung, and Moon Geun-young in A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

    16. A Tale of Two Sisters

    20031h 54mR65Metascore
    7.1 (71K)
    After being institutionalized in a mental hospital, Su-mi reunites with her sister, Su-yeon, and they return to live at their country home. But strange events plague the house, leading to surprising revelations and a shocking conclusion.
    DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsLim Soo-jungYum Jung-ahKim Kap-su
  • Lee Byung-hun, Lee Yeong-ae, and Song Kang-ho in Joint Security Area (2000)

    17. Joint Security Area

    20001h 50mNot Rated58Metascore
    7.7 (37K)
    After a shooting incident at the North-South Korean border DMZ leaves two North Korean soldiers dead, a neutral Swiss and Swedish team investigates what actually happened.
    DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsLee Yeong-aeLee Byung-hunSong Kang-ho
  • Ko Ah-sung in The Host (2006)

    18. The Host

    20062hR85Metascore
    7.1 (139K)
    A monster emerges from Seoul's Han River and begins attacking people. One victim's loving family does what it can to rescue her from its clutches.
    DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoByun Hee-BongPark Hae-il
  • Ed Harris, John Hurt, Jamie Bell, Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Octavia Spencer, and Tilda Swinton in Snowpiercer (2013)

    19. Snowpiercer

    20132h 6mR84Metascore
    7.1 (408K)
    In a future where a failed climate change experiment has killed all life except for the survivors who boarded the Snowpiercer (a train that travels around the globe), a new class system emerges.
    DirectorBong Joon HoStarsChris EvansJamie BellTilda Swinton
  • Sopyonje (1993)

    20. Sopyonje

    19931h 52m
    7.5 (1.2K)
    Despite its falling popularity, a father teaches his two children the Korean musical tradition of Pansori (one singer accompanied by one drummer).
    DirectorIm Kwon-taekStarsKim Myung-gonJung-hae OhKim Kyu-chul
  • House of Hummingbird (2018)

    21. House of Hummingbird

    20182h 18mNot Rated82Metascore
    7.4 (4.2K)
    Seoul 1994, in the year the Seongsu Bridge collapsed, 14-year-old Eunhee wanders the city searching for love.
    DirectorKim Bo-raStarsPark Ji-huKim Sae-byeokJeong In-gi
  • I Saw the Devil (2010)

    22. I Saw the Devil

    20102h 24mNot Rated67Metascore
    7.8 (157K)
    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
  • Lee Yeong-ae in Lady Vengeance (2005)

    23. Lady Vengeance

    20051h 55mR75Metascore
    7.5 (89K)
    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
  • 3-Iron (2004)

    24. 3-Iron

    20041h 28mR72Metascore
    7.9 (60K)
    A transient young man breaks into empty homes to partake of the vacationing residents' lives for a few days.
    DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsLee Seung-yunJae HeeHyuk-ho Kwon
  • Song Kang-ho in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)

    25. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

    20022h 9mR59Metascore
    7.5 (78K)
    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

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