Top 10 Korean Movies of 2022 (2023)

Top 10 Korean Movies of 2022:The popularity of South Korean films among international audiences has skyrocketed since Bong Joon-Ho's dark comedy thriller Parasite made history by winning the Best Picture trophy at the 2019 Academy Awards. English-speaking audiences in particular they're watching more Korean movies than before and, more importantly, reading subtitles, presumably after hearing Joon-Ho's now-iconic Oscars speech.

Another crucial factor was accessibility. Now that almost everyone has Netflix, getting the latest Korean movies has never been easier. And we were spoiled for choice thanks to their incredibly constructive methods of delivering content after content without compromising quality. In fact, one of the many reasons why Korean movies have so many buyers is that almost all of them are extremely engaging and entertaining, which is what most people look for in movies.

2022 has been a very fruitful year for Korean cinema and as the year draws to a close, we tried to make a list of the top 10 Korean movies of this year. It is not an easy task considering that the lists can never satisfy everyone and it is also very difficult to choose only 10 movies out of many great and good movies. But the idea here is to have something for everyone. Here we go.

10. Seoul atmosphere | Director: Moon Hyun-sung

Originally promoted as a South Korean version of The Fast and the Furious (specifically Fast and the Furious), the carjacking chase thriller set at the 1988 Seoul Olympics is so much more than that. Shattering Moments To keep you satisfied, the action movie also subtly morphs into a political drama as it takes on the military dictator, President Chun Doo-Hwan.

With a heady mix of stunning visual effects and realistic, hands-on stunts, the action comedy is an immersive experience in every way. The cast, made up of famous actors like Yoo Ah-in (Burning), Go Kyung-Pyo, Lee Kyu-hyung, Park Ju-Hyun, and Ong Seong-wu, is particularly impressive and deserves credit for playing characters like them. has been. they met forever in real life.

9. Special delivery | Directed by Dae-min Park

Parasite's Park So-dam stars in Dae-min's action-crime film Park as a highly-skilled delivery driver who delivers unusual items (read: people). Despite similar themes to movies like Baby Driver and Drive, the movie manages to hold its own by focusing on a truly gripping story of one of the installments heading south for the driver.

While the plot doesn't offer anything you've never seen before, the film's treatment is fantastic, making for a great viewing experience. So-dam is fantastic as the lead, and her charming chemistry with fellow Parasite actor Jung Hyeon-jun is commendable.

8. Hunting | Directed by Lee Jung Jae

Squid Game's Lee Jung-Jae makes his directorial debut in this spy action thriller, in which he also stars. Set in the 1980s, Hunt tells the story of two South Korean security agents who, after the assassination of South Korean President Park, try to stop a possible North Korean invasion by finding a spy.

during the moviereceived its fair share of criticism for not being historically authentic despite covering such a critical topic, it was praised for its action sequences, breakneck-moving narrative, and for being, overall, a very satisfying watch. Jung-jae used his success in the squid game and hit the mark again.

7. Casiopea | Regie: Shin Yeon Shick

In Cassiopeia, the life of a successful lawyer falls apart after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's until her father takes care of her. The deeply moving human drama, themed around the royal constellation with appropriate plot significance, is one of the most compelling films to come out of South Korea this year. Director Shin Yeon-shick, best known for his ambitious arthouse films, continued his style with this latest one; quite successful. What helps Cassiopeia rise even higher are the two leads of Ahn Sung-ki as a father and Seo Hyun-jin as a daughter.

6. The summary | Director: Sang-yong Lee

Ma Dong-seok, one of the most beloved South Korean actors thanks to the now-legendary MCU Train to Busan (2016) and Eternals (2021), returns with a new film that has every chance of becoming another audience sensation at some point. . Directed by Sang-yong Lee, The Roundup follows police officer Ma Seok-do as he travels to Vietnam to extradite a suspect, only to find himself entangled in the web of a dangerous serial killer who kills a Korean tourist. This is the second film in the Crime City series in which Dong-seok revisits his character from the first film, The Outlaws (2017), which focuses on the Sino-Korean gang war as well as a ruthless loan shark. . The events of the last part begin four years after the first.

Like the first film, The Roundup received universal acclaim for its heady combination of breathtaking action and biting comedy. Despite a new director and a new writing team, The Roundup not only manages to keep up with its predecessor; In fact, it's better to go by box office numbers and audience reactions. A third film in the series, The Roundup: No Way Out, is already in production and is scheduled for a 2023 release.

