Author: Jean Noh
Translator: Yi Ersan
Proofreading: Issac
Source: Film Comment
Translator's note: "Movie Review" This article selected 11 movie stars who best represent Korean movies. The original article was published in May/June 2015 issue. Therefore, some actors' representative works in recent years have not been mentioned, such as Song Kang-ho's "Thoughts", "Tunnel" starring Ha Zhengyu and Bae Doona, Huang Zhengmin's "Agents", "Warship Island", etc. Of course, the popular young actor Liu Yaren, who has been rising rapidly in recent years, has also unfortunately been defeated.
In addition, there are also some movie stars with high popularity that have not been selected, such as Han Seok-gyu, Kim Yun-suk, Kim Hye-soo, Lee Jung-jae and other powerful actors, but the following 11 movie stars are indeed well deserved. If you don’t agree with it after watching it, we will argue again.
Bae Doona (born 1979)
Bae Doona may be one of the most unconventional actresses today. Since Bong Joon-ho's "Kidnap the Dog at the Door" (2000),Bae Doona has shown an extraordinary temperament. In the film, she plays a woman wandering in an apartment building to look for a dog. She is very good at portraying characters who live in her inner world while being able to deal with (often difficult) problems in the real world.
"Kidnap Dog at the Door"
Before starring in Bong Joon-ho's film debut, Bae Doona made her screen debut in "Midnight Resentment" (1999).
Immediately afterwards, Bae Doona starred in two youth films, playing a suicidal obsessive-compulsive disorder patient in "Youth" (2000), and playing a girl who tries to find her own life path after graduating from college in "The Cat-like Girl" written and directed by Jung Jae-eon.
"Cat-like girl"
Then, Bae Doona played a young kidnapper in Park Chan-woo's movie "I Want Revenge" (2002). She combined the innocent elegance of a girl with her unrestrained tough attitude just right, which also made her begin to be favored by mainstream commercial films and play the leading role, such as the comedy "Save My Husband" (2002), the action movie "Subway Shock" (2003), and the romantic comedy "Love in Spring" (2003).
"Shock"
Japanese director Atsuhiro Yamashita selected Bae Doona to star in "Linda! Linda! Linda! 》 (2005) The lead singer of the middle school student rock band broadened her international influence.
Her real breakthrough work is "Hanjiang Monster" (2006) that once again collaborated with Bong Joon-ho, in which Bae Doona plays an archery athlete who fights against mutant monsters. The film premiered in Cannes and became the focus of the festival.
"Hanjiang Monster"
Bai Doona then starred in "Air Doll" (2009) directed by Yuka Koreedo, playing an inflatable doll who has consciousness and falls in love in the film. Bae Doona plays a more energetic role in "The Korean Dream Team" (2012) - a real North Korean table tennis player who formed a double with another Korean player and defeated the Chinese group and won the championship.
"The Dream Team of Korea"
Pei Douna's first work on Hollywood is "Cloud Map" (2012), directed by Tom Tickway and Wachowski (Translator's Note: Now they are Wachowski sisters), and they play the triangle. Then Bae Doona returned to South Korea and starred in "Dao Xi" written and directed by Jung Joo Li, who played a "stained" policeman who was exiled to a remote town and became friends with a girl who was often beaten and scolded by her father.
"Daoxi"
Recently, Pei Douna held hands with the Wachowski brothers again and played a supporting role in "Jupiter Ascendant".
Choi Min-sik (born in 1962)
2014 is called "Cho Min-sik Nian" by many people. He played a navy general in "Ming Liang Nai Battle" directed by Kim Hanmin. The film won the box office championship in Korean film history (Translator's note: This year's "Extreme Career" has exceeded the total box office of "Ming Liang Nai Battle", but the number of viewers is still the temporary lead in "Ming Liang Nai Battle"). At the same time, Choi Min-sik also plays a vicious gang leader in Luke Besson's super blockbuster "Super Body".
"Mingliang Naval Battle"
As an actor, Choi Min-sik initially only played some supporting roles in movies and TV series. It was not until the neurotic prosecutor in "The Winner is King: A San" (1997) and the uncle in "Diet to Show the Bizarre Soul" (1998) directed by Kim Ji-woon, that Choi Min-sik had a role with a certain popularity.
