41 Best Korean Movies Of All Time

With the historic wins scored by "Parasite" at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards, interest in Korean movies has probably never been higher. If you're new to Korean film, you may not know where to start or what's the best film to watch. But don't worry, there's good news — there are plenty of great Korean movies!

Starting with the least best to the best, we at Looper have curated 41 of the greatest Korean movies for you to check out. The films run the gamut from historical war dramas to melodramas to monster and zombie flicks. There are dramas showing the complexities of humanity next to blood-soaked tales of vengeance and light romantic comedies. The films are culturally specific, but like "Parasite," they also resonate on a global scale.

Updated on May 25, 2022: Korea's filmmaking industry is coming on strong, and as new titles make their way overseas, we'll be sure to update this list with any new classics that hit theater screens and streaming services.

The post-war drama "The General's Mustache" features a mystery surrounding the death of photographer Cheol-hun. Gradually, details about his life come into focus as two detectives, including the veteran Park, investigate his background. They uncover a tale of profound loneliness, of class divisions, and the ways we disguise our true selves. Director Seong-gu Lee's film is considered a "masterpiece of Korean modernism" (via Windows on Worlds) for its critique of post-war Korean society and for Lee's use of varied film techniques (including animation) as Park's investigation reveals Cheol-hun's secrets.

• Starring: Yun Jeong-hie, Seung-ho Kim, Shin Seong-il
• Director: Seong-gu Lee
• Year: 1968
• Runtime: 103 minutes
• Rating: NR
• IMDb Score: 6.1

Kim Ki-young's "The Insect Woman" stars Academy Award-winning Youn Yuh-jung as Myeong-ja, a young girl who's set on a life of sex work after a family tragedy. She winds up having an affair with Mr. Kim, one that is "allowed" by his wife, Oh Soon-jo, who controls all aspects of it. Mr. Kim's children aren't wild about it, and when things get more serious between Mr. Kim and Myeong-ja, the situation gets out of control. 

"The Insect Woman" tackles the madness that comes from the rigid confines of Korean society on men and women. Director Kim tackled a similar story with his 1960 film, "The Housemaid," as well as a few of his other films, and it's easy to see why. He's able to keep mining the melodrama of this story while updating it to contemporaneous societal shifts in South Korea to shine a light on them.

• Starring: Won Namkung, Youn Yuh-jung, Gye-hyeon Jeon
• Director: Kim Ki-young
• Year: 1972
• Runtime: 110 minutes
• Rating: NR
• IMDb Score: 6.3

One of the first international breakout hits for Korean cinema, "Nowhere to Hide" combines action movie and crime thriller tropes with arthouse sensibilities and some comedy to boot. The film is visually stunning, albeit at the expense of the plot. Detectives Woo and Kim search for the killer of a man in Inchon, which seems like a straightforward premise. Director Lee Myung-se seems more interested in playing with the form of film, though, than plot mechanics, tossing in flourishes worthy of John Woo, Wong Kar-Wai, and Quentin Tarantino, all of whom he's been compared to. Though it's Rotten Tomatoes score is low, it's important in the history of Korean cinema and worth a look.

• Starring: Jang Dong-gun, Choi Ji-u, Ahn Sung-ki
• Director: Lee Myung-se
• Year: 1999
• Runtime: 112 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 47%

"Tell Me Something" is part of the Korean wave (or K-wave) that started in the 1990s as Korean pop culture began spreading across the globe. This hybrid horror/thriller/crime drama stars Han Suk-kyu as a disgraced detective hunting a serial killer with a gruesome oeuvre. But the closer he grows to Su-Yeon, who has a connection to all the victims, the more the danger increases. Director Yun-hyeon Jang piles on the gore, which horror hounds will appreciate, while adding a twist ending that crime and thriller fans will appreciate.

• Starring: Han Suk-kyu, Shim Eun-ha, Hang-Seon Jang
• Director: Yun-hyeon Jang
• Year: 1999
• Runtime: 118 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 42% 

"The Seashore Village" (also known as "The Sea Village") won the Grand Bell Award (equivalent to the Academy Awards) for Best Film in 1966. A seaside fishing village has a large population of widows who help each other after their fishermen husbands are lost at sea. One young widow, Hae-soon, begins a new relationship with coal miner Sang-soo but must leave the village with her lover. Making things more complicated, her beauty causes jealousy in Sang-soo, and returning to life by the sea is a powerful lure for Hae-soon. Soo-yong Kim's assured direction focuses mostly on the women of the film — their desires and their struggles. "The Seashore Village" is a classic that gives voice to its women character's lives.

