Top 5 BONG JOON HO Movies

Hello everyone and welcome back to another post by EonTalk! In today’s content, I’ll be suggesting 5 of my favorite Bong Joon-Ho movies.

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As with my other recommendations lists, please remember that this list is based on my personal preferences and is totally biased towards my opinions. That being said, let’s get into my list of Top 5 favorite Bong Joon-Ho movies.

#5

Starting off the list, the #5 film is the 2013 action sci-fi film, <Snowpiercer>.

<Snowpiercer> featured a cast lineup of mainly Hollywood actors, Chris Evans, Ed Harris, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner, Alison Pill, as well as Director Bong’s partner in crime, Song Kang-Ho, and another highly talented actress, Go Ah-Sung. The movie takes a look at social classes and inequalities that exist between the different classes, which is a quality that can be seen in other Bong Joon-Ho works as well. The synopsis of <Snowpiercer> is as follows:

In a world where everything is frozen due to climate change, a train with survivors onboard endlessly runs. The tail-end of the train resembles the slums, as its residents suffer from hunger and the cold. On the other hand, the head of the train is occupied by the “select few,” who enjoy life with drugs, alcohol, and other luxuries. In this severely divided train that’s been running for 17 years, the young leader, Curtis, begins the riot he’s been planning for years.

#4

The next movie is a crime-thriller released in 2009, <Mother>.

<Mother> has a very different type of suspense compared to the other crime/thrillers, and the genre can only be classified as being “Bong Joon-Ho.” Starring Kim Hye-Ja and Won Bin, <Mother> not only kept me entertained throughout its duration, but at the edge of my seat. And the twist it had was what I personally thought made it a must-watch film. The synopsis of <Mother> is as follows:

For a widowed mother, her son is all she has. The 28 year old son, Do-Joon, is a troublemaker that worries his mother. One day, a young girl is murdered, and Do-Joon ends up being the prime suspect. There isn’t any real evidence that points to Do-Joon, but the police throw groundless suspicion at him. The mother does whatever she can to save her son, but the cops are in a hurry to close the case, the defense attorney is incompetent and is only after money. Without any other choice, the mother decides to take it upon herself to prove her son’s innocence.

#3

Moving onto the #3 spot, the #3 movie is the 2006 film, <The Host>.

This is another masterpiece by Director Bong that contains various genres: Fantasy, SF, action, and thriller are all elements that can be found in <The Host>. Starring Song Kang-Ho, Byun Hee-Bong, Park Hae-Il, Bae Doo-Na, and Go Ah-Sung, <The Host> is a type of film that only Bong Joon-Ho can deliver. It’s truly amazing what he was able to create with the limited resources he had. The budget of the film was only $11 million; to put that into perspective compared to movies that came out in the same year, <300> had a budget of $65 million, and <Night at the Museum> had $110 million – that’s 10 times as much! Definitely a must-watch if you haven’t seen yet. The synopsis is as follows:

Kang-Doo witnesses an unusual scene on the Han River amongst a group of people huddled together: An unidentifiable “thing” dangling from a bridge on the river. Fascinated by the scene, people start to take pictures. But not for long… This unidentifiable “thing” is a monster that suddenly comes on-land and starts to attack the people. The once peaceful Han River Park suddenly turns into chaos, and Kang-Doo, realizing the severity of the situation, runs away with his daughter, Hyun-Seo. However, amidst all the ongoing chaos, Kang-Doo loses the hands of his daughter, and the monster takes Hyun-Seo and disappears. The entire city falls into a catastrophe, and with his world turned upside down, Kang-Doo must find and save his daughter.

#2

And now, just two movies left. The #2 movie is the most recent movie released on this list; You guessed it, <Parasite>.

The winner of 4, yes FOUR Oscars, <Parasite> shook not only the movie industry in Korea, but the world. It definitely played a crucial role in getting Korean cinema on the map, and I believe it deserves all the glory it received. Starring Song Kang-Ho, Lee Sun-Kyun, Jo Yeo-Jung, Choi Woo-Shik, Park So-Dam, Lee Jung-Eun, and Jang Hye-Jin, this is another masterpiece by Director Bong that sheds a light on the differences between social classes, and is full of details and symbolisms that you can find each time you watch. The synopsis of <Parasite> is as follows:

Ki-Taek’s family members are all unemployed and live a hard life, but one thing they do have is a great relationship amongst each other. When the eldest son of the family, Ki-Woo, is connected to a tutor job by his friend, the family finds hope. When Ki-Woo arrives at the home of the student he’s to start tutoring, he finds the family of the student to be extremely wealthy. And as the relationship between Ki-Woo and the rich family progresses, strange and unthinkable events start to occur.

#1

And finally, the #1 Bong Joon-Ho movie. You may be thinking, “Shouldn’t <Parasite> be #1?” And that’s understandable, as it received so much acclamation and won numerous awards. However, there’s another movie that started it all for Bong Joon-Ho, and if you’ve seen it, I think you’d probably agree it deserves the #1 spot. The #1 movie directed by Bong Joon-Ho is, <Memories of Murder>.

<Memories of Murder> not only changed Bong Joon-Ho’s life, but the industry of film in Korea as a whole. His prior work to this, which was his directorial debut, <Barking Dogs Never Bite>, flopped big time, recording merely 100K at the box office. However, he totally shifted the momentum with <Memories of Murder>, and this must-watch film is regarded as the best movie in the 100 year history of Korean cinema. If you have not gotten the chance to bless yourself with this masterpiece, get to it ASAP. The synopsis is as follows:

1986, in the countryside of Gyeongi-do province of South Korea, a young woman is found dead after being brutally beaten and raped. 2 months later, another body of a young lady is found in the same way. As the incidents start to receive massive international coverage, the whole country starts to be filled with fear, as nothing like this has ever occurred in the country before. A Special Investigation Team is placed in the area of the incidents. The criminal is known for leaving no traces of himself, to the extent that leaves the investigators dumbfounded. As the new Captain, Shin, joins the team, the investigation starts to pick up steam, and the detectives plan a trap to catch the suspect, but the plan doesn’t go as they thought as another victim is found, dead. The case is reset back to phase 1, and the media gets even more riled up, making the detectives go crazy.

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Conclusion

And that’s it for today’s content on Top 5 Bong Joon-Ho Moives. I sincerely do thank everyone that read til the end, and if you would like to further communicate with me, as well as other K-movie fans, join the EonTalk Telegram. Also, support me on Patreon if you would like to help me make more diverse content!

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Disclaimer
Please keep in mind this review is composed of solely my own opinions, and should be taken with a grain of salt. I am in no way a professional writer, nor have I majored or studied journalism. This is for informative entertainment purpose only, representing my personal views. I do not own the images and/or videos used in the review. No copyright infringement intended.

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