"Diet to Show the Bizarre Soul Lost Event"
began to gain the attention of film critics in Zheng Jingyu's "Happy To Death" (1999) and Kang Digu's "Life and Death" (1999). Choi Min-sik played a role in the former as a mediocre and incompetent husband to meticulous Avenger after being "Cuckold", and played an agent sent to South Korea by North Korea (Translator's note: Choi Min-sik won the first/second heavyweight awards in his career - the double best actor of the Korean Movie Big Bell Award and the Baeksang Art Award for "Life and Death". The domestic box office of the film also surpassed that of "Titanic" released in the same year).
"Life and Death Change"
In "Bai Lan" (2001) directed by Song Haixing, Choi Min-zhi plays a poor and destitute gangster. A young Hong Kong immigrant played by Cecilia Cheung has obtained temporary residence rights through fake marriage, but she has never met her "husband" Choi Min-zhi, and she still believes that he is "the kindest person in the world" until she died.
"Bailan"
Choi Min-sik then went to another level and starred in the historical biopic "Drunk Painting Fairy" (2002) of the Korean godfather film director Lin Kwon-ze. In the film, he played the unrestrained and wandering North Korean famous landscape painter Zhang Seung-ye. Less than two years later, he and Park Chan-woo collaborated on the classic "Old Boy" (2003), playing a kidnapping victim who was determined to avenge.
"Old Boy"
soon collaborated with Park Chan-woo again in "Celebrity Gold" (2005), playing a villain with a strong desire to control. Afterwards, Choi Min-sik collaborated with several well-known Korean directors: playing the frustrated boxer who has always wanted to return to the ring in Yoo Shengwan's "Crying Fist" (2005).
plays a cruel serial killer in Kim Ji-won's "Seeing the Devil" (2010); plays a retired customs officer in Yoon Jong-bin's "War with Crime: The Heyday of the Bad Guy" (2012), and wanders between black and white in Busan in the 1980s, and founded a drug smuggling empire.
"Seeing the Devil"
Cui Minzhi's other important roles include the sheriff in "New World" (2013), the down-and-out trumpet musician who tried to save the middle school orchestra in "Spring Flowers Bloom" (2004), and the middle-aged man who brought the ashes of a Nepalese worker back to the snowy plateau in "Himalaya: The Land of Wind" (2008) - of course, there is also the "Foreign Land Guest" who dubbed the popular animation "Chicken Mom and Duck Boy" (2011).
Ha Zhengyu (birth in 1978)
Ha Zhengyu starred inHa Zhengyu includes "The Chaser" (2008), "National Representative" (2009), and "Berlin" (2012). He is praised for his "boy next door" masculinity. The characters in the above three films illustrate this very well - bloodthirsty mentally ill patients, unpopular sled athletes, and North Korean spies who are on the dead end.
"The Chaser"
Ha Zhengyu won the attention of film critics for the first time in "Unforgivable" (2005), written, directed and acted by Yoon Jong-bin. This military-themed film won several awards at the Busan Film Festival.
Then, Ha Jung-woo and Kim Ki-duk collaborated on "Time" (2006), playing a tortured boyfriend in the film. His love has undergone complex changes due to plastic surgery.
"Time"
"The following year, he played a Korean immigrant illegally stranded in the United States in Kim Jin-ah's "Second Love". He was called by an American woman with infertile husband (played by Vera Farmiga) to provide "help" to make her pregnant.
In 2008, Ha Jung-woo began to show his good box office appeal, playing a chilling but charming serial killer in Luo Hongzhen's "The Chaser". In the same year, he also played the role of a charming bad boy in two other low-cost movies - Niulang in "The Beast Boy" directed by Yoon Jong-bin and his down-and-out ex-boyfriend in "A Wonderful Day" directed by Lee Yoon-ki.
"Beast Boy"
Ha Zhengyu and Luo Hongzhen collaborated again to "Yellow Sea" (2010) with a bigger picture than the previous work. Ha Zhengyu plays a Korean man who smuggled into South Korea.
