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Kim Jee-woon

Kim Jee-woon

Director, writer and producer · Born July 6, 1964 (62) · 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).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 6, 1964 (62)
From
Seoul, South Korea
Works as
Director, writer and producer
Titles
17 on MovieCove · 29 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 11% in 30 days

What are Kim Jee-woon's films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.

Genres

Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 89th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
24%
Morality
23%
Self
22%
Power
13%
Society
7%
Ideas
6%
Bonds
6%
Trauma3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 3 · Dark 6

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 5

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 10

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 5

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 5

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 6

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 6 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
10
Dread
5
Thrilling
5
Absurd
5
Contemplative
4
Other
10

How their films linger

Thought-provoking9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Kim Jee-woon's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Kim Jee-woon's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

29 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 9 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Cobweb(2023)

    Director · Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Dr. Brain(2021)

    Show 6 episodes · Director · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • Untact (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Director · Writer

  • Live Your Strength (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Director · Writer

  • Illang: The Wolf Brigade(2018)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Age of Shadows(2016)

    Director · Adaptation · Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Ek Villain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Original Story

  • The X (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Director · Screenplay

  • One Perfect Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Director · Writer

  • The Last Stand(2013)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Doomsday Book(2012)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • 60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero(2011)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • I Saw the Devil(2010)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Present (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director

  • The Uninvited(2009)

    Original Story

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • The Good, the Bad, the Weird(2008)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Awarapan(2007)

    Original Story

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • A Bittersweet Life(2005)

    Director · Screenplay · as Lee Byung-hun's Hand Stand-In (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Power of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director

  • A Tale of Two Sisters(2003)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Three(2002)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Memories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director · Writer

  • The Happiness of the Katakuris(2001)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Coming Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director · Writer

  • The Foul King(2000)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Quiet Family(1998)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Drishyam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • In the Net (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Creator

  • The Hole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Producer

Career shape

A full career of 29 titles, 26 of them dated from 1998 to 2023.

Biggest box office

The Age of Shadows (2016)

$54M worldwide

Highest rated

I Saw the Devil (2010)

Midcredits 97th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 29: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting24 of 29: 4 only directing, 20 with another role · typical Midcredits score75thWriting22 of 29: 4 only writing, 18 with another role · typical Midcredits score81stProducing5 of 29: 1 only producing, 4 with another roleOther crew2 of 29: 0 only other crew, 2 with another role

29 titles, 20 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 18 of them.

By decade

1990s1 · crew2000s12 · 1 acting · 12 crew2010s9 · crew2020s4 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Kim Jee-woon's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 80th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 78th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

92ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 17 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 17 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · director

60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero (2011)

90th percentile spread · 35% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer

I Saw the Devil (2010)

Midcredits 97th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 74/100 and the pacing 45/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Kim Jee-woon's work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles70–98 · median 91 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles8–51 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles29–87 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles26–60 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles63–87 · median 77 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Kim Jee-woon work with?

People who share at least 2 of Kim Jee-woon's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Mowg shares the most, 7.

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers