149 Best Movies to Watch In Korean (Page 10)

If you haven’t already seen the South Korean movie Parasite, then you probably heard it was the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture at the 2020 Academy Awards. Thankfully, many more fantastic films from the the East Asian nation are making it to the global stage. Here are the best movies featuring the Korean language to stream now.

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136. Escape from Mogadishu, 2021

Escape from Mogadishu follows diplomats from the North and South Korean embassies as they put aside their differences and work together to escape from an outbreak of civil war in Mogadishu, Somalia. Director Ryoo Seung-wan provides thrilling, high-budget action, especially intense car chases and suspenseful escape scenes that pump you with adrenaline and leave you on the edge of your seat. However, the Somali side of the story leaves much to be desired. Only existing to kill or be killed, the depiction of the Somalians is distasteful, and the country it’s set in seen as nothing more than a senseless warzone.

It’s in crafting a political thriller where Ryoo strikes a chord, following the tradition of South Korean films and dramas that question the current South/North relations. It’s also the aspect that pushed this film to win awards, given that it’s based on a true story from the 1991 civil war in Somalia, albeit with blockbuster flair. Sure, it’s a highly fictionalized story, but the political tensions and heightened atmosphere make good entertainment. And, as with all Korean thrillers, you’ll have to get on a certain wavelength of melodrama to be fully on board with the bonkers yet emotional escape.

Genre: Action, Drama, History, Thriller, War

Actor: Ahn Se-ho, Han Chul-woo, Heo Joon-ho, Jeong Man-sik, Jo In-sung, Joo Bo-bi, Kim Jae-hwa, Kim So-jin, Kim Yoon-seok, Kim Yun-seok, Koo Kyo-hwan, Lee Jin-hee, Park Kyung-hye, Park Myung-shin, Yoon Kyung-ho, Zo In-sung

Director: Ryoo Seung-wan

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137. Always, 2011

	
Always follows the story of Jeong-hwa and Cheol-min, both very different individuals who are gentle in their own way. The story starts off by demonstrating how different the leads are in terms of their personality and their outlook on life. The plot can be a little predictable and cliche in some moments, but Always is not a complicated movie—though in addition to being a romance, it also includes some surprising violence that may intensify your viewing experience. Still, Always is about the two leads’ struggle against fate as they try to survive their tough situations, with strong chemistry between the lead actors from start to finish.Genre: Adventure, Drama, Romance
Actor: Cho Seong-ha, Goo Seung-hyun, Han Hyo-joo, Jin Goo, Jung Jae-jin, Kang Shin-il, Kim Jung-hak, Kim Jung-pal, Kim Mi-kyeong, Kim Seon-hwa, Lee Chae-won, Lee Jin-hee, Oh Gwang-rok, Oh Kwang-rok, Park Cheol-min, Park Chul-min, Park Seong-geun, So Ji-sub, Yeom Hye-ran
Director: Song Il-gon

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138. A Taxi Driver, 2017

	
A cynical down-on-his-luck Seoul taxi driver is hired by a German journalist to go to another town called Gwangju. What seemed like an easy and overcompensated journey at first takes him into the heart of a city under siege by the military. This is in fact the student uprising that will be a very important event in South Korean history, known as 1980 Guangju Democratic Uprising. Both the journalist and the taxi driver confront life-threatening situations as they find themselves at the center of the movement. A true-story-based movie, it's a heartfelt and entertaining political drama about one of the bleakest chapters of modern Korean history. In 2018 it was the country's official submission to the Oscars.Genre: Action, Drama, History
Actor: Cha Soon-bae, Choi Guy-hwa, Choi Gwi-hwa, Choi Jae-sup, Daniel Joey Albright, Hae-jin Yoo, Han Sa-myeong, Han Sa-myung, Han Yi-jin, Heo Jeong-do, Heo Jung-do, Jeon Hye-jin, Jeong Seok-yong, Jin-young Jung, Joey Albright, Jun-yeol Ryu, Jung Jin-young, Kang-ho Song, Ko Chang-seok, Kyul Hwi, Lee Bong-ryeon, Lee Ho-cheol, Lee Ho-chul, Lee Jung-eun, Lee Sae-byeol, Lee Yong-i, Lee Yong-yi, Park Hyeok-kwon, Park Hyuk-kwon, Ryu Jun-yeol, Ryu Sung-hyun, Ryu Tae-ho, Seo Hyun-woo, Seok-yong Jeong, Shin Dam-su, Song Kang-ho, Thomas Kretschmann, Uhm Tae-goo, Um Tae-goo, Yoo Hae-jin, Yoo Hai-jin, 许政度
Director: Hun Jang, Jang Hoon, Jang Hun
Rating: Not Rated