The previous year, Ha Zhengyu had won the Best Actor Award at the Baeksang Art Awards for "National Representative" (2009). Therefore, when he was nominated for Best Actor with "Yellow Sea", he promised that if he won the Best Actor again, he would take a long-distance walk in South Korea.
"Yellow Sea"
This unintentional move later became the blueprint for the comedy "Plan 577" (2012). Ha Zhengwoo set out from Seoul and ran 360 miles to Hainan, the southernmost part of South Korea. His peers also have Kong Xiaozhen, who collaborated with him in "Love Novels" (2011), and 16 other filmmakers.
In 2011, Ha Jung-woo also starred in "Customer", playing a stubborn lawyer who played a gangster brother in "War with Crime: The Heyday of the Bad Guys", and then in the spy war film "Berlin" (2013) directed by Yoo Shengwan, in which he played the North Korean agent deeply involved in international conspiracy.
"Customer"
He Zhengyu is also a painter and directed two movies - the aviation-themed comedy "Rocks" (2013) and "Xu Sanguan" (2015), adapted from Yu Hua's novel "Xu Sanguan Selling Blood", where he himself plays the protagonist Xu Sanguan.
"Xu Sanguan"
Ha Jung-woo's representative works in recent years also "Horror Live" directed by Kim Byung-woo (2013), who plays an ambitious radio news channel host, and "Trumps: The Era of Civil riots" that worked with Yoon Jong-bin three times, playing a butcher who resisted the power.
Huang Zhengmin (born in 1970)
Huang Zhengmin's slightly rough appearance and southern accent originally seemed not the source of being the protagonist, but he broke these restrictions with his own diligence and changeable acting style.
Huang Zhengmin took the lead in the successful International Market (2014), playing a reliable son, father and husband who risked his life to go to West Germany to mine and work in Myanmar. He has been working for his family all his life.
"International Market"
"International Market"
"International Market"
"International Market"
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"You are my destiny"
This makes Huang Jung-min's humble and diligent image more deeply rooted in people's hearts. Many viewers even retain this impression when watching movies where he plays a villain, such as "Improper Deal" directed by Yoo Shengwan (2010) and "New World" directed by Park Hoon Jung (2012).
"New World"
Wong Zhengmin debuted in "The General's Son" (1990) directed by Lin Kwon-ze. The story of the film is about the gang struggle during the Japanese occupation period. Wong Zhengmin has not many scenes in the film. He then honed his acting skills in the stage play and finally announced his return to the big screen in Kang Di-kyung's "The Change of Life and Death" (1999), playing a police agent.
Soon, Huang Jung-min got the attention of film critics. He first played the drummer in a pop band on the verge of disband in "The Waikiki Brothers" directed by Lin Soon-ri, then played a lawyer busy with work in "The Affair Family" directed by Lin Changshu (2003), and also played a gangster in "Sweet Life" directed by Kim Ji-woon (2005).
"Waikiki Brothers"
Huang Zhengmin's gentle lover image in director Lee Yinji's low-cost debut "Woman Zhenhui" (2004), also brought him several similar relaxed and romantic characters - "The Most Beautiful Week in My Life" (2005), "You Are My Destiny" (2005), "Happiness" (2007) directed by Xu Qinhao, and "The Queen of Dance" (2011) - making the actor's acting career very comprehensive.
Jun Duyeon (born in 1973)
Jun Duyeon won the Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007 for her superb shaping of the role of the tortured mother and widow in "Miyang" directed by Lee Cangdong.
"Miyang"
Jun Duyan's screen debut was "Sad Street Corner Lovers" (1997), which tells the story of a couple he met on the Internet.
Then Jeon Do-yeon participated in a tear-jerking blockbuster "Agreement" (1998), playing a surgeon who fell in love with the gangster boss. In "The Organ in Memory" (1998), Jeon Do-yeon's secret love teacher (played by Lee Byung-hun) and a mountain village student who is prone to jealousy are unforgettable.
