Top 10: Korean Films

Still need to see many, but most notably The Chaser.

10. New World (4/5)

http://sumgyeojingem.com/

An undercover cop (Lee Jung-jae) desperately tries to keep his cover against the turmoil of an internal conflict in the crime syndicate, and an external one with the cops, a situation he's been placed in with little support from his superiors (led by Choi Min-sik's Chief Kang). Think The Departed but even more cynical in tone, since the police chief is a complete dickhead and the finale is a complete downer, without Mark Wahlberg to save the day. Atmospheric and very well-told version of this sort of story even if it doesn't wrap up quite perfectly.

MVP (cast): Hwang Jung-min's energetic, Joe Pesci-esque interpretation of a hedonistic but charming gangster Jung Chung, whose capacity for violence is only exceeded by his loyalty to close friends.

MVP (production): The austerely cold cinematography that occasionally erupts into extreme violence.

Best scene: A parking lot ambush.

9. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (4.5/5)

www.screen.com.mx

The third installment in Park Chan-wook's Vengeance trilogy focuses on Lee Geum-ja (Lee Young-ae), just released from prison, and her quest for revenge on the sleazy teacher (Choi Min-sik), who forced her to confess to the murder of a young child 13 years earlier. The film is a strange blend of vicious cruelty and an almost sweet air of sympathy for its central protagonist, it doesn't work with every scene, but it creates quite the interesting film with quite a powerful and uniquely twisted ending.

MVP (cast): Lee Young-ae's incredible lead performance which veers between sunny, sincere sweetness and cold brutality without compromising either side of her character.

MVP (production): Again, the beautiful cinematography and lighting which is gritty, bloody yet somehow merges it with beauty,

Best scene: Vengeance truly begins

8. The Good, the Bad, and the Weird (4.5/5)

Youtube

Essentially a Korean homage to the classic Sergio Leone Western The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly where the Good (Jung Woo-sung's sharpshooter bounty hunter), the Bad (Lee Byung-hun's vicious hitman), and the Weird (Song Kang Ho's loopy petty thief) battle in 1940s Manchuria for the possession of a map and the treasure trail it holds. It's a very scattershot film in terms of tone and story, but what makes it work so well is its technical brilliance and chemistry (or anti-chemistry) between its colourful (literally and metaphorically) characters.

MVP (cast): Song's hilarious and heartfelt portrayal of a roguish, despicable, charismatic, cowardly and just downright 'weird' bandit.

MVP (production): The humorously twisted set design and costumes.

Best scene: Desert chasedown.

7. Train to Busan (4.5/5)

Hollywood Reporter

Just a standard zombie flick, set mostly on a moving train, what distinguishes it from most of its competition is fleshed-out characters, and taut involving direction that amplify it into a terrific thriller.

MVP (cast): Ahn Soo-hee's heartfelt and well-developed performance as the 'cute kid' who's more than just that.

MVP (production): The terse and unrelenting direction of Yeon Sang-ho.

Best scene: Dajeon train station.

6. The Host (4.5/5)

asiabeam.com

Like Train to Busan, it's at heart a pure monster movie, but with a funny little twist in that, unlike most of these sort of films nowadays, it has so much heart in its underdog protagonists, a certain social subtext that's never overplayed, and some solid special effects combined with excellent cinematography. Extremely well-made sci-fi horror.

MVP (cast): Song Kang-ho again, this time playing a far less crafty, but much more sympathetic, fellow.

MVP (production): Bong Joon-ho's direction amplifies the film from just a standard monster horror picture to a rather exciting, hilarious and powerful version of that trope.

Best scene: The first monster attack.

5. Mother (5/5)

MUBI.com

A very off-kilter murder mystery by Bong Joon-ho. I need a re-watch of this, that's for sure, but it's not what you'd expect.

MVP (cast): Kim Hye-ja, whose performance (and the film as a whole) I need a full review to elaborate on the brilliance of.

MVP (production): The terrific screenplay by Bong and Park Eun-kyo which has surprises around every corner, but not in the way you'd expect.

