It’s obvious that the South Korean tourism department doesn’t rely on its film industry to attract foreign travelers. If it did, then the only people to step off a plane at Incheon International Airport in Seoul would be serial killers, world-weary cops, and a host of women waiting to be victimized. That’s because Korean cinema is not for the squeamish, and the world depicted on the big screen is often bloody, bleak, and filled with hard lessons about the human condition. If you’ve yet to experience the twisted on-screen charm of this Asian nation, I suggest sampling some of the Korean movies available on Netflix Instant. In addition to being able to watch them in the privacy of your own home at a moment’s notice, you won’t have to deal with the frequent ineptitude of the United States Postal Service. But where should you start? For those unfamiliar with foreign films, trying to select an appropriate Korean title can be a bewildering prospect. Luckily, this post was written for the express purpose of listing 10 great Korean films that can be streamed on Netflix. All you have to do is make a selection and click on your mouse. Within a few seconds, you’ll be enjoying all the innovative goodness that North Korea’s more welcoming neighbors can muster. 1. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) – The first installment in his “Vengeance Trilogy”, this Park Cha-wook film stars Shin Ha-kyun as Ryu, a deaf-mute desperate to find a new kidney for his ailing sister. When a series of misfortunes leave him broke and without hope, he and his radical girlfriend (Bae Doona) decide to kidnap the daughter of his former boss (Song Kang-ho) in order to raise the money needed for a transplant. Things go horribly awry, of course, and a misguided act of charity threatens to consume everyone involved. 2. Oldboy (2003) – Park Chan-wook’s second film in the “Vengeance Trilogy” remains my all-time favorite Korean movie due to its beautiful cinematography, challenging subject matter, and a lead performance from Choi Min-sik that’s both amusing and agonizing at the same time. He plays Oh Dae-su, a businessman who’s kidnapped by unseen forces and imprisoned in a room for the next 15 years. Finally set free and dumped unceremoniously onto a rooftop, he’s taunted by his mysterious enemy and challenged to figure out the reasons behind his mistreatment. With the help of a female sushi chef (Kang Hye-jung), our hero attempts to do just that. He must’ve never heard the phrase “Be careful what you wish for.” 3. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005) – Park Chan-wook wraps up his trilogy with the tragic story of Lee Geum-ja (Lee Young Ae), a young woman imprisoned for the murder of a five-year-old boy. She’s innocent, however, and once released from prison for good behavior she enacts a systematic plan to gain terrible revenge on the man responsible (Choi Min-sik) and reunite with her daughter. As you might have gathered, things are never that simple […]
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