Inspiring, Influential Korean Sports Movies

Sports movies are hard to come by even in movie machine South Korea, and like in other countries the genre usually brings a message of hope, inspiring the audience by featuring ordinary people doing extraordinary feats.

For the last installment of my rather short sports series – my tribute to the recently-concluded Olympic Games, I am bringing you a few Kmovies of the sports genre that I’ve watched over the years. Most on my list became popular during their release and made some impact in society. I also included a couple of related 2016 films that I am curious to see.

When Crooks Take the Spotlight: the Crime/Heist Genre

There’s something about crooks pulling off a perfect crime that is so satisfying to watch. I’ve recently been following the OCN drama 38 Task Force, and it definitely reawakens my fascination with stories where bad guys become heroes.

First, a little intro about 38 Task Force (aka Police Unit 38/ 38 Squad/ 38 Revenue Collection Unit). Seo In-guk plays a con man that teams up with a tax collection chief (Ma Dong-seok) to swindle money out of high-profile tax evaders. He doesn’t do it alone, though. He gathers a team of professional criminals to deceive their way into people’s pockets – one unlucky victim at a time. See, even a boring thing such as taxes can turn sexy when you have a felon onboard.