Best scene: Nothing in particular yet, but check out this 'Every Frame a Painting' video for a taste of the film (though warning, it contains SPOILERS)

4. Oldboy (5/5)

3brothersfilm.com

You know what it's all about; the twist ending to this, I'd say, is one you'll probably have heard of before walking into the film, and you'll have read or seen many of its most famous sequences. Don't let that put you off the film, it's a tremendous piece of cinema by Park Chan-wook, bloody and gruesome yet utterly captivating in its depiction of Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) and his hunt for the man who perpetrated him with 15 years of suffering, and the murder of his wife and daughter.

MVP (cast): Choi Min-sik's amazing lead performance, which jumps between being deeply troubling in his depiction of a broken-down man, and darkly entertaining as a man seeking vengenace on his tormenters.

MVP (production): The splendid cinematography and editing combined create some of the most exhilarating action set-pieces of recent cinema without any big explosions or effects.

Best scene: You know it (although from an acting perspective, the revelation scene and the elevator scene are ace, too)

3. I Saw the Devil (5/5)

expresselevatortohell.files.wordpress.com

Arguably the most gruesome film of the decade so far. Not just in terms of violence and gore (where there's plenty of) but also its themes, which are most certainly not for the squeamish. It depicts the cat-and-mouse chase between a routine serial killer (Choi Min-sik, you'll understand what I mean by 'routine' when you see the film) and the detective on his tail (Lee Byung-hun) seeking to avenge his fallen wife. It's a tough watch, one I'm not eager to peruse again any time soon without some company, and quite upsetting in many ways, but also a great display of virtuoso filmmaking and acting.

MVP (cast): Choi again, this time playing a far less sympathetic character, the titular devil but in a very down-to-earth and brutal fashion, a killer with humanity, but of the most base sort.

MVP (production): The sound editing and mixing in this film creates some of the most claustraphobic and terrifying scenes in recent memory.

Best scene: They're all a bit too NSFW in nature, Just look them up on Youtube, if you dare.

2. A Bittersweet Life (5/5)

jacklfilms.blogspot.hk

Lee Byung-hun features in a lot of films on this list. I'm a newly converted fan of his acting style, which relies so much on physicality (both in terms of his martial arts prowess and his unique knack for conveying emotions sans words) and minimalism. This character study of a mob enforcer who experiences a crisis of conscience in the form of his boss' girlfriend is a captivating masterpiece that uses beautiful classical music, devestatingly violent setpieces, and even a streak of dark humour, to lace together a definition of a film with no straight answer, no direct 'happiness', no direct 'sadness', just a constant 'bittersweet' feeling coursing throughout its veins that builds up to an explosive (both visually and emotionally) finale.

MVP (cast): Lee Byung-hun gives a devestating 'silent badass' enforcer performance that's one of the great minimalist performances.

MVP (production): Kim Jee-won's brilliant balancing of the harsh violence and the soft beauty of his characters' lives, juxtaposing the intensity and serenity of a bittersweet life with aplomb.

Best scene: The ending.

Although if you want to watch something without spoiling the emotional impact of the finale, this is a brilliant comedic scene.

And a brilliant badass opening scene.

1. Memories of Murder (5/5)

neatorama.com

The Zodiac of Korean thriller films, I'd say, except...well, let's leave that all to a future blog post. On its own, this is an amazing detective procedural, using South Korea's first recorded serial murder case as a basis. It's a terrific thriller, first and foremost, with some chilling sequences and equally fascinating investigative scenes of some less-than-competent detectives and one astute, Seoul-based one piecing clues together. It's also got beautiful cinematography, an eclectic soundtrack that even ties into the plot of the film, and some doses of humour that never feel out-of-place. I loved it.

MVP (cast): The whole cast, and I mean the whole cast, is on point. Song Kang-ho is great as always, but so are his co-stars Kim Roi-ha, Park Hae-il and especially King Sang-yung,

MVP (production):  Bong Joon-ho's direction is incredible, look at this video from fantastic Youtube channel 'Every Frame a Painting' for just a small taste of it.

Best scene: Chasing the suspect (though close second would be the train track climax)