"Organ in Memory"
Jun Duyeon then changed her style and played a young woman who wandered between her lover and her husband (played by Choi Min-sik) in "Happy To Death" (1999).
Jun Duyeon's "chameleon" acting skills have been recognized so far, but she then made several major role flips. She first played an abused woman in Liu Shengwan's action film "No Blood and Tears" (2002), and then played a steadfast widow in Lee Jae-rong's "Scandal" (2003). The film is adapted from Lacrolle's novel "Dangerous Relationship".
"No Blood and Tears"
In "The Mermaid Princess" (2004), Jeon Do-yeon played two roles in one person, appeared as an urban woman, and suddenly traveled to the past and met her mother - at that time she was still a "sea girl" and a woman who did not rely on oxygen devices to dive to catch seafood.
"Mermaid Princess"
She also starred with Huang Zhengmin in "You Are My Destiny" (2005), playing a tea waiter suffering from AIDS, and participated in "A Wonderful Day" (2008), trying to collect debts from her ex-boyfriend (played by Ha Jung-woo), and played a pure servant in "The Next Girl" (2011) directed by Lin Changshu. She became insane after experiencing emotional entanglements. The film was remake from Kim Ki-young's thriller of the same name.
Jun Ji-hyun (born in 1981)
Jun Ji-hyun became popular in Asia for her role in "My Savage Girlfriend" (2001). In the film, she plays a beautiful girl who is domineering on the surface and is sad and hurt on the inside.
"My Savage Girlfriend"
The success of this role made Jeon Ji-hyun receive a film contract with similar images like "Savage Sister" (2004) and "Daisy" (2006). Before
became popular, Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Jung-jae partnered in "The Untouchable Lover" (2000), which was later remake in Hollywood (starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Brock).
"Lovers that cannot be reached"
After that, Jun Ji-hyun began to challenge more serious characters, such as the psychological thriller "The Four-person Table" (2003), and his partner with Hwang Jung-min to participate in "The Man Who Was Superman" directed by Zheng Yinche (2007).
Hollywood also took advantage of Jeon Ji-hyun's popularity and selected her to star in the comic-adapted movie "The Last Vampire" (2009), and played with Hugh Jackman in "The Secret Fan of Snowflakes" (2011) directed by Wang Ying.
"Snowflake Secret Fan"
In 2012, Choi Dong-hoon was selected to participate in "Treasure Hunt Alliance". The film set a new box office record in Korean film history, and Jeon Ji-hyun also incorporated his lively charm into this mature and confident thief role.
"Treasure Hunt Alliance"
In the spy film "Berlin" (2013) directed by Liu Shengwan, Jun Ji-hyun plays the translator of the North Korean Embassy. Liu Shengwan is known for being good at amplifying the charm of an actor, and at the same time letting the actors express the isolated state of the character, so Jun Ji-hyun also contributes his best acting skills to date in his career. The movie "Assassination" (2015), which Jeon Ji-hyun collaborated with Choi Dong-hoon again, will be released this summer.
Lee Byung-hun (born in 1970)
Lee Byung-hun is one of the few Korean movie stars who have successfully entered Hollywood. His handsome appearance, superb acting skills and strong abdominal muscles are reflected in Hollywood blockbusters such as "Red Flame 2" (2013) and "Special Forces: The Rise of the Cobra" (2009) and its sequel "Special Forces 2: A Comprehensive Counterattack" (2013).
"Red Flame Battlefield 2"
Before going to Hollywood, Lee Byung-hun had become an Asian superstar with his film and television works. Lee Byung-hun's early masterpiece was "Common Guard Area" (2000) directed by Park Chan-woo. The film tells the friendship between his Korean soldiers and North Korean soldiers (Song Kang-ho) across the "Common Guard Area" of North Korea and South Korea.
"Common Guard Zone"
He and Park Chan-woo collaborated again as a short film "Secret Love" in the movie "Three Updates 2" (2004) co-produced by directors from Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea, playing a deceived husband.
