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American audiences were likely introduced to Korean actor and star Lee Jung-jae through his feature role as Gi-hun, the protagonist in Netflix’s psychological thriller series Squid Game. While he may seem to be an unknown rising star to those who met him as Gi-hun, Koreans and fans of their films know that he’s been an established name for a long time now. Building on Squid Game‘s international success, Lee has scored the lead role in the upcoming Star Wars series The Acolyte.
Those who were enthralled by Lee’s performance in Squid Game and want to dive further into his filmography have a deep collection to browse through. He has garnered 43 credits as an actor on IMDb, with a wide variety of genres including dramas, thrillers, and romances. He even has a new flick, The Hunt, releasing in December 2022 that he directed and produced (per The Guardian). With such a hefty workload under his belt, there’s bound to be some titles that are better than others — and there are plenty of fantastic options. This list will provide some of Jung-jae’s best appearances to help familiarize audiences more with the brilliant actor.
8/8 Deliver Us From Evil (2020)
Released in the United States just prior to the arrival of Squid Game, Deliver Us From Evil was a potential early introduction to Lee for American audiences, setting a tone for him as a powerful thriller character capable of carrying serious narratives and delivering on complex emotions. The film sees Lee starring alongside The Wailing’s Hwang Jung-min, Keys to the Heart’s Park Jung-min, and Australian star of The Time Traveler’s Wife Eric Bana. In this international box office success, Lee plays Ray, the brother of the assassinated organized gang leader, Koraeda, who vows to track down those responsible for his brother’s death. Deliver Us From Evil is a well-paced crime thriller with plenty of action scenes to keep viewers engaged and dedicated to the narrative arc.
7/8 The Thieves (2012)
In The Thieves, Lee joins a star-studded ensemble to deliver South Korea’s love letter to Ocean’s Eleven. Like Ocean’s, the film follows an elite team of thieves, as they team up for a massive heist worthy of the big screen. Lee portrays Popie, the leader of the original gang who convinces his band to join forces with his former boss — played by Kim Yoon-seok — in efforts to lift a multimillion-dollar diamond from a casino in Macau. The Thieves weaves a complex story filled with twists and double-crosses, presenting an excellent peek into some of South Korea’s biggest stars like Kim Hye-soo and Jun Ji-hyun.
6/8 Asako in Ruby Shoes (2000)
One of Lee’s earlier and more underappreciated works, Asako in Ruby Shoes is a poignant romance that follows two young people struggling to find passion in their lives. The actor plays E U-In, a lowly civil servant in Korea who is thoroughly disenchanted with his mundane life and instead seeks pleasure through his porn addiction. One day, he stumbles across an email solicitation that prompts him to craft his ideal woman. Entering the key details of a woman he built an obsession with at his work, U-In finds the cam channel of Asako in Ruby Shoes, a Japanese student named Aya (Tachibana Misato), who is deeply entrenched in her own soul-searching. The story follows their budding international and virtual relationship that speeds towards an in-person meeting.
5/8 Air City (2007)
Those who discovered Lee through Squid Game may be surprised to find out that he’s more of a silver screen actor than a television star. Those looking for the pacing of a series, though, can fill that void with Air City, a hit Korean drama that was filmed almost entirely at Incheon International Airport. The plot follows Lee’s Kim Ji-seong and his work as a national secret agent. His caution and overzealousness entangles him with Han Do-kyung (Choi Ji-woo) who serves as head of operations at the airport, as they uncover malfeasance that takes place at Incheon International including the death of one of Ji-Seong’s colleagues and an international conspiracy.
4/8 Along with the Gods (2017)
A stark difference from Lee’s other filmography that is mostly composed of realistic thrillers, Along with the Gods is currently a two-film fantasy adventure that has two additional sequels planned. The series follows a firefighter — Cha Tae-hyun’s Kim Ja-hong — postmortem, as he navigates the different levels of hell while having his morality scrutinized to see if he is worthy of reincarnation. Lee plays Yeomra, king of the underworld, who is a highly anticipated player in the first film, The Two Worlds, but doesn’t really flesh out his presence until the second part, The Last 49 Days.
3/8 Squid Game (2021)
A Netflix original series, Squid Game will forever be known as one of the most prominent works of art to be released during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a time when studios and producers were trying to steer clear of grim and grisly storylines due to the dark nature of the era, Netflix and Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk zagged as the world zigged. Lee plays Gi-hun, a divorced father with a gambling addiction who struggles to be a present and reliable parent, as he bets his life in a series of lethal challenges for the chance to win an outrageous sum of money. Squid Game succeeded on its ability to keep audiences at the edge of their seats, as it depicts this world’s greed and financial desperation in a morbid and grim sci-fi thriller. The series completely captured the world like few shows have and has unsurprisingly planned for a second season.
2/8 Il Mare (2000)
A fantastical romance adventure, Il Mare follows the growing relationship between Lee’s Sung-hyun and Jun Ji-hyun’s Eun-joo, two tenants at the same house, but who preside over the residence in separate years. The couple communicate through a mailbox that sends their letters through time. Lee gets the opportunity to prove that he can be a heartthrob, as Il Mare is equally delightful as it is devastating. He shows off his acting chops, showing a tangible chemistry with Ji-hyun despite their limited actual shared screen time.
1/8 City of the Rising Sun (1998)
A buddy film that follows the rise and falls of the friendship between failing boxer Do-chul (Jung Woo-sung) and con artist Hong-ki (Lee). The two meet at a debt collection agency after Do-chul finds himself unemployed after a multitude of losses and become fast friends. Hong-ki’s sleazy ways and narcissism create an eventual schism for the pair, though, and the movie portrays both the highs and lows of their friendship. Widely considered Lee’s actual introduction to the mainstream, he won the Korean Association of Film Critics Award and the Blue Dragon Film Awards for Best Actor for his appearance as Hong-ki in City of the Rising Sun.
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