Kim Jee-woon

Directing

Kim Jee-woon

Born 1964-07-06 · Seoul, South Korea

Kim Jee-woon (Korean: 김지운; born July 6, 1964) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a theater actor and director before debuting with his self-written and directed film, The Quiet Family in 1998. Kim has worked with increasing levels of success in cinema, showing accomplished acting and a detailed stylization in his films. He is currently one of the most recognized screenwriters/directors in the Korean film industry. His films A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) and A Bittersweet Life (2005) were both critical and commercial successes. He is also known for the films The Foul King (2000), The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008) and I Saw the Devil (2010).

Acting credits

A Bittersweet Life poster
7.4

Kim Sun-woo is an enforcer and manager for a hotel owned by a cold, calculative crime boss, Kang who assigns Sun-woo to a simple errand while he is away on a business trip; to shadow his young mistress, Hee-soo, for fear that she may be cheating on him with a younger man with the mandate that he must kill them both if he discovers their affair.

A Bittersweet Life

2005

In the Mood for Melville poster
4.5

Various directors and film critics discuss Jean-Pierre Melville’s importance and influence in the world of cinema.

In the Mood for Melville

2017

Ari Ari the Korean Cinema poster
5.5

Director Chung Ji-Young criticizes the thought that older directors have difficulties in making certain movies. Actress Yoon Jin-Seo agonizes over her identity as an actress. In 2009, before the movie "Unbowed" was made, they met and planned a documentary about Korean movies, including the processes a Korean movie goes through and difficulites. "Ari Ari the Korean Cinema" is a documentary with interviews of Korean directors, actors and actresses.

Ari Ari the Korean Cinema

2012

Behind the Camera poster
5.5

An odd director leaves for Hollywood to shoot a film via Skype and cellphones. 14 actors and actresses are devastated after being dumped by the director. Now, the 14 actors and actress prepare for the counterattack.

Behind the Camera

2013

Bolero: A Global Hit poster
NR

Bolero is played every 15 minutes in the world. This film tries to answer how this famous melody inspired and influenced the world pop-culture? It explores the complexity and the richness of a piece so simple in appearance: the emotions it triggers, vertigo it creates, the words it inspires.

Bolero: A Global Hit

2019

Two Or Three Things I Know About Kim Ki-young poster
NR

A documentary consisting of twenty-two Korean directors' interviews about Kim Ki-young and respect for his work and the influence

Two Or Three Things I Know About Kim Ki-young

2007

Boléro, le refrain du monde poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Boléro, le refrain du monde

2019

A Tale of Two Sisters: 'Making Of' poster
6.0

A behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Kim Jee-woon's 2003 psychological horror film 'A Tale of Two Sisters.'

A Tale of Two Sisters: 'Making Of'

2005

Behind the camera

I Saw the Devil poster
7.8

Kyung-chul is a dangerous psychopath who kills for pleasure. Soo-hyeon, a top-secret agent, decides to track down the murderer himself. He promises himself that he will do everything in his power to take vengeance against the killer, even if it means that he must become a monster himself.

I Saw the Devil

2010

I Saw the Devil poster
7.8

Kyung-chul is a dangerous psychopath who kills for pleasure. Soo-hyeon, a top-secret agent, decides to track down the murderer himself. He promises himself that he will do everything in his power to take vengeance against the killer, even if it means that he must become a monster himself.

I Saw the Devil

2010

The Last Stand poster
6.1

Ray Owens is sheriff of the quiet US border town of Sommerton Junction after leaving the LAPD following a bungled operation. Following his escape from the FBI, a notorious drug baron, his gang, and a hostage are heading toward Sommerton Junction where the police are preparing to make a last stand to intercept them before they cross the border. Owens is reluctant to become involved but ultimately joins in with the law enforcement efforts.

The Last Stand

2013

A Tale of Two Sisters poster
7.1

Two sisters return home after a stay in a mental institution, only to face disturbing events and a strained relationship with their stepmother. As eerie occurrences unfold, dark family secrets begin to surface, blurring the line between reality and nightmare.

A Tale of Two Sisters

2003

A Tale of Two Sisters poster
7.1

Two sisters return home after a stay in a mental institution, only to face disturbing events and a strained relationship with their stepmother. As eerie occurrences unfold, dark family secrets begin to surface, blurring the line between reality and nightmare.

A Tale of Two Sisters

2003

Illang: The Wolf Brigade poster
6.3

In 2029, an elite police squad combats an anti-reunification terrorist group while another enemy lurks nearby.

Illang: The Wolf Brigade

2018

Illang: The Wolf Brigade poster
6.3

In 2029, an elite police squad combats an anti-reunification terrorist group while another enemy lurks nearby.

Illang: The Wolf Brigade

2018

A Bittersweet Life poster
7.4

Kim Sun-woo is an enforcer and manager for a hotel owned by a cold, calculative crime boss, Kang who assigns Sun-woo to a simple errand while he is away on a business trip; to shadow his young mistress, Hee-soo, for fear that she may be cheating on him with a younger man with the mandate that he must kill them both if he discovers their affair.

