The Ultimate List of the Best and Worst Korean Movies

The movies that started it all....

1. Joint Security Area (2000)

2. Attack the Gas Station (1999)

3. My Sassy Girl (2001)

4. Memories of Murder (2003)

5. Bad Guy (2001)

6. A Bittersweet Life (2005)

The 6 movies listed above were some of the very first Korean movies I watched, back in 2005. I had never seen a Korean movie prior to 2005, so I have no strong nostalgic memories, as with American movies. However, despite the recent introduction, I feel that Korean movies are superior to most Hollywood movies. How so? Korean directors can make a movie about 4 guys attacking a gas station and somehow make it just as interesting and as memorable as Star Wars or Terminator. What is this “somehow”? Through strong character development. Clearly, there are no advanced special effects, so something else must be strengthened. American movie producers tend to have access to vast amounts of money, so they don't need to hire talented actors or get a good script. American movies just need a good special effects team, the results of which can be seen in movies like The Matrix and Transformers.

So, what types of American movies most resemble Korean movies? Anything with no or minimal computer graphics and strong character development. If you like The Shawshank Redemption or Fargo, then you'll probably like Korean movies. Both of those movies invoke memories of the characters and their struggles. Neither relied upon computer animations. They had real people.

Unfortunately, a truly terrible Korean movie was shown in American theaters ‑ D‑War. Do you know why it was shown in American theaters? Because it had good special effects. It's important to understand that I sometimes love movies with special effects, such as The Matrix and Transformers. This is because I understand the point of those movies is not to develop characters, but to wow audiences with explosions and compelling visuals. These types of movies typically are not that interesting when special effects are absent. A primary example is The Lord of the Rings, which was terribly boring, just like D‑War. Only when the computer took over was I able to maintain an interest. Another example of only watching the computer was Peter Jackson's King Kong. A counter example is The Incredible Hulk, which was interesting when the computer took over and when it signed off. And why? Because Edward Norton is a very talented actor.

In evolutionary terms, the origin of my interest in Korean movies can be traced back to the 6 listed at the top. Evolution helps us understand where things come from and its use is not exclusive to biology. I am using evolution to explain an interest. Biological evolution tends to keep things that work, such as gills and eyes. The evolution of my interest in Korean movies also retains things that work, such as an emotional response. The type of emotional response I get when watching a Korean movie is much stronger when watching an American movie. A strong emotional response is retained for a longer time and has more salience than a weak emotional response. I'm not arguing that Korean movies are more emotional than American movies ‑ I'm telling you what actually happens in my mind. Something else may happen in the mind of someone else, although they may not be willing to tell you about it, and you would never know.

I have watched 287 Korean movies since 2005 and arranged them into three tiers, with each tier organized chronologically. I purposefully organized them chronologically because each movie within its respective tier is as good as the others, in my opinion.

I've linked to the first two movies. You should be able to learn more about everything I have listed through these websites:

1. ASIANDB
2. Korean Film Org
3. Han Cinema

Tier 1 - Transcendent (90)

These are all films that I feel are better than “very good”, which in my mind translates to “transcendent”. I didn’t pick these because I feel my opinion will be universally approved; it is personal. I feel these are transcendent, but you may not.

