So you say you’re on the lookout for dark, brooding, gritty, and intense movies? Turn the lights down low and prepare to enter the film noir universe – Korean style...

K-Noir Movies

Across South Korea, a contract enforcement organization known as Baekjeong gang strikes fear into the heart the underworld, led by the ruthless "Goblin." However, the holder of the Goblin title, Doo Hyun (Jo Dong Hyuk), takes the fall for a crime committed by fellow organization member and close friend Young Min (Lee Wan), resulting in a ten year prison sentence. While Doo Hyun is incarcerated, Young Min assumes the Goblin name and asserts himself as the new leader of the organization. Threatened by Doo Hyun's release from prison, Young Min goes to extreme lengths to maintain his role as the head of Baekjeong gang. Doo Hyun is now faced with a dilemma – reclaim his title as the Goblin, or try to save his friendship with Young Min. This 2022 Korean action movie was directed by Kim Hee Seong.

The Goblin

🔫 No Pain, No Gang 🔫

In the 1970s, Gangnam was nothing more than an underdeveloped piece of land on the southern side of Seoul. Growing up, childhood friends Jong Dae (Lee Min Ho) and Yong Gi (Kim Rae Won) struggled to get by. After local thugs demolish their homes, the pair of money-desperate friends find themselves caught on separate sides of a violent political skirmish. Three years later, Jong Dae lives an honest life while Yong Gi has teamed up with the city’s most powerful criminal organization. Soon engulfed in the brutal fight between Gangnam's political powers and criminal organizations, the friendship of these childhood friends is put to the ultimate test. Yoo Ha directed this 2015 South Korean neo-noir action film.

Gangnam Blues

Desperate for money to pay for his mother's medical bills, unemployed young man Min Je (Kim Mu Yeol) decides to get his apartment deposit money back. Unfortunately, he loses everything to a gangster as a repayment of his debt. The money swiftly changes hands: first to loan shark Baek (Im Won Hee), then to Assemblyman Moon (Jun Kwang Ryul), who maintains ties to organized crime. Tired of having to give up money to Assemblyman Moon, Baek hires Park (Lee Kyung Young) to kill him, and plans to provide Park with a gun he obtained from Detective Choi (Park Hee Soon) while the two were gambling... but the deliveryman accidentally gives the gun to Min Je instead. This sets off a frantic race between seven men to get their hands on the money and the gun, but they each have their own motives. This 2018 Korean movie was directed by Heo Joon Hyung.

Snatch-Up

Fake it 'til you make it

Woojoo Film

Does law and corruption go together? Park Tae Soo (Jo In Sung) comes from a poor background and fought his way through school. But when he learns that the world is ruled by those with power and money, he decides he wants a piece of it.

Tae Soo hits the books and gets into a top university to study law. With sheer determination, he becomes a prosecutor, only to work long hours and feel unappreciated. But that all changes when he is taken under the wings of the powerful Chief Prosecutor Han Kang Shik (Jung Woo Sung), who rules the legal profession, giving Tae Soo a taste of the good life of the wealthy elite.

But when Tae Soo gets sucked into the dark side of dirty politics and the criminal underworld, will he find that life in the fast lane is all that it’s cracked up to be?

“The King” is a 2017 South Korean film directed by Han Jae Rim. Kim So Jin won Best Supporting Actress and Ryu Jun Yeol won Best New Actor at the 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards for their roles in this film.

The King

Marco Han (Kang Tae Ju) is a young Korean-Filipino man who lives in the Philippines, where he looks after his infirm mother – earning a living on the side as an underground boxer. All his life, he has longed to find his father, while trying to raise the money he needs to pay for his mother’s surgery. After a violent encounter with mobsters, Marco ends up in hospital – when a lawyer who says he represents Marco’s father tells him he should travel to South Korea.

Marco agrees and boards a flight – where he meets a strange man who goes by the moniker of Nobleman (Kim Seon Ho). The latter tells Marco that he is his “friend.” This “friend” soon appears to lead Marco into a world of trouble, however. A ruthless band of gangsters begins chasing Marco, and he crosses paths with the wealthy and unscrupulous Han Yi Sa (Kim Kang Woo) and the mysterious Yoon Ju (Go Ara). Are any of these people on Marco’s side – or do they all want to see him dead?

