Bong Joon-Ho has been leaving audiences in a state of shock for almost two decades now. And with the Best Director and Best Picture Academy Award win for Parasite under his belt, film buffs are rightfully delving into the director's filmography. But as original as his movies are, Joon-Ho still has a long list of influences.
According to Collider, Sight & Sound asked for the director's list of personal favorites when they were doing a poll among people who worked in the industry. As his movies are mostly crime thrillers, the director's list of favorites is fairly typical, consisting of some of the best Hollywood crime movies and crime classics from overseas.
The Housemaid (1960) - 7.3
For the token movie from Joon-Ho's native country, The Housemaid is an obvious pick, as was named the greatest Korean movie ever made by the Korean Film Archive. Being the first of Joon-Ho's favorite, The Housemaid is an expectedly grotesque thriller about revenge.
There was a remake that came 50 years later, and surprisingly enough, it's almost as great as the original. The movie is great to watch for fans of Parasite, as not only is it a suspenseful thriller, but it also delves into the Korean servant class, just like Joon-Ho's instant classic.
Cure (1997) - 7.4
Cure is the first of many murder mystery movies on the director's list of favorites. And it's no wonder that he loves the genre, as he's made several of his own, all of which tend to be the best examples of the genre. The movie follows the investigation of a string of murders, and all the victims have Xs carved into their necks.
But it isn't as simple as finding out who the killer is, as he can be found sitting next to the victims every time, only he has no memory of what happened. Along with Ring and The Grudge, Cure is an early example of the new wave of Japanese Horror.
Zodiac (2007) - 7.7
It's no surprise that Zodiac is one of Joon-Ho's favorite movies, as the director has made a couple of murder mystery movies of his own. But though the South Korean filmmaker's movies like Mother and Memories of Murder are two of the best and most overlooked thrillers of recent years, neither of them are like Zodiac.
The 2007 David Fincher film never actually uncovers who the real Zodiac killer is, though there are plenty of different suspects that the audiences believe did it. It makes the real-life story of the serial killer that much more haunting. On top of that, it has a typically dark but visually stunning Fincher tone and being that it's a cartoonist who is all but leading the investigation, it makes for a unique thriller.
Vengeance Is Mine (1979) - 7.8
It isn't that Vengeance Is Mine is underrated, as it has a very respectable score on IMDb, but it is severely overlooked. Very few people have seen the 1979 Japanese classic, but it's perfectly suited for any fan of Joon-Ho.
Not only did the crime movie have a big impact on the director, but it uses non-linear storytelling in a way that was so ahead of its time and wouldn't be popularized in Hollywood until 15 years later with Pulp Fiction. The movie is another unbelievably well-crafted thriller that only the likes of David Fincher and Joon-Ho can compete with.
A City Of Sadness (1989) - 7.9
A City of Sadness is completely unique in Joon-Ho's list of favorites, as it's the only one that doesn't depict crime in some sort of glamorized or stylish manner. Instead, the film is a historical drama, and there isn't a more appropriate title for a movie.
The 1989 film was the first to ever depict the grueling actions of the Kuomintang government, as they shot thousands of Taiwanese people in the late 1940s. The movie isn't for the faint of heart, but it's an important movie about a piece of history that is rarely ever talked about in the western world.
Touch Of Evil (1958) - 8.0
Touch of Evil features a great early narrative of dirty cops, as it follows one officer investigate the planting of a car bomb, while another is planting evidence to frame an innocent man. The movie also leaves a lasting memory on aspiring filmmakers, as it has one of the most heralded opening sequences in cinema, a four-minute tracking shot that goes over rooftops.
It isn't clear which version of the film Joon-Ho prefers. The 1958 movie was restored and edited in 1997, which was based on an almost 60-page memo written by Orson Welles about his real vision for the film. Either way, both versions are incredible, and it's one of the best Orson Welles movies.
Fargo (1996) - 8.1
The iconic Fargo is one of the best mystery movies available on Hulu and is yet another murder mystery on Joon-Ho's list. The movie has clearly had an impact on the South Korean's filmmaking style.
The Coen brothers flick has some of the most inventive but gruesome scenes in the genre, such as disposing of a dead body using a woodchipper. It also features dry humor amidst the violence too. Given the amalgam of the sense of humor and the inventive gore, it would hardly be surprising if Fargo had a major influence on how Parasite turned out.
The Wages Of Fear (1953) - 8.1
Something that Bong Joon-Ho does so well is to have audiences hold their breath in fear for as long as they can. Whether it's the intensity of characters fighting their way through a seemingly neverending train or a family mercilessly killing another family, viewers could easily break a sweat watching his movies.
It all derives from The Wages of Fear, the oldest of Joon-Ho's favorites movies, as it was released almost 70 years ago. The movie follows a group of truck drivers who take their trucks, which are loaded with nitroglycerine, over bumpy dirt tracks. The trucks could explode at any minute and the drivers struggle for their lives.
Raging Bull (1980) - 8.2
Almost every filmmaker working today has at least one Martin Scorsese movie on their list. Whether it's Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, or Mean Streets, Scorsese's alluring camera movements and portrayals of hopeless gangsters are irresistible.
In fact, Raging Bull is one of David O'Russell's favorite movies, and it's one of Joon-Ho's too. Given how the Parasite director takes so much pride in visuals, as he even makes the ugliest and most depraved situations look beautiful, that can only be owed to the boxing movie. The point-of-view camera during the actual boxing and the black-and-white cinematography were boundary-pushing at the time and they still are today.
Psycho (1960) - 8.5
Alfred Hitchcock was the pioneer of so many filmmaking techniques, whether it was achieving the unimaginable with a film camera or essentially building the thriller genre from the ground up. Joon-Ho hasn't made a straight-up horror movie yet, so it comes as a slight surprise that his favorite of Hitchcock's many movies is the psychological horror Psycho.
There are many other movies from the iconic director that more align with Joon-Ho's filmography. But there are lessons every filmmaker can take away from Pyscho, such as the famous shower scene, which was highly influential in terms of editing.