Deep Blue Night 3-1-1985

Chil-su and Man-su 11-16-1988

Gagman 6-24-1989

Sopyonje 4-10-1993

The Day a Pig Fell into the Well 5-4-1996

Green Fish 2-7-1997

No. 3 8-2-1997

The Snare 11-1-1997

Christmas in August 1-24-1998

The Power of Kangwon Province 4-4-1998

The Quiet Family 4-25-1998

Birdcage Inn 10-31-1998

Attack the Gas Station 10-12-1999

Peppermint Candy 1-1-2000

Barking Dogs Never Bite 2-19-2000

The Isle 4-22-2000

Virgin Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors 5-27-2000

Joint Security Area 9-9-2000

Plum Blossom 10-14-2000

Pisces 10-21-2000

Address Unknown 5-26-2001

My Sassy Girl 7-27-2001

Raybang 11-2-2001

Bad Guy 1-11-2002

Turning Gate 3-22-2002

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance 3-29-2002

Marriage is a Crazy Thing 4-26-2002

Painted Fire 5-10-2002

Oasis 8-15-2002

Jail Breakers 11-21-2002

Memories of Murder 4-25-2003

A Tale of Two Sisters 6-13-2003

A Good Lawyer’s Wife 8-14-2003

Plastic Tree 8-29-2003

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring 9-19-2003

Untold Scandal 10-2-2003

Once Upon a Time in High School 1-16-2004

Samaritan Girl 3-5-2004

Woman is the Future of Man 5-5-2004

Spider Forest 9-3-2004

3-Iron 10-15-2004

S Diary 10-22-2004

Possible Changes 3-18-2005

A Bittersweet Life 4-1-2005

A Tale Of Cinema 5-26-2005

Rules Of Dating 6-10-2005

Whispering Corridors 4: Voice 7-15-2005

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance 7-29-2005

You Are My Sunshine 9-23-2005

Princess Aurora 10-27-2005

The Customer is Always Right 2-23-2006

Forbidden Quest 2-23-2006

Family Matters 3-24-2006

A Bloody Aria 5-31-2006

A Dirty Carnival 6-15-2006

No Mercy For The Rude 8-24-2006

Woman on the Beach 8-31-2006

Tazza: The High Rollers 9-27-2006

Ad-Lib Night 11-30-2006

Big Bang 3-14-2007

A Shark 5-10-2007

Secret Sunshine 5-23-2007

Black House 6-21-2007

Changing Partners 8-15-2007

Off Road 8-30-2007

Beautiful 2-14-2008

The Chaser 2-14-2008

Sorry 8-16-2008

The Divine Weapon 9-4-2008

My Dear Enemy 9-25-2008

My Friend and His Wife 11-27-2008

Private Eye 4-2-2009

Breathless 4-16-2009

Thirst 4-30-2009

Like You Know It All 5-14-2009

Mother 5-28-2009

Thirsty, Thirsty 6-4-2009

Possessed 8-12-2009

Paju 10-28-2009

Today and the Other Days 10-29-2009

Visitors 11-12-2009

HaHaHa 5-5-2010

The Housemaid 5-13-2010

Poetry 5-13-2010

I Saw The Devil 8-12-2010

A Desire to Kill 8-26-2010

Bedevilled 9-2-1010

Oki’s Movie 9-16-2010

Mother is a Whore 3-31-2011
Nameless Gangster 2-2-2012

Tier 2 - Decent to Delightful (146)

These all range from good to very good, in my opinion.

