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Films from South Korea

Best Movies from South Korea

South Korea's catalogue on Celluloid runs to 31 films spanning 2003–2026 in Korean, led by Parasite (93%) and Memories of Murder (87%). Every title is ranked by our four-input Celluloid Score with critic consensus and expert reviews on each film page.

Quick Answer

The highest-rated South Korea film on Celluloid is Parasite (2019) with a 93% Celluloid Score — Celluloid Pick.

31
Films indexed
66%
Avg. Celluloid Score
1
Languages
22
Critic reviews

Guide to South Korea Movies on Celluloid

Each film from South Korea in our catalogue includes a Celluloid Score from up to four verified inputs, original verdict text, and linked editorial reviews where available. Audience sentiment is separate.

Titles are indexed by original language and country of production for easier discovery.

Essential South Korea Picks

Top 5 by Celluloid Score
Parasite 2019 · Bong Joon Ho · Korean

Bong Joon Ho's class satire made history as the first non-English film to win Best Picture at the Oscars.

93%
Celluloid Score Celluloid Pick
Memories of Murder 2003 · Bong Joon Ho · Korean

Bong Joon Ho's procedural masterpiece pairs dark humor with mounting dread and a devastating final shot.

87%
Celluloid Score Recommended
The Handmaiden 2016 · Park Chan-wook · Korean

Park Chan-wook's erotic thriller is sumptuous, twisty, and brilliantly performed by its entire ensemble.

87%
Celluloid Score Recommended
Burning 2018 · Lee Chang-dong · Korean

Lee Chang-dong's slow-burn Haruki Murakami adaptation simmers with class tension and unanswered violence.

85%
Celluloid Score Recommended
No Other Choice 2025 · Park Chan-wook · Korean

Park Chan-wook turns the anxiety of unemployment into pitch-black comedy, with Lee Byung-hun gleefully unraveling as a company man who'll stop at nothing to stay employed.

85%
Celluloid Score Recommended

South Korea Movie Reviews

All reviews →

Full critic reviews with answer-engine summaries — each review answers whether the film is worth watching, what it is about, and where to stream it.

Parasite (2019) ★★★★★

Parasite (2019) Review: The Architecture of Inequality

Bong Joon Ho turns a family's search for work into a thriller about space, dignity and dependence. A spoiler-free assessment of its performances, visual design and uneasy comedy.

Essential viewing for lovers of dark comedy and suspense. Parasite makes class conflict physical through rooms, stairs and performances; its escalating violence makes it unsuitable for a light family evening.
Memories of Murder (2003) ★★★★½

Memories of Murder (2003) Review: The Case That Won't Close

Memories of Murder is Bong Joon Ho's 1980s serial-killer procedural, a darkly funny and haunting portrait of detectives, and a country, out of their depth.

Yes. It is one of the great crime films of the century, essential for fans of Parasite, police procedurals and anyone who likes dark humour with their dread.
The Handmaiden (2016) ★★★★½

The Handmaiden (2016) Review: A Con Wrapped in Silk

The Handmaiden is Park Chan-wook's lavish erotic thriller about a pickpocket, an heiress and a swindle, relocated from Victorian England to colonial-era Korea.

Yes. It is a sumptuous, witty and twisty thriller-romance for adult viewers who enjoy clever plotting; its explicit sex and violence will not suit everyone.
Burning (2018) ★★★★½

Burning (2018) Review: Class Rage at a Slow Burn

Burning is Lee Chang-dong's hypnotic Murakami adaptation, a Korean mystery about a young man, an old friend and a rich stranger that simmers with class resentment.

Yes. It is one of the great mysteries of recent cinema for patient viewers who enjoy ambiguity; anyone wanting neat answers or a fast thriller should look elsewhere.
No Other Choice (2025) ★★★★½

No Other Choice (2025) Review: Job Hunting as Murder

No Other Choice is Park Chan-wook's pitch-black comedy thriller about a laid-off paper-industry veteran, with Lee Byung-hun superb as a decent man turning desperate.

Yes. It is Park Chan-wook at his most wickedly funny, a sharp satire of job insecurity for viewers who like their comedy bleak and their thrillers precise.
House of Hummingbird (2019) ★★★★☆

House of Hummingbird (2019) Review: Adolescence in Close-Up

House of Hummingbird is Kim Bora's patient coming-of-age drama about a 14-year-old girl in 1994 Seoul, observed with rare precision and tenderness.

Yes, if you have patience for quiet drama. It is a precise, moving portrait of early adolescence that rewards viewers who like small details.
The Chaser (2008) ★★★★☆

The Chaser (2008) Review: A Race Against Indifference

The Chaser is Na Hong-jin's ferocious Seoul serial-killer thriller, in which a disgraced ex-cop races a city's indifference as much as the killer himself.

Yes. It is one of the most gripping Korean thrillers ever made, but its brutality is relentless; for viewers who can handle graphic violence and bleak material.
Oldboy (2003) ★★★★½

Oldboy (2003) Review: Park Chan-wook's Revenge Opera

Oldboy is Park Chan-wook's feverish revenge thriller about a man freed after 15 years of unexplained captivity, with Choi Min-sik unforgettable in the lead.

Yes. It is one of the defining thrillers of the century and still hits hard, but its violence and dark themes make it strictly for viewers with strong stomachs.
Decision to Leave (2022) ★★★★☆

Decision to Leave (2022) Review: Park's Most Tender Noir

Decision to Leave is Park Chan-wook's romantic noir about a detective drawn to a murder suspect, a dazzling, melancholy puzzle that trades violence for longing.

