Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalHispanic Heritage MonthIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Gook

  • 2017
  • Unrated
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
2.9K
YOUR RATING
Justin Chon, David So, Curtiss Cook Jr., Simone Baker, and Omono Okojie in Gook (2017)
Eli and Daniel are two Korean American brothers who own a struggling shoe store and have a unique and unlikely friendship with a young 11-year-old African American girl, Kamilla. The film is set during the first day of the LA riots forcing them to defend their store while contemplating the future of their own personal dreams and the meaning of family.
Play trailer1:59
4 Videos
8 Photos
Drama

Two Korean-American brothers run a shoe store in L.A. county. Their friend, black eleven-year-old Kamilla, drops in and helps. On this day, the Rodney King verdict ignites the 1992 L.A. riot... Read allTwo Korean-American brothers run a shoe store in L.A. county. Their friend, black eleven-year-old Kamilla, drops in and helps. On this day, the Rodney King verdict ignites the 1992 L.A. riots.Two Korean-American brothers run a shoe store in L.A. county. Their friend, black eleven-year-old Kamilla, drops in and helps. On this day, the Rodney King verdict ignites the 1992 L.A. riots.

  • Director
    • Justin Chon
  • Writer
    • Justin Chon
  • Stars
    • Simone Baker
    • Justin Chon
    • Curtiss Cook Jr.
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    2.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Justin Chon
    • Writer
      • Justin Chon
    • Stars
      • Simone Baker
      • Justin Chon
      • Curtiss Cook Jr.
    • 26User reviews
    • 38Critic reviews
    • 69Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 wins & 12 nominations total

    Videos4

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:59
    Official Trailer
    GOOK teaser
    Trailer 0:54
    GOOK teaser
    GOOK teaser
    Trailer 0:54
    GOOK teaser
    Gook: Kamilla
    Clip 2:03
    Gook: Kamilla
    Gook: A Busy Day In The Shop
    Clip 1:19
    Gook: A Busy Day In The Shop

    Photos7

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 4
    View Poster

    Top cast36

    Edit
    Simone Baker
    Simone Baker
    • Kamilla
    Justin Chon
    Justin Chon
    • Eli
    Curtiss Cook Jr.
    Curtiss Cook Jr.
    • Keith
    David So
    David So
    • Daniel
    Kirlew 'bliss' Vilbon
    • Bliss
    Chris Jai Alex
    Chris Jai Alex
    • Ray
    Domenique Batiste
    • Customer
    Ignacio Bautista
    • Vato 2
    Teaira T. Bryant
    • Shoe Store Customer
    Sang Chon
    • Mr. Kim
    Jeff Corbett
    Jeff Corbett
    • Doctor
    Terence Dickson
    • Rioter 2
    Cesar Garcia
    Cesar Garcia
    • Cesar
    Xzavier Gray
    • Tagger 2
    Sharyn Grose
    • Kamilla's Mom
    Guy L. Holmes
    • HipHop Kid
    Isaiah Jarel
    Isaiah Jarel
    • Curtis
    David Joe Kim
    • Hospital patient
    • Director
      • Justin Chon
    • Writer
      • Justin Chon
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews26

    7.02.8K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    7donyelbyronjr

    Did even you fight back?

    People are mad and emotional distress has no enemy it's collective the anger we are dramatizing. Gook is that film, independent, epic and evocative. "E pluribus unum" there's more we have in common than our differences had a movie, "Gook" is it.
    10sym007

    Emotional and fun storytelling at a sad time W/O getting into the weeds

    I really enjoyed the movie and feel like it captured a lot of the interactions I had witnessed and encountered growing up. It was interesting to see how no matter what parts of the world that you're in, some things never change. As an Asian American I was able to relate a lot to the movie but was also drawn into all of the characters and it was well written, acted and directed. Although the movie was set during difficult times of the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict, the movie didn't dwell into the details of it but rather provided the perspective from everyday people in LA around that time. Back in those days, gangs were a lot more prevalent in LA and of course it was more dangerous. In this movie, you get to see how different people perceive each other based on their race and history. Different cultures are intertwined and everyone is trying to survive to make a living whither it is legal or not. But what's most interesting is seeing how two family's history can connect people together and how conflict is not without its consequences. David So was funny and you feel sorry for him as he experiences a bad day throughout LA. But he has it easy in comparison to other characters you start to care for who go through more struggles when they shouldn't have to. The ending was very emotional and you feel for those characters. Justin Chon did an excellent job with everything since not only he wrote and directed but acted too. It's refreshing to see the Korean-American perspective and I'm looking forward to his next movie on Korean adoptees.
    samf2006

    Latasha Harlins

    I have never went from loving a film to literally hating it overnight,the film GOOK is a well made piece of art that I actually really enjoyed,but upon during further research on the LA uprising I came across something really disturbing ,a little black 15 year old girl named Latasha Harlins. Learning about this little girl and how what happened to her was part of what was leading to the Uprisings, it gave me a new perspective On the film GOOK.
    8nocturneescape

    A Collage of Characters And Events

    This movie Gook felt like some parts of it were unfinished. Being a huge fan of David So, I've followed this project since the beginning. The characters were all pretty solid. All of the actors in the movie felt like the roles were created just for them (In some cases like David So's they actually were!) Despite feeling like they took far too long to get to some points, the unexpected ending made up for it. I left the movie feeing like someone had kicked me in the heart.
    9heejooyoon

    Unexpectedly Moving

    I picked this movie to watch because of the title of the movie. I knew 'gook' means something offensive to Asian people in English, but in Korean language, it's not an offensive word so it made me curious. This movie didn't grabbed my undivided attention in the beginning, but more and more into the story, I got so hooked. This movie made me laugh and cry both. I really enjoyed watching the film. Seeing the characters' connections to each other slowly being revealed as the riot got more heated in the story really built the drama. It was very rewarding film to watch. The acting in this film is crazy awesome. I'm so looking forward to see another film by the same artists again!! Please~~make more films!

    More like this

    Menashe
    6.6
    Menashe
    Disappearance
    6.6
    Disappearance
    The Desert Bride
    6.5
    The Desert Bride
    Pop Aye
    6.6
    Pop Aye
    Ms. Purple
    6.3
    Ms. Purple
    Killing Jesus
    7.0
    Killing Jesus
    Jamojaya
    6.7
    Jamojaya
    Nobody's Watching
    6.6
    Nobody's Watching
    Daphne
    6.0
    Daphne
    Man Up
    6.2
    Man Up
    Dayveon
    6.2
    Dayveon
    Lemon
    4.7
    Lemon

    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Director, writer, and lead actor Justin Chon wrote the role of Mr. Kim specifically for his father Sang Chon, but it took 3 months to convince his father to accept the role because of the nature of the film and the similarities to their own family history.
    • Goofs
      Eli's black eye is quite noticeable in some scenes while in others it is a mere shadow.
    • Quotes

      Kamilla: People are mad.

      Eli: As they should be.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Half in the Bag: Us and Paddleton (2019)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ19

    • How long is Gook?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 19, 2018 (Sweden)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment (United Kingdom)
      • Official Facebook
    • Languages
      • English
      • Korean
    • Also known as
      • 국
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Datari Turner Productions
      • Birthday Soup Films
      • Foxtrout Studios
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $250,130
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $27,044
      • Aug 20, 2017
    • Gross worldwide
      • $251,541
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 34m(94 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.