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139. Welcome to Samdal-ri, 2023

For K-drama fans feeling the cold, Welcome to Samdal-ri might be a lovely break in a seaside town in Jeju Island. The show is full of the classic romance tropes we all know and love, like childhood best friends born within minutes of each other, reconnecting when the female lead returns to her small hometown. These plot points are familiar territory, though the show’s tone vascillates wildly as the lead and her sisters deal with crazy circumstances (and react accordingly). However, even as the show and the ladies go through their antics, there’s a careful consideration of how they compare and contrast Seoul and Jeju Island. The resulting plot is familiar, and there are certain plot devices that seem a tad too ludicrous, but it’s a fairly entertaining series, if you can tolerate the strange decisions everyone makes.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Ji Chang-wook, Kang Mi-na, Kim Mi-kyeong, Seo Hyeon-cheol, Shin Dong-mi, Shin Hye-sun, Yu Oh-seong

Director: Cha Yeong-hun

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140. Eye Love You, 2024

	
Usually, telepathy is just portrayed as a cool superpower. In Eye Love You, it’s useful for Motomiya to secure her CEO position, but it also means an imbalance in every interaction she has with other people… At least, until she meets Korean student Yoon Tae-oh. This, of course, becomes the basis for their relationship, which, while starting from a pretty novel idea, plays out in the cheesy, romantic ways we’re used to seeing in both Japanese and Korean dramas. With Yoon Tae-oh better characterized, it's lovely to see Chae Jong Hyeop to charm in both languages, but it's disappointing to see how cliché the protagonist is depicted, how her main desire isn't personal but in relation to another man (her father), when the show comes primarily through her perspective. Still, Eye Love You’s unique power leads to the unique idea that differences can mean connection– and having them allows us to truly appreciate each other, as long as we’re open enough to get to know them.Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Chae Jong-hyeop, Fumi Nikaido, Hiroya Shimizu, Mizuki Yamashita, Narumi Yui, Shiraku Tatekawa, Taishi Nakagawa, Tetta Sugimoto
Director: Akiko Katō, Okamoto Shingo, Ryôsuke Fukuda
Rating: TV-14

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141. Badland Hunters, 2024

After the critical and commercial success of Concrete Utopia, it makes sense for Lotte Entertainment to turn it into a franchise. Badland Hunters is a more action-focused spinoff, with that dystopian world looking like a wild, wild Seoul and Ma Dong-seok as its lone ranger. Compared to its predecessor, the commentary is scant, the plot is thin, and the only thing that connects it is the apartment. But even with the B-movie mad scientist plot, long-time stunt coordinator Heo Myung-haeng makes his directorial debut wildly entertaining, with solid action that doesn’t depend too much on CGI. Human reptiles aside, Badland Hunters is just so fun to watch.