Angels on the Streets 2-19-1941

The Insect Woman 1972

Yeong Ja’s Heydays 2-11-1975

The Ball Shot By a Midget 10-17-1981

Knee to Knee 1984

The Entertainer 1985

Mulberry 2-8-1986

Winter Wanderer 1986

Hello, God! 1987

Youth Sketch 1987

Our Sweet Days of Youth 1988

Come, Come, Come Upwards 1989

General’s Son 1990

The Road to the Race Track 12-21-1991

Passage to Buddha 5-18-1993

Two Cops 1993

The Taebaek Mountains 1994

Two Cops 2 4-27-1996

The Contact 9-13-1997

Downfall 9-13-1997

Whispering Corridors 5-30-1998

Shiri 2-13-1999

Nowhere to Hide 7-31-1999

Tell Me Something 11-13-1999

Whispering Corridors 2: Memento Mori 12-24-1999

The Foul King 2-4-2000

Secret Tears 6-3-2000

Real Fiction 6-24-2000

I Wish I Had a Wife 1-13-2001

Bungee Jumping 2-3-2001

Running 7 Dogs 2-3-2001

Love Her 3-17-2001

Friend 3-31-2001

Failan 4-28-2001

Indian Summer 5-5-2001

Humanist 5-12-2001

Summer Time 5-26-2001

Kick the Moon 6-23-2001

Say Yes 8-17-2001

My Wife is a Gangster 9-28-2001

Guns and Talks 10-12-2001

Take Care of My Cat 10-13-2001

Hi Dharma 11-7-2001

Last Witness 11-16-2001

Flower Island 11-24-2001

Public Enemy 1-25-2002

No Blood No Tears 3-1-2002

A Funny Movie 4-12-2002

Bet on My Disco 6-6-2002

Break Out 7-17-2002

Phone 7-26-2002

Wet Dreams 11-6-2002

The Coast Guard 11-22-2002

A Bizarre Love Triangle 12-6-2002

Sex is Zero 12-12-2002

Save the Green Planet! 4-4-2003

Whispering Corridors 3: Wishing Stairs 8-1-2003

Into the Mirror 8-14-2003

My Wife is a Gangster 2 9-5-2003

Acacia 10-17-2003

The Road Taken 10-24-2003

Do You Like Spring Bears? 10-24-2003

The Greatest Expectation 10-24-2003

If You Were Me 11-14-2003

Oldboy 11-21-2003

Happy Naked Christmas 12-17-2003

Silmido 12-31-2003

Taegukgi 2-4-2004

The Big Swindle 4-15-2004

The Doll Master 7-30-2004

Hypnotized 8-6-2004

R-Point 8-20-2004

Three...Extremes 8-20-2004

Ghost House 9-17-2004

Some 10-22-2004

Wet Dreams 2 1-14-2005

Another Public Enemy 1-27-2005

The President’s Last Bang 2-3-2005

She’s on Duty 3-17-2005

Crying Fist 4-1-2005

Blood Rain 5-4-2005

The Bow 5-12-2005

Green Chair 6-10-2005

The Red Shoes 6-30-2005

Heaven’s Soldiers 7-15-2005

Welcome to Dongmakgol 8-4-2005

The Wig 8-11-2005

Cello 8-18-2005

Duelist 9-8-2005

The King and the Clown 10-29-2005

Art of Fighting 1-5-2006

Running Wild 1-12-2006

If You Were Me 2 1-13-2006

Holiday 1-19-2006

Vampire Cop, Ricky 2-9-2006

Bewitching Attraction 3-16-2006

My Scary Girl 4-6-2006

Bloody Tie 4-26-2006

Don’t Look Back 7-13-2006

The Host 7-27-2006

D-day 8-3-2006

Dasepo Naughty Girls 8-10-2006

Time 8-24-2006

Like A Virgin 8-31-2006

Mission Sex Control 9-28-2006

Righteous Ties 10-19-2006

Cruel Winter Blues 11-9-2006

I’m a Cyborg But That’s OK 12-7-2006

My Wife is a Gangster 3 12-28-2006

This Old Garden 1-4-2007

The Show Must Go On 4-5-2007

Beyond the Years 4-12-2007

Paradise Murdered 4-12-2007

Breath 4-26-2007

Hwang Jin Yi 6-6-2007

May 18 7-25-2007

Epitaph 8-1-2007

Love Exposure 10-18-2007

Shadows in the Palace 10-18-2007

Desert Dream 11-8-2007

Forever the Moment 1-10-2008

Once Upon a Time 1-30-2008

The Game 1-31-2008

Girl Scout 6-5-2008

Life is Cool 6-12-2008

My Mighty Princess 6-26-2008

Rough Cut 9-11-2008

Truck 9-25-2008

Crush and Blush 10-16-2008

Iri 11-13-2008

Portrait of a Beauty 11-13-2008

Scandal Makers 12-4-2008

Frozen Flower 12-30-2008

Turtles Run 6-11-2009

Lifting King Kong 7-1-2009

Tidal Wave 7-22-2009

The Sword With No Name 9-24-2009

Attack the Gas Station! 2 1-21-2010

Nice Shorts 1-21-2010

Moss 7-14-2010

The Man From Nowhere 8-4-2010
The Unjust 10-28-2010

Hanji 3-17-2011

Moby Dick 6-9-2011

Poongsan 6-23-2011
Silenced 9-22-2011

Tier 3 - Abysmal (55)

These are films that I either did not like or disliked so much that I could not finish watching them. These are the stinkers of Korean cinema, in my opinion.

The Terrorist 1995

The Eternal Empire 1-28-1995

The Gingko Bed 2-17-1996

Piano Man 5-24-1996

The Soul Guardians 8-15-1998

Motel Cactus 10-25-1997

The Ring Virus 6-12-1999

Doctor K 10-1-1999

Black Honeymoon 3-11-2000

Nightmare 7-29-2000

Dead if Recorded 8-26-2000

Butterfly 10-13-2001

Volcano High 12-8-2001

Out of Justice 12-21-2001

2009 Lost Memories 2-1-2002

Four Toes 5-17-2002

Yesterday 6-13-2002

Family 8-23-2002

Can’t Live Without Robbery 9-27-2002

Unborn But Forgotten 11-15-2002

H 12-27-2002

Tube 6-5-2003

The Uninvited 8-8-2003

Natural City 9-26-2003

Once Upon a Time in a Battlefield 10-17-2003

Arahan 4-30-2004

Face 6-11-2004

Bunshinsaba (Ouija Board) 8-5-2004

None Of Your Cheek! 12-3-2004

Antarctic Journal 5-19-2005

City of Violence 5-25-2006

Arang 6-28-2006

Apartment 7-6-2006

Bloody Reunion 8-3-2006

Cinderella 8-17-2006

Dark Forest 8-17-2006

How the Lack of Love Affects Two Men 11-16-2006

Small Town Rivals 3-29-2007

The Cut 7-11-2007

Muoi 7-25-2007

D-War 8-1-2007

Return 8-8-2007

M 10-25-2007

The Guard Post 4-3-2008

The Good, The Bad, The Weird 7-17-2008

Death Bell 8-26-2008

Dream 10-9-2008

Written 12-26-2008

Five Senses of Eros 7-9-2009

Chaw 7-15-2009

Whispering Corridors 5: A Blood Pledge 8-12-2009

Yoga Class 8-20-2009

Secret Reunion 2-4-2010

Outlaw 3-18-2010
Traffickers  8-29-2012