11. Streaming (dir. Jo Jang-ho)
Another feature this year that takes a modern online tech trope and weaves a story around it, director Jo Jang-ho's debut “Streaming” follows Kang Ha-neul as Woo-sang, an extremely popular live streamer with the most number of subscribers on the platform he uses, who talks about profiling crime cases. His decision to live broadcast his search for clues in an unsolved serial killer case puts him right in harm's way. Anticipation is high for Kang Ha-neul's return to the thriller genre, where he was last seen back in 2017 in the well-received “Forgotten”.
12. Ghost (dir. Lee Hae-young)
“Believer” director Lee Hae-young returns this year with a Japanese Occupation era set spy thriller “Ghost” and a star-cast led by Sol Kyung-gu, and Lee Hanee and including Park So-dam, Kim Dong-hee, Seo Hyun-woo and Park Hae-soo. The story follows 5 suspected anti-Japanese spies, known simply as “Ghost”, who are entrapped in a string operation and imprisoned in a remote hotel, overseen by Japanese forces. Each of the five must prove that they are not a Ghost spy and struggle to escape the prison hotel.
13. Holy Night: Demon Hunters (dir. Lim Dae-hee)
An action horror starring Ma Dong-seok as a literal demon hunter?!? Sign me right up! “Holy Night: Demon Hunter” has a fun premise, which sees the Holy Night, a team that fights against groups that worship demons. The fact that it features Ma as a character called Bau whose special ability is his powerful physical strength can only mean one thing: Don Lee and his badass one-punch knockouts are back! After flirting with international fame in Marvel's “Eternals”, it is good to see him return to home ground doing what he does best. SNSD star Seohyun also features in an important role.
14. Silence (dir. Kim Tae-gon)
An accident on a bridge one foggy night unleashes an unknown beast in “Silence”, starring Lee Sun-kyun and Ju Ji-hoon. In addition to it being Ju Ji-hoon's return after the promising year he had in 2018, “Silence” comes from good pedigree, having been co-written by “Along with the Gods” director Kim Yong-hwa and Kim Tae-gon, whose previous writing credits include indie comedy “The King of Jokgu”.
15. Remember (dir. Lee Il-hyeong)
The fact that “Remember” stars Lee Sung-min (which should be reason enough) only plays second fiddle to the main reason for the excitement for this production: its intriguing premise. Lee stars as a retired soldier in his 80s with dementia who, before memory completely escapes him, decides to take revenge on the men responsible for killing his family back during the Japanese occupation. With 5 names tattooed on the fingers and pieces of his collapsing memories, Pil-joo goes on a mission to track down his targets and kill them one by one. Nam Joo-hyuk plays an innocent young man who gets caught up in the plan and accompanies the old man, ultimately ending up as the prime suspect in the murder of the victims. Lee can always be relied upon to give an intense performance and this premise has the potential to evoke fireworks from the actor!
16. The Owl (dir. Ahn Tae-jin)
High-profile actors in a debutant director's films always fill me with promise, because it usually means that the content of the script is likely to be solid. Ahn Tae-jin has managed to reteam Choi Min-sik and Ryu Jun-yeol (last seen together in “Heart Blackened”) for his debut, historical thriller “The Owl”, as well as supporting actor extraordinaire Yoo Hae-jin. The story revolves around mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Crown prince So-hyeon. Choi stars as King Injo, So-hyeon's father and Ryu as an acupuncturist who learns of Injo's dark secret. After playing a character who is close to a Joseon king a couple times in the past, it should be good to see the legendary actor finally play a Joseon king himself for the first time in his vast big-screen career.
17. A Man of Reason (dir. Jung Woo-sung)
Another film that seems to have been in production for ages that is likely to see release this year is “A Man of Reason”, which sees superstar Jung Woo-sung also step behind the camera for his first feature film. Jung's feature is a gangster saga, which sees him play a gangster released from prison after serving 10 years for his boss, only to find that he has a daughter with his abandoned girlfriend, a daughter that soon gets put in harm's way when a killer, hired by the gangster's boss, kidnaps her. Kinda sweet that both best friends, Jung Woo-sung and Lee Jung-jae, are set to debut as directors this year, isn't it? #friendshipgoals
18. Wonderland (dir. Kim Tae-yong)
In addition to Park Chan-wook's “Decision to Leave”, actress Tang Wei will also rue seen in Korean cinema this year in husband Kim Tae-yong's new film “Wonderland”, a sci-fi drama about a virtual land called Wonderland, where people can reunite with a person they may not meet again by simulating them through A.I. (hello, Black Mirror). Here, a woman in her 20s requests to meet his lover who is in a coma, and a man in his 40s requests to meet his wife who passed away. Tang Wei, however, is not the only big name on the cast list. On the contrary, the project also boasts of having Bae Suzy, Choi Woo-sik, Jung Yu-mi and Park Bo-gum at its disposal, with Gong Yoo also making a cameo appearance. It should also be noted that this is Kim Tae-yong's return in 9 years! The feature, while still in early stages of production, was snapped up by Netflix for exclusive worldwide distribution.
19. Seoul Vibe (dir. Moon Hyun-sung)
“As One” director Moon Hyun-sung returns to the near past of Korea for Netflix's “Seoul Vibe”, which is set around the 1988 Seoul Olympics and which sees a group of baby drivers chase after illegal funds being transported around the city in the chaos surrounding the Olympics. Netflix's current go-to Korean actor Yoo Ah-in leads the way, alongside other young actors Go Kyung-pyo, Lee Kyu-hyung, Park Ju-hyun and Ong Seong-wu. Kim Sung-hyun, Jung Woong-in and the inimitable Moon So-ri also join the gang. Expect a slick, fast-paced actioner with lots of retro late-80s fashion and haircuts.
20. Smugglers (dir. Ryoo Seung-wan)
Action blockbuster supremo Ryoo Seung-wan's name is not one you usually attach to directors who fast-track their productions. He likes to take his time with his films, specially since they involve large-scale productions and expensive, expansive set pieces. Yet, it seems that only a year since the release of his last film, the much applauded and lauded “Escape from Mogadishu”, he is ready with his new film “Smugglers”. Ryoo is a guy whose films are sometimes labelled as too macho, with female characters and actresses serving a secondary, almost throwaway part. That changes with “Smugglers”, a 70s era crime film about a couple of women who are involved in a smuggling operation in a small peaceful village by the sea. Headlining the production is Kim Hye-soo and Yum Jung-ah, whereas Ryoo's actor on “Escape to Mogadishu”, Jo In-sung, also joins up with Park Jung-min.