Genre: Action, Drama, Science Fiction

Actor: Ahn Ji-hye, Ahn Seong-bong, Hong Yi-joo, Jang Young-nam, Jeong Gi-seop, Jung Young-ju, Kim Young-sun, Lee Han-joo, Lee Hee-jun, Lee Jun-young, Ma Dong-seok, Park Hyo-joon, Park Ji-hoon, Roh Jeong-eui, Seong Byeong-suk

Director: Heo Myeong-haeng

Rating: R

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142. A Killer Paradox, 2024

	
Life can be funny sometimes, with the way accidents can lead us to what would make the entirety of our lives. Usually, these accidents lead us to a new career, maybe the love of our life, and sometimes a new life path altogether, but for recently discharged Lee Tang in A Killer Paradox, it leads to finding that his talent is killing evildoers, accidentally or otherwise. It’s funny to see Lee accidentally getting away with murder and the way his imagination conceives of his serial killer victims, but the show also gets into intriguing thought experiments about the morality of his actions, as well as the way we try to reconcile the tragedy of a lost life, with the terrible consequences of the actions they did with their lives. It’s enjoyable, with the great cast and the unique cinematography, but the writing, structure, and thriller aspects fail to maximize what’s so interesting about A Killer Paradox.Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Actor: Choi Woo-shik, Lee Hee-jun, Son Suk-ku
Director: Lee Chang-hee
Rating: TV-MA

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143. Spaceman, 2024

	
Set at a time when humans can travel as far into space as Jupiter, Spaceman looks delightfully retro-futuristic. It’s as if the people and tech of the ‘60s were transported to a faraway future where things like long-haul space flights and nebulous pink clouds exist, and so visually, Spaceman is not tiring to look at. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about most of the film’s other elements, including its dialogue and story. Jakub is sent to space to collect mysterious ancient dust, but since we never know why he should exactly, it never feels consequential if at all necessary. In fact, this is less about his mission than it is about coming to terms with existential truths like pain, loss, and love. And what better way to confront all that than with a wise primordial arachnid? Now, the idea of a therapy session between a spaceman and a spider sounds intriguing enough, and with strong enough writing, it could fly. But the dialogue is too sparse to be thought-provoking. The main message, that you should appreciate what you have while you have it, is also too simple to carry the weight of this expansive film, especially since we have very few details about the story and character to go on with. But Sandler, Carrey Mulligan (who plays his wife), and even Paul Dano (who voices the spider) do the best with what they can, and if anything, you leave the film stunned by the visuals and moved by their empathetic performances.Genre: Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction
Actor: Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Isabella Rossellini, Jessica Bechyňová, John Flanders, Kunal Nayyar, Lena Olin, Marian Roden, Mikuláš Čížek, Paul Dano, Sinéad Phelps, Sunny Sandler, Zuzana Stivínová
Director: Johan Renck
Rating: R

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144. My Man Is Cupid, 2023

With Korean dramas captivating viewers today, Amazon Prime Video finally took a step into that market with My Man is Cupid, the first original Korean series created by the streaming service. The absolutely gorgeous Nana and the charismatic Jang Dong-yoon team up in this Eros and Psyche-inspired modern retelling, complete with the standard K-drama tropes. There are times when it struggles to balance its subplots, most especially with the uneasy integration of a serial killer in the mix, but the resulting series still works as a fairly fluffy endeavor. The show could have delved deeper into the mythology, and the streamer could have made a more daring start, but fans of the genre might still enjoy the comfort and predictability of My Man is Cupid.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Jang Dong-yoon, Kim Do Ah, Kwon Ah-reum, Nana, Park Ki-woong

Director: Nam Tae-jin

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145. Vigilante, 2023

With a decreased rate of trust in the police worldwide, it makes sense to make Vigilante at this time. The violent takedown of criminals that successfully evade the law can be cathartic, which is why shows like this are common. However, this live action adaptation feels like a defanged version of the original webcomic. With the episodes released so far, there seems to be less blood, less violence, and overall less righteous vengeance than the original story, which already suffers from a lack of mystique. The show feels almost too hesitant to stick to the tried-and-true formula of violent entertainment, which makes its moral quandary feel pointless.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Crime, Drama

