South Korea
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Marking the 30th anniversary of South Korea’s June Democracy Movement, 1987: When the Day Comes is the latest politically charged drama to emerge from a country regularly embroiled in government… Read More
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A brutal turf war in Seoul’s Garibong neighbourhood provides the setting for Kang Yoon-seong’s The Outlaws, a gritty police procedural that blends bloody gangland savagery with wicked gallows humour to… Read More
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The unlikely friendship between an elderly busybody and an ambitious young civil servant is at the heart of Korean filmmaker Kim Hyun-suk’s lighthearted comedy I Can Speak – that is,… Read More
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In Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, a firefighter who heroically died in the line of duty is taken to the afterlife, where he must undergo seven separate trials… Read More
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Touted as the first South Korean film to tackle state-sponsored defection, V.I.P. juggles international diplomacy with a high-stakes police chase, as law enforcers on both sides of the border close… Read More
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Ambitious, misguided and altogether lacking in a coherent vision, Real is the first feature film directed by South Korean Lee Sa-rang, credited on-screen as “Love Lee”. Judging by the results… Read More
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Already regarded as one of the best places to watch a wide variety of new Asian cinema releases, Hong Kong nevertheless shines a spotlight on far-flung corners of the region… Read More
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In this engrossing drama directed by Jang Hun (The Front Line), veteran actor Song Kang-ho ( The Age of Shadows ) delivers an award-worthy performance as taxi driver Kim Man-seob,… Read More
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After attracting recognition for his low-budget debut Koala, writer-director Kim Joo-hwan strides confidently into the commercial arena with Midnight Runners. It’s a fast-paced buddy cop thriller that proves the perfect… Read More
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A stirring second world war escape epic featuring some of the biggest names in the South Korean film industry, The Battleship Island is also the most ambitious project yet from… Read More
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Bong Joon-ho’s controversial Netflix feature is a scathing takedown of GM foods and corporate greed built around the touching story of a young girl’s relationship with an experimental super-pig. (at… Read More
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After making waves with 2012’s Confession of Murder, writer-director Jung Byung-gil’s follow-up delivers some of the most kinetic action sequences ever witnessed in a South Korean film. Read my review Read More
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It has been 12 years since director Park Kwang-hyun’s last film, the wartime comedy Welcome to Dongmakgol, and his follow-up betrays the frustration he has endured over the years. Read… Read More
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It has been a good year for South Korean cinema, producing everything from sumptuous erotic costume dramas ( The Handmaiden ) to adrenaline-fuelled zombie thrillers ( Train to Busan ).… Read More
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Following the critical and commercial success of his surveillance thriller Cold Eyes – a remake of the Johnnie To-produced Hong Kong film Eye in the Sky – director Jo Ui-seok… Read More
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Na Hong-jin returns with a brilliant and deeply unsettling thriller about small town paranoia and grisly murder. Listen to my review (at 34:00) Read More
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Following the disappointment of his Hollywood debut The Last Stand, director Kim Jee-woon returns home with a riveting espionage thriller that taps into Korea’s recent trend for patriotic Occupation-era period… Read More
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Hot on the heels of monster hit Train to Busan, which is on track to become the most successful Asian film of all time in Hong Kong, it’s no surprise… Read More
The James Marsh film review archive 