While the much-anticipated release of Avengers: Endgame Encore may be hogging the headlines this week, there is another wildly entertaining, kind of unwieldy, ridiculously ambitious near-three-hour-long sci-fi blockbuster that’s got us really excited right now: Na Hong-jin’s gonzo creature feature Hope.
Heavily reported on as the most expensive South Korean movie ever made, Director Na’s latest — which sees two police officers in a small town near the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea find themselves under attack from a mysterious creature — hits UK cinemas this week amid major hype and the promise of an experience that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible.
As Hope stomps into multiplexes across the land, Empire’s resident expert on one of South Korea’s greatest filmmakers is here to guide you through Director Na’s filmography to date. Read on as we walk you through the three Na Hong-jin films you need to see next — and where to stream them.
The Chaser (2008)
Chaser, The © TMDB films 13855
Runtime: 2hrs 5m | Streaming on: Prime Video, Arrow Video, Shudder
Starring: Kim Yun-seok, Ha Jung-woo, Seo Young-hee, Kim You-jung, Jung In-gi
Thought David Fincher’s Se7en or Zodiac were among the most harrowing serial killer thrillers? The incredibly remorseless murderer in Na’s breakout feature makes John Doe seem pretty chill in comparison, and even gives Bong Joon Ho’s Memories Of Murder a run for its money while it’s at it. Set in a world soaked in rain and blood, this cat-and-mouse story has an all-pervasive sense of hopelessness running through it, but is so relentlessly paced and utterly gripping that you won’t be able to take your eyes off it. Throw in a sharp critique of Korea’s policing and legal systems, and The Chaser makes the emergence of a major new filmmaking talent incredibly clear.
Read Empire‘s review of The Chaser.
The Yellow Sea (2010)
Yellow Sea, The © TMDB
Runtime: 2hrs 36m | Buy/Rent on: Apple TV
Starring: Ha Jung-woo, Kim Yun-seok, Cho Seong-ha, Lee Cheol-min, Kwak Do-won, Im Ye-won
Continuing his bleak streak, the director’s man-on-the-run thriller soaks its lead taxi driver, Gu-nam (Ha Jung-woo), in a world of desperation. After his contract kill goes wrong, he faces mobsters wanting to break his legs, and the police wanting to break them too. It’s a brutal take on a man limping his way out of one sticky situation and into another, with many bloodied knives and smashed heads along the way. It’s a sweaty, sweaty film that’ll leave you desperate for a breather by the end of its whacking great 156-minute runtime.
Read Empire‘s review of The Yellow Sea.
The Wailing (2016)
Runtime: 2hrs 36m | Streaming on: Prime Video
Starring: Kwak Do-won, Hwang Jung-min, Chun Woo-hee, Jun Kunimura, Kim Hwan-hee, Heo Jin
Going full-bore into the horror genre, Director Na delivered one of the most downright terrifying films of the 21st century – channelling something primal in the tale of a South Korean village torn apart by supernatural murders, seemingly linked to a local Japanese stranger. It begins as a police procedural of sorts, as local copper Jong-goo (Kwak Do-won) investigates the terrible killings, before the film shifts into all-out waking nightmare mode. Gorgeously shot, incredibly atmospheric, and with a final act that instils terror on a primal level, this 150-minute epic is a legitimate all-timer and yet still, somehow, criminally underseen. Get on it!
Read Empire‘s review of The Wailing.
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All caught up on Na Hong-jin’s oeuvre? Why not see where The Wailing landed on our rundown of the best horror movies of the 21st century? Or check out more world cinema with our ranked list of the 100 best movies ever made? And if you’ve not already clocked it, then Hope is in UK cinemas now. Run, don’t walk to witness the wildness of Director Na’s latest for yourself.