“The Childe” is a 2023 South Korean movie that was directed by Park Hoon Jung.

The Childe

Jung Tae Suk (Kim Mu Yeol) is a police officer who is dispatched to the scene of a bloody murder: After two cars collide, one of the motorists brutally kills the other.

This same killer attempts to strike again when his car hits a vehicle being driven by mob boss Jang Dong Soo (Ma Dong Seok). But the gangster manages to fight back against his attacker, although the fight leaves him badly injured.

Jang Dong Soo assumes the incident was part of a plot to kill him, hatched by a rival gang. He orders his henchmen to mobilize.

But Jung Tae Suk comes up with a surprising and unconventional plan. He shows Jang Dong Soo that a devious serial killer is the real perpetrator – and asks Jang Dong Soo to help him bring the villain to justice.

Jang Dong Soo agrees, but only on the condition that if he catches the killer first, he will be free to administer his own form of justice.

Can this unlikely pair catch the killer in time to make the murders stop?

“The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil” is a 2019 South Korean thriller movie directed by Lee Won Tae.

The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil

The Bad World

In Nam (Hwang Jung Min) is a South Korean hired killer who has decided to turn his back on his deadly profession for good after finishing off a job in Japan, where he was hired to kill a mafia kingpin. He completes the task and believes he can now draw a line under his “old life.” But events far away in Thailand drag him back into the mire, when his former flame Young Joo (Choi Hee Soo) is abducted. When things take a tragic turn, he decides to travel to Thailand to investigate.

But In Nam is unaware that he may be connected to Young Joo’s child Yoo Min (Park So Yi), whose life could now be in danger. He decides to help, but is immediately dragged into a deadly struggle when Ray (Lee Jung Jae), the brother of the mob boss he just killed, travels from South Korea in the bloody pursuit of revenge. Can In Nam keep Yoo Min out of harm’s way? Or will his “old life” catch up with him, no matter what he tries?

“Deliver Us from Evil” is a 2020 South Korean film that was written and directed by Hong Won Chan.

Deliver Us from Evil

🔥 Spare our lives 🎲

Despite being a powerful crime lord, Chairman Oh (Kim Se Joon) has always prioritized civility and respect within his organization. As such, his underlings have always operated under the same code, including his most devoted man, Kim Gil Seok (Yoo Oh Sung). Trusted above all others, it’s Gil Seok who is trusted with the task of overseeing the construction of the organization’s largest resort and casino in Gangneung.

Guaranteed to be a smashing success, the prospect of this new casino draws the attention of a number of rival gangs. All hoping to get their own cut of the profits, other organization leaders try to step in but despite their best efforts, it’s Chairman Oh who ultimately holds the majority share. But Chairman Oh’s position at the top is soon challenged when Lee Min Seok (Jang Hyuk), a former hitman from Seoul sets his sights on the Gangneung casino. Determined to have the casino as his own, Min Seok will let nothing stand between him and his goal. With relentless determination, Min Seok begins a brutal killing spree which successfully eliminates anyone who might have stood in his way. Now holding the second largest number of shares in the casino, Min Seok’s greed refuses to be satisfied with settling for second.

With his eyes fixed on Chairman Oh’s position at the top, Min Seok goes up against Gil Seok and his right-hand man, Kim Hyung Geun (Oh Dae Hwan), starting a bloody war between the two organizations which rocks Gangneung to its core. With Gil Seok’s friend, Detective Cho Bang Hyun (Park Sung Keun) working with him, will they be able to stop Min Seok before he tears the entire city apart?

A brutal tale of brotherhood and blind ambition, “Paid in Blood” is a 2021 South Korean noir action film directed by Yoon Young Bin.

Paid in Blood

Blood Sacrifice

Is it possible to leave the world of crime behind? Na Hyun Jung (Kim Hye Soo) is a former prostitute who worked her way to up the No. 2 position in a powerful crime organization. Im Sang Hoon (Lee Sun Gyun) is Hyun Jung’s loyal strongman who will do any dirty work for her.