A Bittersweet Life

2005

A Bittersweet Life poster
7.4

Kim Sun-woo is an enforcer and manager for a hotel owned by a cold, calculative crime boss, Kang who assigns Sun-woo to a simple errand while he is away on a business trip; to shadow his young mistress, Hee-soo, for fear that she may be cheating on him with a younger man with the mandate that he must kill them both if he discovers their affair.

A Bittersweet Life

2005

The Good, the Bad, the Weird poster
7.2

The story of three Korean outlaws in 1930s Manchuria and their dealings with the Japanese army and Chinese and Russian bandits. The Good (a bounty hunter), the Bad (a hitman), and the Weird (a thief) battle the army and the bandits in a race to use a treasure map to uncover the riches of legend.

The Good, the Bad, the Weird

2008

The Good, the Bad, the Weird poster
7.2

The story of three Korean outlaws in 1930s Manchuria and their dealings with the Japanese army and Chinese and Russian bandits. The Good (a bounty hunter), the Bad (a hitman), and the Weird (a thief) battle the army and the bandits in a race to use a treasure map to uncover the riches of legend.

The Good, the Bad, the Weird

2008

The Good, the Bad, the Weird poster
7.2

The story of three Korean outlaws in 1930s Manchuria and their dealings with the Japanese army and Chinese and Russian bandits. The Good (a bounty hunter), the Bad (a hitman), and the Weird (a thief) battle the army and the bandits in a race to use a treasure map to uncover the riches of legend.

The Good, the Bad, the Weird

2008

Cobweb poster
6.5

In the 1970s, Director Kim is obsessed by the desire to re-shoot the ending of his completed film Cobweb, but chaos and turmoil grip the set with interference from the censorship authorities, and the complaints of actors and producers who can't understand the re-written ending. Will Kim be able to find a way through this chaos to fulfill his artistic ambitions and complete his masterpiece?

Cobweb

2023

The Age of Shadows poster
7.2

Set in the late 1920s, The Age of Shadows follows the cat-and-mouse game that unfolds between a group of resistance fighters trying to bring in explosives from Shanghai to destroy key Japanese facilities in Seoul, and Japanese agents trying to stop them.

The Age of Shadows

2016

The Age of Shadows poster
7.2

Set in the late 1920s, The Age of Shadows follows the cat-and-mouse game that unfolds between a group of resistance fighters trying to bring in explosives from Shanghai to destroy key Japanese facilities in Seoul, and Japanese agents trying to stop them.

The Age of Shadows

2016

Coming Out poster
5.9

A young woman asks her brother to videotape her confession. The brother thinks this is all a joke and unnecessarily ridiculous. The woman nevertheless insists on proceeding on telling on tape what she's been hiding to her family including her brother all along. She is coming out.

Coming Out

2001

Coming Out poster
5.9

A young woman asks her brother to videotape her confession. The brother thinks this is all a joke and unnecessarily ridiculous. The woman nevertheless insists on proceeding on telling on tape what she's been hiding to her family including her brother all along. She is coming out.

Coming Out

2001

60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero poster
4.2

An anthology of one-minute films created by 51 international filmmakers on the theme of the death of cinema. Intended as an ode to 35mm, the film was screened one time only on a purpose-built 20x12 meter public cinema screen in the Port of Tallinn, Estonia, on 22 December 2011. A special projector was constructed for the event which allowed the actual filmstrip to be burnt at the same time as the film was shown.

60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero

2011

Doomsday Book poster
6.2

In 'A Brave New World', a virus brings the city to ruins and zombies flood the streets of Seoul. In 'The Heavenly Creature', a robot reaches enlightenment while working at a temple, but its creators deem this phenomenon a threat to mankind. In the final segment, 'Happy Birthday', a young girl logs onto a strange website and places an order for a new billiard ball for her father. Soon afterwards a meteor heads toward Earth and people flee to underground bomb shelters.

Doomsday Book

2012

Doomsday Book poster
6.2

In 'A Brave New World', a virus brings the city to ruins and zombies flood the streets of Seoul. In 'The Heavenly Creature', a robot reaches enlightenment while working at a temple, but its creators deem this phenomenon a threat to mankind. In the final segment, 'Happy Birthday', a young girl logs onto a strange website and places an order for a new billiard ball for her father. Soon afterwards a meteor heads toward Earth and people flee to underground bomb shelters.

Doomsday Book

2012

Three poster
6.0

An anthology consisting of three horror shorts from different Asian directors: Memories by Kim Jee-woon, The Wheel by Nonzee Nimibutr, and Going Home by Peter Chan.

Three

2002

Three poster
6.0

An anthology consisting of three horror shorts from different Asian directors: Memories by Kim Jee-woon, The Wheel by Nonzee Nimibutr, and Going Home by Peter Chan.

Three

2002

The Quiet Family poster
7.0

A family decides to buy a lodge in a remote hiking area. Their first customer commits suicide and the distraught family buries his body to avoid the bad publicity. But their luck gets worse, the bodies start piling up, and the family becomes frantic to rectify the situation.

The Quiet Family

1998

The Quiet Family poster
7.0

A family decides to buy a lodge in a remote hiking area. Their first customer commits suicide and the distraught family buries his body to avoid the bad publicity. But their luck gets worse, the bodies start piling up, and the family becomes frantic to rectify the situation.

The Quiet Family

1998