Thoughts On Korean Revenge Movies?

[BillyBatts]

Korean movies are really good and it is refreshing with the original plots.

Check out the movies from the following directors:
Ki-duk Kim
Chan-wook Park
Joon-ho Bong
Jee-woon Kim

I've liked all the revenge flicks so far.
Just saw I Saw the Devil today actually. I liked it, and liked the fact that there was a deeper meaning behind it all, and didn't just end with him saving everyone and getting the villian in the end.
I have also watched the vengeance trilogy (oldboy, mr and mrs. vengeance), and A bittersweet life.
Liked them all as well.
Im sure korean movies are not for everybody though. They are very graphic and usually sets a heavy mood.
They will also usually have open endings, or endings that "screws" the guy that the audience was rooting for, which is something people are not used to from Hollywood.
The plot in a movie like Mother is also very complex, and is a more of a character study than an actual plot. This is something that turns a lot of people off as well.

I fully agree. Mother is the perfect example. The ending is complex, it's more of "what would you have done in that situation" ordeal and could you live with it.

I notice that British movies have non hollywood endings too.

 

[drkmmafan]

Koreans have the thriller and drama genre locked down. I absolutely loved Oldboy and even though there are a lot of good suggestions in here I haven't seen a movie that delivers the same punch in the gut twist of Oldboy, at least for me. The Chaser comes in second but for different reasons. Highly recommended. Effed up part is the movie is based on a true story/real events.

No Mercy is another decent Korean revenge flick on netflix. Seeing how Yellow Sea has received quite a few recommendations I will definitely check it out.

 

[z_zen]

I've seen most of the above mentioned.

I'm always surprised by how sadistic the films are. But the plot lines are pretty much always better than the typical "Hollywood" endings.

 

[heavyarms21]

HE CUTS HIS OWN TONGUE OUT IN OLD BOY

i think thats fucked up.

never heard of the other two.

You've probably been told this, but you are missing out.

 

[Cowlevel]

I wish I had seen more. Only ones I have seen are oldboy and I saw the devil

 

[Lead]

If you ever watch a Korean flick, do yourself a favor and watch the films with subtitles.

The dubbed versions are fucking garbage.

I started watching Old Boy with my exchange student in HS and we had the dubbed version on. I couldn't stop laughing at it so we switched to the subtitles. They put no effort into the American voice overs and I don't blame them. There is nothing wrong with just reading it.

 

[new_mexico1]

The ones that I've seen are alright but definitely not great in general. If they are great for the genre, I don't know crap about it. Just because it doesn't have a "Hollywood ending" doesn't make it automatically great.

 

[EZRA27]

If you liked Oldboy you might as well round out the trilogy. They're all solid films.

Also, I'm watching I Saw The Devil now. It's been in my queue long enough.

 

[highkicknomore]

Just saw Chaser. It's not really a revenge movie but it's probably the best one that has been mentioned in this thread.

The foot chases were awesome. Only time I saw both guys gassing.

Also a character was watching Pride Nog/Herring, which was a foreshadowing for the rest of the movie.

I liked it a lot because the movie was tragic but there's still sense of hope. In other Korean movies, its just so damn miserable.