Choi Dae Sik (Lee Hee Joon), a tough prosecutor, is tricked into a corner by Hyun Jung and forced to help her grow her crime ring into a powerful business enterprise. When Hyun Jung betrays Sang Hoon, he becomes a pawn for Dae Sik to exact revenge and escape Hyun Jung’s grasp.

 When Hyun Jung’s biggest secret, that she gave birth to a son while serving time in prison, comes to light, she must use all her energy to protect her son from all her enemies. Can she save a son who doesn’t even know she exists while she also desperately tries to figure out an exit strategy from her dangerous life?

“A Special Lady” is a 2017 South Korean film directed by Lee An Gyu.

A Special Lady

Strong Fighters

Every day Hyeong Do (So Ji Sub) gets up, puts on a shirt and tie and heads off to his office, where he is in charge of sales at a metal manufacturing company.

To all onlookers, he looks like the ultimate “company man” – a typical white-collar office worker.

Except for one detail – he, and all of his colleagues, are not office workers at all. They are, in fact, cold-blooded hired killers.

Hyeong Do’s bosses believe he is one of the most meticulous assassins in the “company,” and have earmarked him for promotion.

But, in a twist of fate, his life is turned upside down when he meets a single mother named Mi Yeon (Lee Mi Yeon). She is kind and compassionate and soon melts his cold heart.

He resolves to turn his back on his life of crime, and resign his post at the “company.”

However, he soon discovers that his is not the sort of profession that employees can just walk away from – and his former employees decide to come after him. Can he keep Mi Yeon safe, and escape his past for good?

“A Company Man” is a 2012 South Korean movie directed by Im Sang Yoon.

A Company Man

The White Collar Hitman

Detective Ma Seok Do (Ma Dong Seok) is the no-nonsense deputy head of Geumcheon Police’s Major Crimes Unit. He and the unit’s team leader, Captain Jeon Il Man (Choi Gwi Hwa ) think they have landed a plush assignment that involves traveling to Vietnam to repatriate a South Korean criminal who has been apprehended by the Vietnamese police force. Although this assignment at first looks like child’s play – almost a vacation in disguise – it turns out to be anything but after an expat South Korean named Kang Hae Sang (Son Seok Gu) starts brutally killing holidaymakers.

All of a sudden, South Korean tourists visiting Vietnam are thrown into panic as this seemingly merciless killer begins to strike terror into their hearts. Ma Seok Do and Jeon Il Man decide to track Kang Hae Sang down. But this turns out to be a much harder task than it first seems. Their often-unconventional policing methods are not always welcome in Vietnam, and Kang Hae Sang turns out to be a cunning and formidable opponent. Can they stop the murders – and put the killer behind bars?

“The Roundup” is a 2022 South Korean movie that was directed by Lee Sang Yong.

The Roundup

The Geumcheon Detectives

Doh Il Chul (Park Jung Min) is the son of a famous gambler, and a young student preparing to take the civil service entrance exam.
However, he also lives a double life, as a successful poker player in an underground casino.

Life takes an unexpected turn when he meets an attractive woman called Madonna (Choi Yu Hwa). He develops a crush on her but discovers that she owes a debt to a rich man.

Doh Il Chul later meets this man and challenges him to a game of poker – hoping to win Madonna’s heart in the process. Unfortunately, he loses spectacularly, and ends up knee-deep in debt, with loan sharks closing in.

In steps One Eyed Jack (Ryu Seung Bum), a former associate of Doh Il Chul’s father.

He agrees to pay off the loan sharks on one condition: Doh Il Chul must join a gang of elite gamblers in an audacious bid to plot to steal a small fortune from a wealthy business magnate.

Will One Eyed Jack’s plan prove to be a success, or will the gamblers’ plans come to naught?

“Tazza: One Eyed Jack” is a 2019 South Korean movie, based on a comic strip illustrated by Huh Young Man and written by Kim Se Young, and directed by Kwon Oh Kwang.

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