Another well-known director Lee Byung-hun frequently works is Kim Ji-woon, who plays the first male lead in the gangster movie "Sweet Life", plays the "bad guy" in "Korean Western" "Good guy, Bad guy, Strange guy" (2008), and plays the secret agent who tracks down the serial murderer (played by Choi Min-sik) in "Seeing the Devil" (2010).
"Sweet Life"
Lee Byung-hun also played some handsome roles in the early days, such as the teacher in "The Organ in Memory" (1999) and "Bungee of Love" (2000), or the male characters with fatal appeal in "Poisoning" (2002) and "Everyone Has a Secret" (2004).
"Everyone has a secret"
So far, Lee Byung-hun's most popular work is the costume film "The Two-Face King" (2012), in which he plays two roles: a king who is troubled by the conspiracy of the court and a farmer who is recruited by ministers to replace the king. This summer, Lee Byung-hun will return to Hollywood to play the liquid metal terminal T-1000 in Terminator: Genesis.
Wen Suli (born in 1974)
Wen Suli once won the Best Newcomer Actor Award at the Venice International Film Festival for her breakthrough performance in "Oasis" (2002). In the film, she played a patient with severe cerebral palsy and fell in love with a person played by Xue Gengqiu who was incompatible with society.
"Oasis"
Wen Suli has only participated in one movie before, and is also directed by Lee Cangdong. She does not have many scenes. After "Oasis", Wen Suli challenged a more bold and extraordinary role, playing a married woman who had an affair with a boy from a neighbor in "Affair Family" (2003).
"Mental"
Unlike actresses of the same age, Wen Suli always plays the role of a mother - such as "Flying Bar Penguin" (2009), "Filial Son Cave Barber" (2003) - or a woman with open-minded sexual concepts, such as the sexy and hot female professor in "The Secret Charm of a Female Professor" (2006), and a housewife who is suspected of having a cold husband in "The Law of Function" (2013).
"The Secret Charm of Female Professor"
Monso-ri also portrays the characters that are very diverse. For example, the handball player in "The Most Wonderful Moments in My Life" (2007), dubbing the little hen Yeya in "The Chicken Mom" (2011), and also playing a wizard in "The Story of the Doctor" (2013) directed by Park Zan-kyung (Translator's Note: Park Zan-woo's Little Brother) style work between documentary and drama film directed by Park Zan-kyung (Translator's Note: Park Zan-woo's Little Brother).
Wen Suli and Hong Shangxiu have collaborated on three movies: "Summer Xiaxia" (2010), "In a Foreign Country" (2012) and "The Hill of Freedom" (2014).
"The Hill of Freedom"
Monso-ri and her husband Jang Jun-hwan (director of the 2003 film "Save the Earth!") are probably the most famous couple in the Korean film industry. They led several of the most famous people in the film industry to participate in protests last summer against the government's improper handling of the "Sewol" shipwreck.
Park Hae-il (born in 1977)
Although he has a simple and friendly appearance, Park Hae-il is famous for his super high acting skills from seemingly pure and innocent to dark and distorted characters, and it is enough to act with his eyes. His most memorable characters are full of ambiguity, such as the serial murder suspect in "Memories of Murder" (2003), whose behavior not only confuses the police, but also makes the audience lose their judgment.
"Memories of Murder"
Park Hae-il later collaborated with Bong Joon-ho in "Hanjiang Monster" (2006), playing a slightly nervous monster in the film, and finally used unusual skills to save the situation.
"Hanjiang Monster"
With his superb acting skills in playing the angry, lost and tenacious hero image, the costume film "The Final Weapon: The Bow" starring Park Hae-il became the box office champion in South Korea that year.
Park Hae-il is also good at playing the role of a learned down-and-out person, and chatting with women by complaining about bitterness - such as the roles of "Jealousy Is My Power" directed by Park Yeon-yu (2002) and the roles of "Gingju" directed by Zhang Lu (2014) - he can also play a kind man with gentleman behavior, such as in "Chrysanthemum" (2003) and "Mermaid Princess" (2004).
"Gyeongju"
In recent years, Park Haeil has also been praised by the characters: the elderly poet in "Enjiao" (2012) directed by Zheng Jingyu, who was trapped in a triangle relationship, the director of the film who achieved nothing in "Ageing Family" (2012) directed by Song Haixing, and the investigative reporter in "The Whistleblower" (2014) directed by Lin Soon Li.
