Top 10 Korean Gangster Films

4. Rough Cut (2008)

Jang Hoon's exceptional debut from an incendiary script by his mentor Kim Ki-duk is easily his best.  Rough Cut is a clever and very self-aware breakdown of the genre codes associated with gangster films.  It's not the first film to depict the gang world alongside the film industry, A Dirty Carnival did it two years earlier, but it approaches the concept with the most interesting ideas.  It's a great, energetic, and entertaining film that leaves you with a surprising amount to think about.  While many of the ideas may come from Kim, this is definitely Jang's own film.  It differs from Kim's oeuvre stylistically and is much more palatable to larger audiences.  A really fun ride that is not to be missed.

Intro - 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 - Best of the Rest

Top 10 Lists

Year   2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - All Time (Top 25)

Genre   Gangster - Revenge

Reviews and features on Korean film appear regularly on Modern Korean Cinema.  For film news, external reviews, and box office analysis, take a look at the Korean Box Office Update, Korean Cinema News and the Weekly Korean Reviews, which appear weekly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings (Korean Standard Time).

To keep up with the best in Korean film you can sign up to our RSS Feed, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.