Dev Patel says watch more Korean action movies — here are 5 bangers
The hot ticket for fans of cinematic thrills this April is Monkey Man, the first directorial effort from acclaimed actor Dev Patel. The marketing for the film promises exquisitely captured and well-crafted beatdowns in service of an emotionally relatable tale of avenging familial loss. Its other selling point has been the novelty of seeing Patel, an actor who has never been viewed as an “action star” by the public at large despite being an accomplished taekwondo practitioner, stepping into that role on screen for the first time.
In the lead-up to the film’s release, a clip from a PR event at the SXSW festival involving Patel went viral on social media. There, the interviewer asked him how he felt about Monkey Man being referred to as “the South Asian John Wick.” Patel, while being extremely complimentary of the Wick series and the creatives behind it, was quick to downplay that comparison and point out that a bigger source of inspiration for his film was the genre cinema of South Korea. He not only stated that those films “changed [his] life” but was cheerfully emphatic that “you’ve got to watch some Korean movies!”
To help with that, here is a list of five South Korean action films available to stream, rental-free, that pair perfectly with Monkey Man. If you’re looking for something else to watch this spring, this collection of films will get you ready for a trip to the theater and help you keep the vibe going after you’ve checked out Patel’s hard-hitting action debut!
Where to watch: Peacock, Hi-Yah!, Viki, free with a library card on Kanopy, and free with ads on FreeVee, Pluto TV, and Plex
Where to begin exploring another country’s film scene can be a daunting question. A good starting point should be one that gives a general idea of what to expect when watching those particular films. With that thought in mind, an excellent jumping-on point for South Korean action films is 2019’s The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil. There are undoubtedly more critically acclaimed
Read more on polygon.com
