Category Archives: Korean

Hot Blooded (2022) Review

Director: Cheon Myeong-Kwan Cast: Jung Woo, Kim Kap-Soo, Choi Moo-Sung, Ji Seung-Hyun, Lee Hong-Nae, Yoon Ji-Hye, Lee Sung-Woo, Yoon Dae-Yul, Hyun Bong-Sik, Heo Dong-Won Running Time: 120 min.  By Paul Bramhall In the opening scene of Hot Blooded we follow a gangster played by Jung Woo (Dirty Money, Spare) as he’s dropped off on a boat in the open sea. Sat around a table are his fellow criminal brethren, and … Continue reading

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Dirty Money (2024) Review

Director: Kim Min-Soo Cast: Jung Woo, Kim Dae-Myung, Park Byung-Eun, Cho Hyun-Chul, Jung Hae-Kyun, Baek Soo-Jang, Yoo Teo, Lim Hwa-Young, Kim Yoon-Sung Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall  Is there anything more dangerous in cinema than the trope of a character hauling around a bag of cash that doesn’t belong to them? Almost every country has an entry, and Korea is no different, with 2020’s Beasts Clawing at Straws … Continue reading

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The Great Flood (2025) Review

"The Great Flood" Netflix Poster

Director: Kim Byung-Woo Cast: Kim Da-mi, Park Hae-soo, Kwon Eun-seong, Jeon Hye-Jin, Lee Hak-Joo, Yu-Na, Lee Dong-Chan, Kang Bin, Kim Dong-Yeong, Lee Jun-Hyeok Running Time: 108 min.  By Paul Bramhall The last time Korea had to face a cinematic tsunami threat was in 2009’s Hauendae, and technically it still stands true in 2025, since the latest addition to Korea’s disaster genre catalogue, The Great Flood, went directly to the streaming … Continue reading

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No Other Choice (2025) Review

Director: Park Chan-wook Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, Cha Seung-won, Yoo Yeon-seok, Kim Hae-sook, Kim Hyung-mook, Oh Dal-su Running Time: 138 min By Paul Bramhall In the opening scene of director Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice we meet a dedicated company man played by Lee Byung-hun (The Match, Ashfall) who seemingly has it all – a nice house, a loving wife, 2 kids, and … Continue reading

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Good News (2025) Review

Director: Byun Sung-hyun Cast: Sul Kyung-Gu, Hong Kyung, Ryoo Seung-Bum, Takayuki Yamada, Shiro Sano, Show Kasamatsu, Nairu Yamamoto, Eita Nagayama, Hinata Hiiragi Running Time: 136 min. By Paul Bramhall Korean cinema rarely ventures into the realm of satire, however on the few occasions it has it’s done it well. 2002’s Fun Movie saw the Korean film industry going the Scary Movie route and lampooning its own blockbusters of the era … Continue reading

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Hantang (2023) Review

Director: Jung Cho-sin Cast: Kan Mi-youn, Han Seong-sik, Kim Joo-kyeong, Yoon Ki-won, Kim Ki-suk, Hwang Ba-ul Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall While the erotic genre in Korea had its peak during the 1980’s, it’s never really gone away since. Finding its home on the straight-to-VHS format in the 1990’s, and continuing to DVD in the 21st century, while the covers for such movies may promise a gratuitous amount … Continue reading

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Brave Citizen (2023) Review

Director: Park Jin-pyo Cast: Shin Hae-Sun, Lee Jun-Young, Park Jung-Woo, Park Hyuk-Kwon, Cha Chung-Hwa, Lee Chan-Hyeong, Bae Hyeon-Jun, Cha Woo-Min, Lee Joong-Ok Running Time: 113 min. By Paul Bramhall High school power struggles have always been present in cinema, and they usually take the form of an underdog going up against one or more characters who are best described as bullies, worst as violent psychopaths. Korean cinema is no different. … Continue reading