5. Extraterrestre | Director: Choi Dong Hoon

South Koreans are always known for coming up with surprisingly wild and genre-bending movie ideas. In keeping with that tradition, Choi Dong-hoon's Alienoid combines historical fiction, alien invasion, and, of course, time travel into a single narrative, something none of us could imagine.

The basic premise is that humans in our time are trying to hunt down a captive alien trapped in a human body; As if that were not enough, thanks to time travel portals, their paths cross with people from centuries ago who were involved in the same cause. The result is a madcap, adrenaline-pumping two and a half hour viewing experience that you end up enjoying, even if the plot often feels disorienting and understandably difficult to follow at times. And not to mention the cliffhanger ending that only opens possibilities for sequels in the future, which we would like to see.

4. Makler | Regie: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Probably one of the greatest working conductors of our time,Hirokazu Kore-edaHe first entered South Korean cinema with "Broker." The Japanese director, known for his relatable and realistic human dramas as well as his strong storytelling skills, won over audiences with his final 12-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. it's all to go.

For his first South Korean film, Kore-eda san cast arguably the biggest South Korean star of our time, the now-legendary Song Kang-ho, who has starred in some of the most popular films of the past two decades, from Murder Memoirs to to Snowpiercer for the Oscar-winning Parasites. In Broker, Kang-ho plays a laundromat owner who runs an illegal business of stealing abandoned babies from the church and selling them for adoption on the black market. The film centers on a young woman who has already abandoned her baby, who returns with Kang-ho and her partner and the three of them go on a road trip to find the potential father. Added to this eccentric mix are the two detectives hot on his heels.

3. The novelist's film | Directed by Hong Sang-soo

Hong Sang-soo is unstoppable. The South Korean champion, who continues to make ultra-fast films but also doesn't compromise on quality, directed two films in 2022, Walk Up, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and The Novelist's Film, which premiered at the Toronto. International Film Festival premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, where he won the Silver Bear for Director for the fourth time. Although both films have Sang-soo's distinctive style;"The Novelist Movie"It's one that wins this competition because it's almost as immersive an experience as watching something like Top Gun: Maverick or a good superhero movie at the theater. strange as it may seem.

The film tells the story of a novelist with a desire to make a movie, who visits a bookstore run by his old friend, and eventually meets a director, his wife, and a retired star over the course of a day. With the subtle message that art can be made by anyone, in any context, anywhere with sheer willpower, the black-and-white film takes you on the same journey as a novelist. He leaves a (literally) colorful and very healthy high at the end. Sang-soo's frequent collaborator Kim Min-hee plays the actress, alongside the legendary Lee Hye-young, who plays the novelist.

2. Girls of the 20th century | Directed by Bang Woo-ri

Unless you're into teen drama or romantic comedy, you probably won't be fond of the 20th century girl, but if you put your gender biases aside, you can have one of the most rewarding and moving movie experiences of your life.

A fantastically made debut film by director Bang Woo-ri, 20th Century Girl begins in 1999 when Yeon-du, college student Bo-ra's best friend, meets and falls in love with a boy, only knowing his name. The problem is that Yeon-du has to travel to the US to undergo critical heart surgery. So Bor-ra decides to keep an eye on the boy and find out more about him to help her best friend. What follows is a fantastic story of love, friendship, and sacrifice that will keep you hooked and teary-eyed until the very end. as it should bees 2022, and K-dramas have become a pop culture phenomenon that cannot be ignored. And with movies like 20th Century Girl, we can happily indulge in that.

1. Exit decision | Directed by Park Chan-wook

chanwook parkdecision to goIt's probably the craziest movie of the year. Six years after the erotic coming-of-age thriller The Handmaiden, our beloved South Korean auteur returns with a film that requires multiple viewings and a close look at the process to get to the heart of it. But the experience he leaves behind is worth the trip.

While he initially seems like a simple detective investigating the mysterious death of an old man, things take a turn when he develops feelings for the victim's much younger wife. The genre-swapping drama soon turns into a runaway romance that only someone as cool as Chan-wook could pull off. Compared to his other films, Decision to Quit has a much more reserved and subtle approach and feels very different; but the effect of this one is as monumental as any. Undoubtedly one of the best movies of the year, destined to develop a massive cult following for years to come.

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