• Starring: Yeong-gyun Shin, Eun-a Ko, Jeong-sun Hwang
• Director: Soo-yong Kim
• Year: 1965
• Runtime: 91 minutes
• Rating: NR
• IMDb Score: 6.5

"Shiri" is considered one of the films that really kicked the Korean New Wave into high gear. According to the South China Morning Post, it grossed $26 million on a budget of $5 million upon release, which was a pretty big deal at the time. Director "Jacky" Kang Je-kyu uses slick visuals in an homage to Hollywood and Hong Kong action films. "Shiri" stars Yunjin Kim (Sun on "Lost") as Lee Bang-hee, a North Korean undercover agent sent to South Korea to perform assassinations. The glossy production values, star-crossed lovers aspect of the plot–Bang-hee becomes involved with a South Korean agent, and high-action quotient provides heart-pumping thrills. And if you're a fan of "Parasite," keep an eye out for Song Kang-ho, who appears as Jong-won's partner, Jang-gil.

• Starring: Han Suk-kyu, Yunjin Kim, Choi Min-sik
• Director: Je-kyu Kang
• Year: 1999
• Runtime: 125 minutes
• Rating: R
• IMDb Score: 6.6

Choi Dong-hoon's "The Big Swindle" is a caper film/comedy where a heist-gone-wrong leads a group of swindlers to search for a whole lot of stolen money. But that's just one of the jobs the cons have going, and once the cops get involved, things really get complicated. "The Big Swindle" has been compared favorably to 1995's "The Usual Suspects," to give you a hint of what to expect. Choi's film has been praised for its smart plot and wild action sequences, which is also what makes it one of the best Korean movies made.

• Starring: Shin-yang Park, Jung-ah Yum, Yun-shik Baek
• Director: Choi Dong-hoon
• Year: 2004
• Runtime: 116 minutes
• Rating: NR
• IMDb Score: 6.6

"Madame Freedom" is an old-fashioned melodrama, based on the novel of the same name, about a troubled marriage. Professor Jang Tae-yoon has a prestigious job but little money, so his wife, Oh Sun-young, takes a job managing a boutique selling Western goods. The push/pull of Western versus Korean life leads Sun-young to dance halls and wild flirtations while her husband allows himself to be pursued by a former student. Though neither fully breaks their marital vows, the intent is obvious. The tragedy at the heart of "Madame Freedom" is visited more on the women than the men, illuminating gender inequality in Korean society.

• Starring: Kim Jeong-rim, Park Am, Lee Min
• Director: Han Hyeong-mo
• Year: 1956
• Runtime: 125 minutes
• Rating: NR
• IMDb Score: 6.6

"Parasite" star Song Kang-ho scored his first lead role as Dae-ho, a man who becomes the Foul King when he takes up wrestling in director/writer Kim Jee-woon's comedic second feature. As a child, Dae-ho worships professional wrestlers, but as an adult, he's a timid banker harassed by a bully of a boss. Seeking a way to build confidence, Dae-ho takes up pro wrestling as a heel called the Foul King. Underneath the comedy, Kim's script tackles Dae-ho's growth from sad sack to assertive man, giving the film more heft than its light comedic trappings suggest. 

• Starring: Song Kang-ho, Park Sang-myeon, Jang Jin-young
• Director: Kim Jee-woon
• Year: 2000
• Runtime: 109 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76% (Audience Score)

Also known as "The Surrogate Womb," Im Kwon-taek's "The Surrogate Woman” features Kang Soo-yeon as Ok-nyeo, a 17-year-old girl who becomes the surrogate for a 19th-century nobleman, Shin. Shin's wife cannot give him a male heir, so the couple selects Ok-nyeo, whose lower-class status makes her more controllable. Tragedy lurks, though, as she and Shin fall in love. Im's film not only highlights how prevalent the patriarchal hierarchy was in the past but how it's a deep-rooted problem that persists to this day.

