Top 10 Korean Gangster Films

3. Breathless (2008)

Yang Ik-joon, a veteran actor, wrote, directed, and starred in Breathless, his stunning debut.  He is no stranger to the studio system but his film was made outside of the scope of the industry.  It is extremely raw, gritty, dirty, dark, and immensely compelling.  Gangsters are so often stylized that it's hard to imagine what they might really be like.  It feels real, it is gangster cinema vérité with breathtaking performances from Yang and Kim Kkobbi.  It is a rough ride and the unsparring violence is made all the more harrowing because of the unstylized and grainy mise-en-scene but do not let this be a deterrent.  Breathless is a stark but surprisingly beautiful film that is well worth the effort, you'll be glad you gave it a chance.


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

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