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Mantis (2025) Review

Director: Lee Tae-sung Cast: Yim Si-wan, Park Gyu-Young, Jo Woo-Jin, Jeon Do-yeon, Sol Kyung-gu, Kim Tae-Han Running Time: 113 min. By Paul Bramhall  When I first heard that streaming giant Netflix had greenlit a spin-off to its 2023 assassin flick Kill Boksoon, titled Mantis, I’d hoped it was going to focus on the newbie assassin played by Lee Yeon, whose killer action scene in the former gave her a scene … Continue reading

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Villagers, The (2018) Review

Director: Lim Jin-soon Cast: Ma Dong-Seok, Kim Sae-ron, Lee Sang-yeob, Jin Sun-gyu, Jang Gwang, Oh Hee-joon Running Time: 99 min.  By Paul Bramhall The trope of a big city character having to set up shop in a small rural town is one that’s been repeatedly visited in Korean cinema. Whether it be a cop hiding from their past in A Girl at My Door, a grieving widow looking to start … Continue reading

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Ugly, The (2025) Review

"The Ugly" Theatrical Poster

Director: Yeon Sang-ho Cast: Park Jeong-min, Kwon Hae-hyo, Shin Hyun-been, Im Seong-jae, Han Ji-hyeon Running Time: 102 min.  By Paul Bramhall Back in 2020 the Korean film industry hedged its bets on director Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan sequel, Peninsula, to bring back cinema audiences after the COVID-19 pandemic had forced filmmaking into a period of hibernation. While for the most part the bet paid off, whether it be because … Continue reading

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Hidden Face (2024) Review

Director: Kim Dae-woo Cast: Song Seung-heon, Cho Yeo-jeong, Park Ji-Hyun, Park Ji-Young, Park Sung-Geun Running Time: 115 min. By Paul Bramhall  Hidden Face marks the return of a long missing in action genre for not only Korea’s film industry, but cinema in general – the erotic thriller. While the jury is still out on if we’re currently in a new Puritan age of cinema, what can’t be denied is that … Continue reading

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Devils (2023) Review

Director: Kim Jae-Hoon Cast: Jang Dong-Yoon, Oh Dae-Hwan, Choi Gwi-Hwa, Jang Jae-Ho, Son Jong-Hak, Shin Seung-Hwan, Yoon Byung-Hee, Ji Nam-Hyuk, Lee Sang-Won Running Time: 106 min. By Paul Bramhall  The body swap trope certainly isn’t a new one, and in Korean cinema there have already been plenty of examples. From Shin Ha-kyun and Byun Hee-bong in 2007’s brain swapping thriller The Devil’s Game, to Jin Young and Park Sung-woong as … Continue reading

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My Daughter Is a Zombie (2025) Review

Director: Pil Kam-sung Cast: Cho Jung-Seok, Lee Jung-Eun, Choi Yoo-Ri, Cho Yeo-Jeong, Yoon Kyung-Ho Running Time: 113 min. By Paul Bramhall While surrounded by hordes of the undead in the middle of their Seoul neighbourhood, a father and his teenage daughter attempt to make their escape, the father telling the daughter to stay put while he makes a break for their car parked nearby. Successfully getting behind the wheel, its … Continue reading

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Wall to Wall (2025) Review

"Wall to Wall" Netflix Poster

Director: Kim Tae-joon Cast: Kang Ha-neul, Seo Hyun-woo, Yeom Hye-ran, Kim Hyun-Jung, Jeon Jin-Oh, Park Sung-Il, Yoon Jung-Il, Kim Yoon-Jin, Lee Jong-Goo, Na Ho-Sook Running Time: 118 min. By Paul Bramhall Wall to Wall, or 84 Square Metres as its Korean title directly translates to, fits into that distinctly 21st century genre of homeowner anxiety. In Korea such productions usually find themselves set in one of the myriad of towering … Continue reading

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Nocturnal (2025) Review

Director: Kim Jin-Hwang Cast: Ha Jung-Woo, Kim Nam-Gil, Yoo Da-In, Jeong Man-Sik, Im Sung-Jae, Lee Hye-Soo Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall Nocturnal dares to ask the question, what if Ha Jung-woo hadn’t become a mainstay of Hallmark channel style ‘based on a true story’ movies in the 2020’s, and instead went back to the kind of gritty roles he frequented in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s with … Continue reading

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