• Starring: Kang Soo-yeon, Gu-sun Lee, Yang-ha Yun
• Director: Im Kwon-taek
• Year: 1987
• Runtime: 100 minutes
• Rating: NR
• IMDb Score: 7.0

Yong-Gyu Yoon's "A Hometown in Heart" concerns Do-seong, a young boy whose mother abandons him at a Buddhist temple where he's trained to be a monk. But rather than an austere religious life, Do-seong longs for his mother's return. When a widow arrives with her family, she and Do-seong strike up a sort of surrogate mother/son relationship. But is that what Do-seong really wants or needs? "A Hometown in Heart" deals with intense mother/son relationships but also grapples with the effect this intensity has on a young child. "A Hometown in Heart" is one of the few pre-1950 films to survive the Korean War, which gives the film extra resonance.

• Starring: Ki-jong Byeon, Eun-hie Choi, Min Yu
• Director: Yong-Gyu Yoon
• Year: 1949
• Runtime: 77 minutes
• Rating: NR
• IMDb Score: 7.1

A married painter runs alone to Paris to avoid arrest in "Night and Day," a character study that mixes fantasy and reality. A chance encounter with an ex-girlfriend ramps up Sung-nam's mid-life crisis as he navigates his new surroundings. Director Hong Sang-soo's oeuvre includes many hedonistic men and plopping this one into the City of Lights gives him added dimensions to explore. Hong has frequently been compared to French New Wave director Éric Rohmer, and "Night and Day" further cements that connection.

• Starring: Kim Yeong-ho, Hwang Soo-jung, Park Eun-hye
• Director: Hong Sang-soo
• Year: 2008
• Runtime: 144 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%

"Lady Vengeance," also known as "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance," closes out Park Chan-wook's "Vengeance Trilogy" (all three of which made this list). Lee Young-ae plays Lee Geum-ja, released after 13 years in prison and ready to avenge herself. Geum-ja was imprisoned for murder, except she didn't do the deed. Now, she's willing to go to great lengths to torment the actual killer. She also needs to find the daughter she was forced to give up when she was locked up. A blistering exercise in vengeance ensues. "Lady Vengeance" has two versions, one in full color and a "Fade to Black and White" version preferred by Park that is also artistically satisfying.

• Starring: Lee Young-ae, Choi Min-sik, Nam Il-u
• Director: Park Chan-wook
• Year: 2005
• Runtime: 114 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%

The film that kicks off Park Chan-wook's "Vengeance Trilogy," "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" features a kidnapping for ransom that goes devastatingly awry, starting a cycle of bloody revenge that takes a terrible toll on all involved. Deaf-mute Ryu needs money for his sister's kidney transplant, and things go from bad to horrifying once he decides to kidnap the daughter of a manufacturing company president. Although "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" isn't as highly critically rated as the other two installments in Park's aforementioned trilogy, "Oldboy" or "Lady Vengeance," it's beloved by audiences, so it makes our list.

• Starring: Song Kang-ho, Bae Doo-na, Han Bo-bae
• Director: Park Chan-wook
• Year: 2002
• Runtime: 129 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 54% 

"Sunny" intercuts between past and present as seven high school girlfriends reunite after 25 years ... because one of them is dying. In the past storyline, the disparate teen group includes new student Na-mi and group leader Chun-hwa. Cut to middle age, when adult Na-mi learns Chun-hwa has cancer and wants to see their aptly named Sunny gang one more time. Kang Hyeong-cheol's comedy/drama hit a sweet spot with audiences for its depiction of the lives of women over the years and the friendship that binds them, even after they've moved on to different spaces in life.

• Starring: Min-yeong Kim, Yoo Ho-jeong, Shim Eun-kyung
• Director: Kang Hyeong-cheol
• Year: 2011
• Runtime: 124 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77% (Audience Score)

"My Sassy Girl" is adapted from Kim Ho-sik's true-life blog, which he later fictionalized in a novel (Kim also co-wrote the film's screenplay). Divided into three sections, "My Sassy Girl" follows Kyun-woo and his relationship with the Girl after their "meet-cute" when he saves her from drunkenly falling off a train platform. Though she doesn't treat him well, Kyun-woo sticks with her. The role reversal in this dynamic rom-com and its balance of tones resonated with audiences. "My Sassy Girl" has had several remakes, but none have come close to the magic of the original.

