Na Hong Jin movies that deserve a spot on your watchlist: The Wailing, The Yellow Sea and more

Check out these Na Hong Jin movies including The Wailing, The Yellow Sea, and more to delve into an unforgettable cinematic experience.

Updated on May 24, 2024  |  08:29 PM IST |  145.1K
The Wailing, The Yellow Sea, The Medium; Image Courtesy:  20th Century Fox, Showbox
The Wailing, The Yellow Sea, The Medium; Image Courtesy: 20th Century Fox, Showbox

Na Hong Jin is one of the most commendable figures in the world of films, cinematic beauty, direction, and overall the art of movies. Na Hong Jin rose to unprecedented acclaim and popularity through his directorial debut The Chaser which was a big critical and commercial sensation. The lens that works in his films is a thing that no viewer should miss out on. Here is a compressive list of Na Hong Jin’s movies.

Na Hong Jin is a highly accoladed film director, producer, and screenwriter who has mesmerized audiences with his way of depicting stories and characters. His way of direction has been commended as unique and gripping where his characters go beyond the veil and form connections in a mental sense. 

Na Hong Jin has won a Jury Prize at the 11th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, a Grand Prize otherwise also known as Daesang at the 44th Baeksang Arts Awards, and Best Director at the 15th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival among his many other accolades. 

Na Hong Jin movies that you need to watch ASAP

1. The Wailing 

  • Cast: Kwak Do Won, Hwang Jung Min, Chun Woo Hee, Jun Kunimura
  • Runtime: 156 minutes
  • Release Date: May 12, 2016
  • Where to watch: Prime Video
  • Genre: Horror

The Wailing is hands down one of the best horror movies ever created and the movie’s reception stands tall as proof of what has been said. The Wailing is a gripping tale that forces you to question everything life, death, and folk tales, real and false, even what you see and what is reality. 

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The Wailing is not only a directorial masterpiece by one of the greatest minds in the film industry, Na Hong Jin but it is also written by him. The Wailing is a riveting tale set in the village of Gokseong, a small village in the mountains of South Korea which is suddenly ailed by a mysterious disease that makes people go mad. The madness is so dangerous that at the last stage, the affected person goes into a zombie-like state and kills everyone in their family. 

The Wailing moves as a call for help by a father who tries to do everything in his control to save his daughter who also gets the same mysterious disease. An unknown Japanese man and a mysterious young woman make the plot even more interesting with their hidden realities.
The Wailing is a great critical and commercial success. The movie and Na Hong Jin were commended for depicting the unpredictability of evil and in a way was able to conjure it through the film. 

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2. The Yellow Sea

  • Cast: Ha Jung Woo, Kim Yoon Seok, Jo Sung Ha
  • Runtime: 140 minutes
  • Release Date: December 22, 2010
  • Genre: Action Thriller

The Yellow Sea is one of the most unique films in the collection of Na Hong Jin best movies. Taking a turn from horror, which seems to be one of the best genres undertaken and triumphed by the exceptional filmmaker, The Yellow Sea is an action thriller. 

The Yellow Sea takes the viewers on an exceptional ride filled with gruesome action and unique killing techniques that blow minds. The plot tells the story of a debt-ridden Gu Nam who is given the offer to kill some professor in South Korea but the plan goes awry when someone else kills the victim and frames Gu Nam. What folds hereafter is a story filled with his run to learn the truth and save himself while finding his wife.

3. The Medium

  • Cast: Narilya Gulmongkolpech, Sawanee Utoomma, Sirani Yankittikan, Yasaka Chaisorn
  • Runtime: 130 minutes
  • Release Date: July 14, 2021
  • Where To Watch: Prime Video
  • Genre: Supernatural folk horror mockumentary
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The Medium is a movie written and produced by Na Hong Jin, one of his Thai collaborations. The Medium was directed by Thai director Banjong Pisanthanakun. The movie became a commercial and critical success with many praising its style of depicting Thai folklore and a horror tale in the form of a documentary or footage that was found. 

The Medium tells the tale of a shaman, Nim in Isan, Thailand who believes she is the medium for the goddess of the place named Bu Yan. While her sister Noi’s family who refused to be the vessel to the goddess is suffering from evil. Her daughter is possessed by a dangerous evil spirit that endangers faith and human lives. 


4. The Chaser

  • Cast: Kim Yoon Seok, Ha Jung Woo
  • Runtime: 124 minutes
  • Release Date: February 14, 2008
  • Genre: Action Thriller

The Chaser was the directorial debut of Na Hong Jin and earned him great recognition. The Chaser is another exciting and thrilling action movie by Na Hong Jin where a corrupt officer turned criminal gets himself cornered by a serial killer. 

The movie becomes a cat-and-mouse game between the ex-cop and the serial killer. The movie has the potential to make you cry at the inability to save someone and even make you smile when you see a person who lost his humanity and became a criminal, becoming a better man in the end. 

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Upcoming movie by Na Hong Jin: Hope

Na Hong Jin movies will soon have a new exciting addition to them, Hope which is set to release in 2024. Hope is a mystery thriller movie starring Jung Ho Yeon and Hwang Jung Min. A mysterious existence ails a village and endangers it. The village will get destroyed if it is not caught and controlled. It will be a tale of survival against something supernatural. 

Meanwhile, get caught up with Na Hong Jin movies and dive into his cinematic masterpieces to experience them firsthand. Indulge in a film venture that hypnotizes you and leaves you with thoughts to ponder over. 

ALSO READ: 7 must-watch movies by legendary director Lee Chang Dong: Burning, Oasis, Green Fish and more

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About The Author

Tanya, on this side of the screen, probably with a Bangtan Bomb and my K-pop playlist on the play.

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Credits: 20th Century Fox, Showbox
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