The rise of Korean television and cinema has given us plenty of cross-cultural hits, and now K-Pop isn’t the only sought-after entertainment export to come from the eastern nation. Local directors have been pumping out brilliant romances, thrillers, comedies, and everything in between for years now, but even with their different social sensibilities, there are some genres that translate well no matter where you are. The neo-noir school of film is the descendent of the French film noir, which focuses on sinister themes and darker aesthetics. English language classics of the genre include Se7en, The Running Man, and The Departed, but over the years, Koreans have put their own spin on the idea and produced some brilliant watches. Here are the 10 best Korean neo-noir movies!
10. I Saw the Devil
Neo-noir with a lot of action to boot, I Saw the Devil is a great introduction to the genre as it has enough fun sequences to keep less involved watchers happy, while also bringing nuance and great characterization that helps to tie together its wonderfully dark themes. The film follows the attempts of a NIS (think Korean CIA) officer named Kim Soo-hyun to gain vengeance on a sadistic serial killer named Jang Kyung-chul, after the latter brutally murders the former’s wife. Instead of engaging in a revenge killing, Soo-hyun forces Kyung-chul to swallow a tracker so he can follow his every movement, beginning a violent game of cat and mouse as the pair attempt to outsmart each other, all while Kyung-chul continues his murder spree.
9. A Dirty Carnival
Director Yoo Ha had made a few films before the release of A Dirty Carnival, but this movie was a dark departure from his usual, more dramatic work, and he did an excellent job of keeping fear and tension brimming just under the surface throughout the two-hour runtime. The film follows Kim Byung-doo, a low-level gangster who goes over his boss’ head and takes on a hit, earning the respect of a more powerful gangster. However, his subversion of authority leaves him open to attacks, especially after he begins reconnecting with figures from his past, including an old love interest and a director friend who’s making a film about gangsters. Smart and gripping.
8. Decision to Leave
Legendary director Park Chan-wook’s neo-noir cop mystery is an absolutely stunning piece of cinema, with an intriguing story right at its heart. The movie follows a sleepless policeman named Hae-Jun, who has a complicated relationship with his wife as she works in a different city and they only see each other once a week. Hae-Jun is sent to investigate the death of a retired immigration officer named Ki Do Soo, whose body was found at the foot of a mountain. He soon begins to suspect the victim’s younger Chinese wife Seo-Rae killed him, while also slowly falling for her. Romance, thrills, and plenty of detective work for the audience: Decision to Leave has it all.
7. Memories of Murder
Parasite director Bong Joon-ho achieved critical acclaim for this neo-noir mystery, earning himself many nominations and awards in his native country. Memories of Murder follows a pair of detectives in the ’80s in Hwaseong. There’s been a series of murders and sexual assaults in the rural area, and they’re sent to investigate. As the victims pile up and the killer continues to evade them, tensions begin to fray, leading to arguments, fights, and the murderer’s continuing freedom. This is not a movie with a neat ending, and the ambiguity is what makes it such an engaging watch. Not just an excellent neo-noir film, but one of the best movies to come out of Korea full stop, and a classic that once again showed Western audiences just what the industry could do.
6. Burning
This slow-burning, tense thriller is based on a short story called “Barn Burning” by acclaimed author Haruki Murakami, and the movie brings the same deep sense of unease that the writer provides through his unique narrative style. Burning delves into a love triangle in which one character allegedly likes to burn down abandoned greenhouses for fun, although as the film goes on, the audience begins to suspect that the line between reality and fiction is not as clear-cut as it seems. Although there are some marked differences between the film and story (namely barns don’t really exist in Korea, so the pyromaniac and potential killer burn down greenhouses), Burning manages to keep the best bits of its source material, while adding more depth to the characters than Murakami gives the readers.
5. Mother
This eerie mystery was an instant critical hit when it was first released in 2009, and the film remains a compelling yet uncomfortable watch that delves into all sorts of themes, including issues of class and police oversight in South Korea. Mother follows a poor, widowed mother who looks after her mentally challenged son, with the pair subsisting on a poverty salary gained by selling herbs. When a young girl is murdered in their neighborhood, the son becomes a prime suspect and is arrested. Determined to see her son freed, the widow takes the law into her own hands, but on the way discovers some truly dark secrets.
4. The Handmaiden
Beautiful, dark, twisted, and full of surprises, this incredible film delivers twists and turns like a classic crime novel, while also being as visually arresting as a Renaissance painting. Director Park Chan-wook hit it out of the park again, and the psychological elements of this noir film are just as intriguing as the drama. The Handmaiden is a topsy-turvy story of betrayal and lust set in Japanese-occupied Korea and has a whole host of complicated characters, including a sadistic evil uncle, a poor pickpocket, a gregarious conman, and an entrapped young woman who is at the center of the story. One of the best films of 2016.
3. A Bittersweet Life
Director Kim Jee-woon blends ultra-violence with real emotional depth in this incredible exploration of motive, revenge, and redemption. A Bittersweet Life chronicles the story of an enforcer and hitman named Kim Sun-woo, who is told to shadow the young mistress of his all-powerful, volatile boss. When he catches her having an affair, he beats the partner to a pulp but spares both the lives of the mistress and her lover on the condition that they stop contacting each other. When his boss finds out about this, he attempts to exact his revenge on Sun-woo, only for the latter to escape, with everything ending in a bloody shoot-out. A compelling and dark character portrait of a man who lives a life of violence, this film will make you think while still delivering a punch.
2. Oldboy
Thanks to its brilliant construction, intriguingly dark plot, and unbelievable twist ending, Oldboy was one of the films that announced the arrival of Korean cinema as a real global cultural force instead of just being something cinema nerds knew about. In the movie, we follow Oh Dae-su, a man who’s been imprisoned in a cell that looks like a hotel room for almost 15 years, but never discovers who his captor is nor their motivation. When released, he vows revenge, all the while falling in love with a young chef named Mi-do. As Dae-su slowly uncovers the truth, a horrifying secret about his past makes him rethink everything he thought he knew.
1. The Housemaid
The Housemaid is one of the very first examples of a Korean neo-noir film, but it’s as gold as it is old. Directed by the legendary Kim Ki-young, the movie chronicles the slow destruction of a wealthy Korean family as a young woman who they hire as a housekeeper begins exhibiting increasingly erratic behavior after engaging in an affair with the man of the house. Shocking, brilliant, and unlike any other film of the era, The Housemaid was somewhat rediscovered at the turn of this century and is now widely regarded as one of the best films to come out of Korea.