• Starring: Cha Tae-hyun, Jin Ji-hyun, Han Jin-hee
• Director: Kwak Jae-yong
• Year: 2001
• Runtime: 123 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93% (Audience score)

"Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War" shines a light on the Korean War, a civil war that even caused divisions between siblings on the same side. Brothers Jin-tae and Jin-seok get conscripted into the war against North Korea. Jin-seok is younger and also weaker than Jin-tae, but in the process of protecting his younger brother, Jin-tae is inexorably transformed. More tragedy is in store in this brutally honest film, as seen from the point of view of the people who lived where it was fought and not through a Western gaze.

• Starring: Jang Dong-gun, Won-bin, Lee Eun-ju
• Director: Je-gyu Kang
• Year: 2004
• Runtime: 145 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

"The Quiet Family" is a bracing mix of horror and dark comedy. Choi Min-sik of "Oldboy" and Song Kang-ho of "Parasite," who weren't yet famous at the time, play members of the Kang family. Patriarch Tae-gu and his wife want to lead a quiet life and run a lodge with their three children and Tae-gu's brother. An unfortunate series of events, however, lead to corpses piling up. Director Kim Jee-woon hits the ground running in his first feature, showing a command that has led to him being one of Korea's most celebrated directors.

• Starring: Song Kang-ho, Park In-hwan, Na Moon-hee
• Director: Kim Jee-woon
• Year: 1998
• Runtime: 99 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

Park Chan-wook's "Thirst" is a graphic undead tale featuring Song Kang-ho as priest Sang-hyeon, who's turned into a vampire after a failed experiment. His newfound bloodlust — and plain old lust — leads him to an affair with Tae-ju, his friend's wife. Sang-hyeon's transformation from pious man to bloodthirsty ghoul has a similar effect on the oppressed Tae-ju, infecting her with his desire. Both Song and Kim are electrifying while Park's stylistic direction bathes everything in sensuality and gore. With "Thirst," Park put a fresh patina on the vampire genre.

• Starring: Song Kang-ho, Kim Ok-bin, Shin Ha-kyun
• Director: Park Chan-wook
• Year: 2009
• Runtime: 133 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

Park Chan-wook's "Joint Security Area" is a mystery thriller that kicks off with a shooting in the Korean Demilitarized Zone. To keep the investigation neutral, Major Sophie E. Jean comes in to solve the mystery behind the murders of two North Korean soldiers and what role, if any, injured South Korean Sgt. Lee Soo-hyeok played in the killings. The relations between the two countries worsen as Major Jean must figure out who's telling the truth before tensions boil over. Park's adaptation of the novel "DMZ" by Park Sang-yeon gets high marks for its exploration of the Korean schism through a friendship that crosses borders.

• Starring: Lee Young-ae, Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun
• Director: Park Chan-wook
• Year: 2000
• Runtime: 107 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

"Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum" uses the found-footage conceit to show the horrors inflicted on a web crew who live streams from the titular abandoned asylum. Like 1999's "The Blair Witch Project," the character's names are the same as the actors portraying them, blurring the line between fiction and reality. As for the plot, Ha-joon recruits six others to go with him to record some haunted happenings. Needless to say, things do not go well for our heroes. What lands "Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum" on the list is its ability to generate scares that linger long after the lights go up.

• Starring: Wi Ha-joon, Yoo Je-Yoon, Seung-wook Lee
• Director: Jeong Beom-sik
• Year: 2018
• Runtime: 93 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Two people suffering from emotional disturbances find a connection in Park Chan-wook's comedy "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK." Cha Young-goon, a young lady with schizophrenia who's institutionalized because she believes she's a cyborg, meets Park Il-sun, a young man also with schizophrenia who believes he can steal other people's characteristics. What could be a disaster of mental hospital stereotypes is instead a charming romantic comedy, albeit with some darker moments. Park's empathy for Young-goon and Il-sun, coupled with the actor's committed (no pun intended!) performances, keeps the movie engaging and grounded.

• Starring: Im Soo-jung, Jeong Ji-hoon, Oh Dal-su
• Director: Park Chan-wook
• Year: 2006
• Runtime: 105 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Director Kim Jee-woon's "I Saw the Devil" is a brutal tale of vengeance with gut-wrenching special effects. Soo-hyun swears revenge against the depraved killer, Kyung-chul, who murdered and dismembered his fiancée. Rather than take out Kyung-chul the first chance he gets, however, Soo-hyun plays a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse that makes him, at times, no better than Kyung-chul. "I Saw the Devil" is unflinching in its look at the cost of revenge. It's also scary, gory, and thrilling.

• Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik, Jeon Gook-hwan
• Director: Kim Jee-woon
• Year: 2010
• Runtime: 141 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%

"Oldboy" is the second film in director Park Chan-wook's "Vengeance Trilogy," and it's a doozy — a tale that's equally violent, tragic, and disturbing. Oh Dae-su has been trapped for 15 years in a hotel-like prison cell. When he's suddenly released, he is determined to find out who kept him prisoner and why. "Oldboy" is visceral and effective in depicting the extreme ends of vengeance, and in addition to its truly brutal conclusion, it features perhaps the greatest hallway fight ever captured on camera.

• Starring: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung
• Director: Park Chan-wook
• Year: 2003
• Runtime: 118 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%

Director Na Hong-jin's feature film debut, "The Chaser," is a dark journey inspired by the crimes of Yoo Young-chul, a serial killer sentenced to death in 2004. "The Chaser" stars Kim Yoon-seok as Joong-ho Eom, a former detective turned pimp whose escorts are being brutally murdered. Joong-ho cannot rely on the police, so he must do his own investigation, which leads to a thrilling, tense game of cat-and-mouse between himself and the killer. No less an esteemed critic than Roger Ebert said that "Hollywood should study" Na's film because it's "a poster child for what a well-made thriller looked like in the classic days."

• Starring: Kim Yoon-seok, Ha Jung-woo, Seo Young-hee
• Director: Na Hong-jin
• Year: 2008
• Runtime: 125 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

In addition to his expertise in horror with films like "I Saw the Devil," director Kim Jee-woon also excels in action. For example, there's "The Good, the Bad, the Weird," which takes inspiration from 1966's Sergio Leone classic, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." Kim sets his Western/action movie in 1930's Manchuria, where the Weird, the Bad, and the Good become at odds in a quest to secure a treasure map from a Japanese official right before World War II. The movie is by turns exciting, funny, and touching, with well-done shootouts and action sequences.

• Starring: Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, Jung Woo-sung
• Director: Kim Jee-woon
• Year: 2008
• Runtime: 127 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

A giant fish monster rises from the Han River to wreak havoc in "The Host," the third full-length feature from Bong Joon-ho. Gang-du works in his family's riverside snack shack with his young daughter, Hyun-seo. One day, the aforementioned mutated fish rampages along the riverfront, grabbing Hyun-seo and taking her to its lair. It's now up to Gang-du and his very dysfunctional family to rescue her. "The Host" isn't just a monster movie though. Bong satirizes Korean social melodramas and sharply criticizes U.S. involvement in his country. "The Host" is beautifully shot, with thrilling monster action and fully realized characters you can't help but root for.

• Starring: Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Bae Doo-na
• Director: Bong Joon-ho
• Year: 2006
• Runtime: 119 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

"Secret Sunshine" is a beautiful, haunting drama. Lin Shin-ae is a widow who moves to a new town with her young son after her husband's tragic death. Leaving her old life behind, however, doesn't keep tragedy from following her. "Secret Sunshine" plumbs the depths of Shin-ae's grief, flirtations with madness, and the pull of faith as she's drawn to religion as a panacea. The movie is a showcase for Jeon's acting, and every tear she wrings from the audience is a testament to her raw power.

• Starring: Jeon Do-yeon, Song Kang-ho, Jo Yeong-jin
• Director: Lee Chang-dong
• Year: 2007
• Runtime: 142 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

"Snowpiercer" is a sci-fi gem directed by Bong Joon-ho. Based on the French graphic novel "Le Transperceneige," it tells of a train containing the last vestiges of humanity after the Earth is plunged into another ice age. The train is divided by class and function, with the tail-end passengers living in squalor while those in the cars closest to the engine live in luxury. Curtis incites his enslaved comrades into a revolution as they battle from car to car, trying to reach the mysterious Wilford, creator of the train's engine. As he often does, Bong uses the film to tackle class divisions, lacing "Snowpiercer" with dark humor, timely messages, and exciting action.