Xue Gengqiu (born in 1968)
After starring in some stage plays and playing supporting roles in several movies - such as "Peach" (1996) directed by Zhang Shanyu and "Virgin Dinner" (1998) directed by Lin Changshu, Xue Gengqiu finally got a breakthrough role in "Mental" (1999) directed by Lee Cangdong - a desperate person living in the shadow of the "Gwangju Incident".
"Mental Candy"
Xue Gengqiu stood on the viaduct and opened his arms and roared, "I want to go back!" The scene has become one of the iconic images of the Korean movie "Renain" in the mid-to-late 1990s.
Xue Gengqiu then collaborated with Li Cangdong again to play the marginal character in "Oasis" (2002) who was in love with Wen Suli. Xue Gengqiu's well-known roles also include a wrestler in "Li Daoshan" (2004) directed by Song Haixing, who overcomes various prejudices and discrimination and becomes a national hero.
"Oasis"
Xue Gengqiu also plays a relatively relaxed little character - such as the bank staff who is at peace in the romance film "Pretending a Duke" (2000), or the unlucky prisoner in the comedy film "Aboutique of the Light" (2002).
But Xue Gengqiu's best skills are darker and tortured characters, such as the suspect in "Public Enemy" (2002) collaborating with Kang Youshuo and the death row prisoner trained as an assassin in "Shiwei Island" (2003), who was the first film in Korean film history to have more than 10 million viewers.
"Solid Tail Island"
Xue Gengqiu also has a lot of experience in playing the role of a father in pain. He plays a TV anchor whose son was kidnapped in "The Voice of That Guy" (2006) directed by Park Jinbiao, and plays an ordinary worker whose daughter was sexually assaulted in "Su Yuan" (2013) directed by Lee Junyi.
as a box office guarantee, Xue Gengqiu has also created the image of a savior in many disaster blockbusters, such as "Haiyuntai" (2009) and "Skyscraper" (2012).
Song Kanghao (birth in 1967)
In South Korea, a country where social and political movements occur frequently, Song Kanghao is one of the few actors who have achieved box office success with films with sensitive themes - such as "The Defense Attorney" (2013). The film is based on the story of the late former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun being responsible for defending the Bu Lin incident when he was a lawyer.
"Defense Attorney"
Song Kanghao has a magical magic that allows the audience to resonate with the frustrated but never admit defeat he plays.
Song Kang-ho played a supporting role in Hong Sang-soo's directorial debut "The Day when the Pig fell into the Well" (1996). Since then, he has entered the film industry. His career is a true portrayal of the Korean movie "Renain".
"The Day when the Pig fell into the Well"
After playing supporting roles in the gangster comedy "The Winner is King of A San" (1997), "Green Fish" (1997) directed by Lee Cangdong and "Don't Show the Bizarre Soul Lost Incident" (1998) directed by Kim Chi-yun, Song Kang-ho has a heavy role in two milestone films in the late 1990s.
is a Korean agent who tracks North Korean spies in "Life and Death Change" directed by Kang Di-gyu (1999), and a North Korean soldier who has established a friendship with South Korean soldiers across the "Common Security Zone" directed by Park Chan-wook (2000).
"Common Guard Zone"
In 2009, Song Kanghao starred in another political thriller with the theme of North Korea-South Korea relations - "The Righteous Brothers" directed by Zhang Xun. The former Korean agent he played finally worked together with a North Korean spy to complete the mission.
Song Kang-ho has successively collaborated with Park Chan-woo in "I Want Revenge" (2002) and "Bat" (2009), and has also collaborated with Bong Joon-ho three times: "Memories of Murder" (2003), "Han River Monster" (2006) and "Snow Country Train" (2013).
"Memories of Murder"
Song Kanghao and Lee Cangdong also collaborated in "Miyang" (2007), starring in two works directed by Han Zailin: the gangster film "The Elegant World" (2006) and the costume film "Observing the Face" (2013).
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