Actor: Kim So-jin, Lee Jun-hyuk, Nam Joo-hyuk, Yoo Ji-tae

Director: Choi Jung-yol

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146. Miss Night and Day, 2024

If you don’t like cheesy Koreanovelas to begin with, there’s no real reason to seek this out. You’re getting an over the top telenovela from the performances, to the wishing on a star and playful coincidences and all the forced meet-cutes. Lee Mi-jin (Jung Eun-ji) is sympathetic in her unenviable position receiving conditional kindness from her parents. And of course, the premise itself is just ridiculous enough to maybe stick around for. But what should be a simple story gets out of hand quickly, with an absolutely wack 60+ minute runtime per episode. While it can be a decent comfort show for the giggles, there’s no cheese you can get here that you can’t get anywhere else for better if you kept looking.

Genre: Comedy, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Baek Seo Hoo, Choi Jin-hyuk, Jeong Seok-yong, Jung Eun-ji, Jung Young-ju, Kim Ah-young, Lee Jung-eun, Yoon Byung-hee

Director: Lee Hyung-min

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147. Captivating the King, 2024

With political intrigue, deceit, and romance, Captivating the King has all the elements we’re familiar with in Korean sageuk romances. It’s easy to appreciate the impeccable production design and every time Jo Jung-suk pulls at the heartstrings through the Grand Prince Jinhan’s tears, but the series starts incredibly slowly. Apparently, before Hee-soo can captivate said king, the first few episodes must delve into every single detail that made the prince into a king. This does help set up the political landscape Yi In has to operate in, but it keeps its viewers waiting too long for the undercover love story implied by the premise.

Genre: Drama, War & Politics

Actor: Cho Jung-seok, Cho Seong-ha, Lee Sin-young, Park Ye-yeong, Shin Se-kyung

Director: Cho Nam-guk

Rating: TV-PG

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148. Branding in Seongsu, 2024

	
Body swapping is an intriguing concept because it’s such a concrete, immediate way for two characters to intrinsically understand one another. Usually, this swap occurs between relatives, lovers, and friends, but Branding in Seongsu takes this swap between a boss and her intern, as they clash over the ethics of marketing a big name cosmetic brand with an animal cruelty scandal. With the two people fundamentally opposed in values, it feels like it should be exciting to see their views challenged, especially considering not many shows portray these corporate ethics, but the uneven power dynamic, the workplace context, and lack of professionalism makes these discussions taste sour. Eun-ho’s flirtations feel like it’s undermining Na-eon’s authority and Na-eon’s feedback feels reminiscent of horrible bosses. Branding in Seongsu has an interesting high concept, but it’s the details that just doesn’t make this work.Genre: Drama
Actor: Ahn Yeon-hong, Chae Soo-ah, Jung Yi-rang, Kim Ho-young, Kim Ji-eun, Lee Kwang-hee, Lomon, Park Ki-deok, Yang Hye-ji
Director: Jeong Heon-su

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149. HeartBeat, 2023

A vampire story is a tale as old as time (I couldn't resist), and adding a long-lost love to the narrative is the cherry on top of a potentially swoon-worthy supernatural romance. But despite the addition of elements like centuries-long sleep, talking cats, and a school nurse whose bad luck welcomes shenanigans every other second, there is only so much to expect with this basic premise, and the quest to become human is not a solid anchor to keep watching. Although if you're after an effortless watch, then HeartBeat's handsome lead, quirky sidekicks, and headstrong leading lady check all the boxes for an easy watch to fall into.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Baek Hyun-joo, Baek Seo Hoo, Go Gyu-pil, Jung Young-ki, Ok Taec-yeon, Park Chul-min, Park Kang-hyun, Won Ji-an, Yoon Byung-hee, Yoon So-hee

Director: Lee Hyun-seok, Lee Min-soo

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