• Starring: Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton
• Director: Bong Joon-ho
• Year: 2013
• Runtime: 125 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

"Train to Busan" follows Seok-woo, a workaholic whose relationship with his young daughter is tenuous. He boards the titular locomotive in Seoul to take his kid to her mother's place in Busan. Unfortunately, an infected woman boards the train at the last minute, turns into a zombie, and starts an undead outbreak. It's up to Seok-woo and the other passengers he meets to fight off the zombies and get to safety. At its heart, the film is sentimental without being cloying — it's a story of a father realizing he's missed too many important parts of his child's life because of his job. "Train to Busan" has fantastic zombie action, sure, but it also packs an emotional wallop.

• Starring: Gong Yoo, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Soo-ahn
• Director: Yeon Sang-ho
• Year: 2016
• Runtime: 118 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

In "Burning," Lee Chang-dong crafts a slow-burner mystery centered on a love triangle. Based on a short story by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, "Barn Burning," Lee highlights class divides in contemporary Korean society, as rural aspiring writer Jong-soo is drawn into the upper-class world of the rich Ben, whom Hae-mi — a woman Jong-soo has a major crush on — meets during a vacation. When Hae-mi drops out of sight, Jong-soo becomes laser-focused on Ben, thinking he knows what happened to her. Lee keeps the audience off balance by telling the story from the obsessed Jong-soo's point of view. "Burning" will have you uneasily awaiting its climax even as you are enthralled by its warped reality.

• Starring: Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jeon Jong-seo
• Director: Lee Chang-dong
• Year: 2018
• Runtime: 148 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

"Memories of Murder" is set in 1986 when South Korea's first known serial killer began his murders. Director Bong Joon-ho and co-screenwriter Shim Sung-bo adapt the 1996 play, "Come to See Me," about the Lee killings, but this version features Bong's signature mix of comedic, horrifying, and thrilling tones as two detectives — who have very different ideas about how to crack a case — try to solve the grisly crimes. "Memories of Murder" started as a cult film, but it gradually became known as one of Korea's best films, drawing many positive comparisons to David Fincher's "Zodiac."

• Starring: Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Byun Hee-bong
• Director: Bong Joon-ho
• Year: 2003
• Runtime: 129 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

A Korean take on Sarah Waters' "Fingersmith," Park Chan-wook's "The Handmaiden" takes place in 1930s Korea, a society living under the thumb of Japanese authority — a plot element that adds cultural significance for Korean audiences. Sook-hee, a young pick-pocket, pretends to be a maid to infiltrate a wealthy colonial family so that her friend, Count Fujiwara, a Korean man pretending to be Japanese, can marry Lady Hideko and steal her fortune. But the con goes even deeper in Park's erotically charged psychological thriller as taboo desires are unveiled. Park's lush imagery and tight direction help make this one of his -– and Korea's –- best movies.

• Starring: Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo
• Director: Park Chan-wook
• Year: 2016
• Runtime: 144 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

"A Taxi Driver" is based on a true story involving a German journalist, Jürgen "Peter" Hinzpeter, and a driver that occurred during the Gwangju Uprising in 1980. In filmmaker Jang Hoon's depiction, Peter meets Man-seop, the titular taxi driver, when the cabbie snipes the lucrative fare from a co-worker. Peter wants to cover the events in Gwangju, but the violence makes Man-seop hesitant. Convinced to help Peter report the uprising to the rest of the world, Man-seop must put aside his fears as the two men encounter danger and witness the triumph of the human spirit. While of course liberties are taken with the historical record, "A Taxi Driver" still helps shed light on an important moment for Korean democracy.

• Starring: Song Kang-ho, Thomas Kretschmann, Ryu Jun-yeol
• Director: Jang Hoon
• Year: 2017
• Runtime: 137 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

In "Mother," Kim Hye-ja stars as the titular mom, a widow whose intellectually disabled son, Do-joon, is suspected of murder due to inept police work. Mother takes the initiative to exonerate her son, and she will do anything to make sure Do-joon is freed. What ensues in Bong Joon-ho's classic mystery is twisty and tragic and mesmerizing. What will Mother find out about her son and herself? Kim Hye-ja's performance emotionally anchors the distressing proceedings under Bong's sure direction, and Won-bin is also excellent as Do-joon.