Yes, with reservations. It is an exquisite, grown-up mystery romance for patient viewers who enjoy ambiguity, though its intricate plotting can keep the heart at arm's length.
Broker (2022) ★★★★☆

Broker (2022) Review: Kore-eda's Soft-Hearted Crime Story

Broker is Hirokazu Kore-eda's Korean road movie about two men selling an abandoned baby, a tender found-family drama that sometimes smooths its crime into fable.

Yes, with reservations. It is gentle, beautifully acted Kore-eda for patient drama fans, even if it lacks the sting of Shoplifters and ties its threads too neatly.
Lady Vengeance (2005) ★★★★☆

Lady Vengeance (2005) Review: Revenge With a Conscience

Lady Vengeance closes Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy with Lee Young-ae as a woman freed after 13 years in prison. It is his coolest and most morally searching.

Yes. It is an essential, strikingly controlled revenge drama for anyone following Park's trilogy, though it trades Oldboy's visceral punch for colder reflection.
The Host (2006) ★★★★☆

The Host (2006) Review: A Monster Movie With a Grudge

The Host is Bong Joon Ho's anarchic Korean creature feature about a hapless family hunting a river monster, as funny and angry as it is frightening.

Yes. It is one of the best monster movies of the century for viewers who enjoy genre films with satire and heart, though its wild tonal swings will not suit everyone.
Train to Busan (2016) ★★★★½

Train to Busan (2016) Review: Panic in Every Carriage

Train to Busan traps a father, his daughter and a carriage of strangers on a speeding train during a zombie outbreak, and it is as moving as it is relentless.

Yes. It is one of the best zombie films of the century, a tense, emotional thriller for horror fans and a great entry point to Korean genre cinema.
20th Century Girl (2022) ★★★★☆

20th Century Girl (2022) Review: A Crush by Proxy

20th Century Girl is a Korean first-love drama set in 1999, a tender, nostalgic romance that runs on the charm of Kim You-jung and Byeon Woo-seok.

Yes, for romance fans. It is a warm, beautifully played teen love story, best for viewers who welcome nostalgia and tears and can forgive a slow, familiar middle.
The Man from Nowhere (2010) ★★★★☆

The Man from Nowhere (2010) Review: Grief With a Blade

The Man from Nowhere is a brutal Korean rescue thriller starring Won Bin as a withdrawn pawnbroker, with ferocious fights and a surprisingly tender centre.

Yes, for action fans with a strong stomach. It is one of the best Korean action thrillers, though its villains are broad and its violence is very graphic.
I Saw the Devil (2010) ★★★★½

I Saw the Devil (2010) Review: Revenge Without an Exit

I Saw the Devil is Kim Jee-woon's savage Korean revenge thriller, a brilliantly made duel between an agent and a serial killer that dares you to keep watching.

Yes, if you can handle extreme violence. It is one of the most gripping revenge thrillers ever made, but squeamish viewers should stay well away.
Soulmate (2023) ★★★★☆

Soulmate (2023) Review: A Friendship Drawn Across Decades

Soulmate is Min Yong-keun's Korean drama about two women bound since childhood, a bittersweet friendship story led by Kim Da-mi and Jeon So-nee with real bruises in it.

Yes. It is a moving, well-acted Korean friendship drama for viewers who like their tearjerkers with some grit, even if it sometimes spells out what its actors already show.
Inside a Funeral Hall (2022) ★★★½☆

Inside a Funeral Hall (2022) Review: Mourning as Performance

Inside a Funeral Hall is Lee Ho-hyun's small Korean ensemble drama about a family gathered for a funeral, a contained, wry look at grief, money and pretence.

Mostly yes, for fans of intimate Korean indie drama. It is perceptive and often wryly funny, though its modest scale will not suit everyone.
The Villainess (2017) ★★★½☆

The Villainess (2017) Review: Dazzling Fights, Tangled Plot

The Villainess is Jung Byung-gil's Korean assassin thriller, with a jaw-dropping first-person opening and a messier revenge melodrama built around Kim Ok-vin.

Yes, for action fans. The fight scenes are some of the most inventive of the decade, even if the convoluted melodrama between them drags.
Exhuma (2024) ★★★½☆

Exhuma (2024) Review: Shamans, Graves and a Sharp Turn

Exhuma is Jang Jae-hyun's Korean occult thriller about a shaman, a geomancer and a cursed family grave. A superb first half and a star cast outweigh a messier second.

Yes, with reservations. Fans of occult horror will relish its rituals and cast, though a divisive mid-film shift makes the second half less frightening than the first.
HOPE (2026)

Hope (2026) Review: Na Hong-jin's Monster Epic Sprawls

Hope is Na Hong-jin's first film since The Wailing, a creature epic set near the DMZ whose ferocious first hour outclasses its bloated, over-explained second half.

It depends. Genre fans and Na Hong-jin devotees should see it for a first hour of world-class action, but expect a long, overstuffed back half and a divisive ending.
The King's Warden (2026)

The King's Warden (2026) Review: Guarding a Fallen King

The King's Warden is Jang Hang-jun's Joseon-era drama about a man ordered to guard a deposed king, a moving study of loyalty and conscience led by Yoo Hae-jin.

Yes. It is a moving, well-acted Korean historical drama for viewers who like intimate stories set against palace politics; expect sentiment as well as intrigue.

Popular Genres

Thriller 17 Drama 15 Action 12 Horror 7 Romance 5 Crime 3

All South Korea Movies

Ranked by Celluloid Score

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best movies from South Korea?

Browse our South Korea catalogue sorted by Celluloid Score — the highest-rated films appear first with critic and audience ratings on every card.

How does Celluloid rate films from South Korea?

Celluloid Score combines Celluloid editorial, Metascore, Letterboxd and IMDb inputs into a single percentage; audience sentiment is displayed separately alongside the written verdict and review.