Korean cinema is known for its mastery of genre, fluidly blending thriller, drama, and dark comedy with social critique. The post-1990s renaissance brought bold storytelling and masterful craft to the world stage, addressing class, identity, and modern anxieties with cinematic flair.

The kung fu subgenre features the practice and mastery of Chinese martial arts. In Chinese, "kung fu" refers to any skill acquired through practice. Born as a backlash against the supernatural tropes of wuxia, the kung fu subgenre depicts realistic, unarmed fight choreography, highlighting the skill, speed, and agility of the martial artists involved, as well as the discipline, patience and strength required to become a master.

The martial arts subgenre features martial arts techniques, choreography, and combat as central elements of the story. These stories often revolve around skilled martial artists who use their expertise to navigate challenges, seek revenge, protect others, or engage in epic battles.

The wuxia subgenre features the adventures of chivalrous heroes in ancient China who possess extraordinary martial arts skills, sometimes bordering on the supernatural. Wuxia heroes strive to redress wrongs, fight for righteousness, remove oppressors, and bring retribution for past misdeeds. These stories depict highly stylized action sequences, characterized by gravity-defying stunts, intricate choreography, and the use of various weapons.

The action genre features fast-paced, thrilling, and intense sequences of physical feats, combat, and excitement. The characters of these stories are involved in daring and often dangerous situations, requiring them to rely on their physical prowess, skills, and quick thinking to overcome challenges and adversaries.

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

A sacred statue is stolen from the Shaolin Buddist Temple after a vicious Warlord assassinates the Abbott of Shaolin. A group of Shaolin nuns and village girls assemble to bring the Warlord to justice.

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Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

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