• Starring: Kim Hye-ja, Won-bin, Jin Goo
• Director: Bong Joon-ho
• Year: 2009
• Runtime: 128 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

Lee Byung-hun stars as mob hitman Seon-u in Kim Jee-woon's "A Bittersweet Life." After Seon-u refuses to carry out a hit, Boss Kang wants him dead. Actually, multiple people decide Seon-u needs to go, triggering a violent war as our protagonist battles to stay alive. Director Kim goes under the surface of the usual mob tropes as Seon-u reflects on his life and also interrogates the nature of loyalty in such a dangerous hierarchy. "A Bittersweet Life" is a stylish film noir with a lot more on its mind than the usual ultraviolence.

• Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Kim Yeong-cheol, Shin Min-a
• Director: Kim Jee-woon
• Year: 2005
• Runtime: 120 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

"The Wailing" mashes up a plethora of horror tropes into one unsettling whole. A mysterious man comes to town, and all hell breaks loose. Jun Kunimura of "Battle Royale" fame stars as the Stranger, whose arrival in a small village coincides with a wave of death as violence breaks out after villagers become ill from an unknown virus. Desperate for answers, Sgt. Jeon Jong-gu investigates the Stranger, with the investigation becoming more urgent after Jong-gu's daughter also falls ill. "The Wailing" is an unnerving trip that has a lot on its mind, particularly how evil can permeate everything and everyone it touches.

• Starring: Kwak Do-won, Jun Kunimura, Hwang Jung-min
• Director: Na Hong-jin
• Year: 2016
• Runtime: 156 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%

"The Housemaid" is a stone-cold classic, a masterful tale of deception and domestic horror directed by revered Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-young. As for the plot, Myung-sook is a housemaid to Kim Dong-sik and his emotionally fragile wife. But soon enough, this maid is taking advantage of Dong-sik's own emotional state to lure him into an affair that tears the whole family apart. "The Housemaid" is one of Korea's best films, one so good that director Bong Joon-ho pays homage to it in his award-winning "Parasite."

• Starring: Eun-shim Lee, Kim Jin-kyu, Jeung-nyeo Ju
• Director: Kim Ki-young
• Year: 1960
• Runtime: 90 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

"A Tale of Two Sisters" is a moody, psychological horror film about two siblings with a more-than-strained relationship with their stepmother. Is she sinister, or is there something more beneath the surface of this story? Yes, of course it's the latter, and it's heart-wrenching. 

Su-mi returns home from a stay at a mental hospital only to find bizarre happenings with her stepmother, Eun-joo, directed at her and her younger sister, Su-yeon. Su-mi's father is concerned ... and there may also be ghosts in the house. Director Kim Jee-woon delivers a deeply felt tale of how a fractured family can lead to a fractured mind.

• Starring: Yum Jung-ah, Im Soo-jung, Moon Geun-young
• Director: Kim Jee-woon
• Year: 2003
• Runtime: 114 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

From the director of "Burning" and "Secret Sunshine," the exquisite "Poetry" deals with tough subjects. Yang Mi-ja has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and takes up poetry as she struggles with a terrible secret about her grandson, Jong-uk. He was involved in a sexual assault, and her fading memory exacerbates the situation, as the fathers of all the boys involved wish to pay off the victim's mother to save their sons. The subject matter is upsetting, and Lee approaches it with care and empathy. Lee also lays bare the failings of a patriarchy that would protect its men at the great expense of its women, all while balancing Mi-ja's own poetic journey as her memory fades away.

• Starring: Yoon Jung-hee, Lee David, Kim Hee-ra
• Director: Lee Chang-dong
• Year: 2010
• Runtime: 139 minutes
• Rating: TV-PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

"Parasite" more than deserves its slot at number one. Bong Joon-ho's masterful tale of a lower-class family infiltrating the life of a rich executive and his neurotic wife exposes not only the injustices of a strictly stratified society but also the true criminal of the film: capitalism. To say this movie has levels is an understatement. Song Kang-ho is excellent as Ki-taek, the Kim family patriarch who goes along with his children's plan to become the servants of the Park family in the hopes of living a better life — a plan that doesn't pan out the way anyone expects. At turns funny and horrifying, "Parasite" made an indelible mark on international cinema, becoming the first non-English language film to win the Best Picture Academy Award, among many other accolades.

• Starring: Song Kang-ho, Park So-dam, Choi Woo-sik
• Director: Bong Joon-ho
• Year: 2019
• Runtime: 132 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%