The 10 Best Lee Byung-hun Movies, According to Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

South Korean cinema has many talented actors, but they rarely become famous outside the peninsula. As K-dramas and movies become more popular, there's one face everyone recognizes — Lee Byung-hun. Lee is one of the rare actors whose career is as steady in their home country as it is outside of it, although he's pretty much iconic in South Korea.

Besides being a heartthrob, Lee is an action hero and a great character actor. He became famous in Hollywood for his action roles; most audiences recognize him from RED, the Antoine Fuqua remake of The Magnificent Seven, and 2015's Terminator Genisys. Now that he's a household name, be sure to check out some of his highest-rated movies, according to the critics of Rotten Tomatoes.

10 'Ashfall' (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 73%

When Ashfall came out in 2019, it was advertised as "the biggest Korean disaster blockbuster." It has everything — gripping action sequences, tense and thrilling moments, and a stellar cast. Lee Byung-hun teams up with another action hero, Ha Jung-woo, as they go on a mission to prevent a disaster volcano from destroying almost half of the Korean peninsula.

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Lee is expectedly great, delivering charm and faultless action-hero skills. His chemistry with Ha Jung-woo works; although they're both leading men material, they go exceptionally well together. For fans of Hollywood blockbusters, Ashfall is a pretty great addition to the collection.

9 'Memories of the Sword' (2015)

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 75%

Memories of the Sword is one of many South Korean medieval-themed stories, but it stands out for numerous reasons. The cinematography is exceptional, several action scenes seem to honor Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with greatly choreographed martial arts and sword fights, and the cast was perfectly selected.

Lee Byung-hun carries the film as the ambitious Deok-ki, while Kim Go-eun plays Seol-hee. The plot is nothing short of Shakespearean - Deok-ki plots to riot against the king with two friends but ends up betraying them, resulting in one dying and leaving behind a daughter, Seol-hee. As she grows up, her only motive becomes revenge. Lovers of historical dramas and Lee Byung-hun have much to rejoice in with Memories of the Sword.

8 'Master' (2016)

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 80%

Considered one of the best South Korean heist films, Master sees Lee as another villainous figure. This is a thrilling action drama about the Seoul crime unit chasing an international con man known as President Jin. Meanwhile, a heist is planned on the down low, so numerous plots convolute into one, making things more exciting and thrilling.

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People praised Master for its cast (it also stars Kim Woo-bin, one of Korea's biggest action heroes), although Lee Byung-hun's performance is an obvious scene stealer. This is one of the movies that show why Lee is so popular and beloved around the world — even when portraying a bad guy, he's charming and convincing; viewers should hate him, but can't help loving him.

7 'The Good, the Bad, the Weird' (2008)

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 81%

Ever thought you wanted to see a South Korean Western? The Good, the Bad, the Weird is an action comedy Western starring Lee Byung-hun as The Bad, Jung Woo-sung as The Good, and Song Kang-ho as The Weird. This fantastic badass trio leads the story set in 1930s Manchuria.

The Good is a bounty hunter, while The Bad and The Weird are outlaws. All three men chase after a treasure map, while they're being chased by the Japanese and Chinese forces. The combination of action, comedy, and tension makes this feature film an excellent viewing experience, and a much more fitting Western for Lee than The Magnificent Seven.

6 'I Saw the Devil' (2010)

Rotten Tomatoes: 81%

Perhaps the most famous Lee Byung-hun feature film, I Saw the Devil was one of the first movies that got wider audiences into South Korean thriller/horror. Choi Min-sik stars opposite him as Kyung-chul, a ruthless serial killer. Soo-hyun's (Lee) fiancée is found dead, but nothing is simple about her death. She was left in a horrific state, a method attributed to a serial killer on the prowl.

Soo-hyun, a detective by day, decides to hunt down Kyung-chul and exact a not-so-heroic kind of revenge. Soo-hyun becomes a monster himself, doing to Kyung-chul everything he did to his victims. I Saw the Devil is a horror masterclass and a revenge movie for the strong-hearted.

5 'The Man Standing Next' (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 84%

The type of movies Lee fits into really well are period pieces. The Man Standing Next is a spy thriller based on the same name book, and Lee Byung-hun plays the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) during the 1970s. This exciting movie was praised for its historical accuracy and the ability to show many viewpoints of major South Korean events.

As Kim Gyu-pyeong (Lee) reaches the top of KCIA, he's forced to fight the powers that be — one of them including South Korean President Park Chung-hee. In a fantastic combination of real-life footage and drama, the focus remains on Lee Byung-hun's nuanced and poised performance.

4 'Three... Extremes' (2005)

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 86%

Three... Extremes is a joint venture by directors Fruit Chan, Park Chan-wook, and Takashi Miike. They joined forces and created three different horror stories released as an anthology movie. All three stories introduce forms of psychological horror while playing with the idea of body horror and gore. The segments are called "Dumpling," "Cut," and "Box."

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Lee stars in the segment "Cut" directed by Park Chan-wook. He plays a renowned director who gets captured with his wife by a movie extra. As the man puts the pair in constraints, he forces them to perform according to his instructions. "Cut" questions the limitations of pain and manipulation, leaving more to think about. Lee delivers a frighteningly tight performance.

3 'Joint Security Area' (2000)

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 88%

Joint Security Area, often known as JSA, is one of Park Chan-wook's best (and earliest) feature films. It takes place at the DMZ on the North-South Korean border, following the incident that left two North Korean soldiers dead. Song Kang-ho and Lee Byung-hun act together in this superbly made story of military, politics, and humanity.

The story really follows Major Sophie E. Jean (Lee Yeong-ae) who was sent to investigate the incident at the DMZ. The inconsistencies in the case and witness statements force the Major to rethink the events; the remaining soldiers (played by Lee and Song) explain the story, which ends up being a tragic ending of a somewhat wonderful friendship.

2 'Masquerade' (2012)

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%

In another medieval story, Lee Byung-hun doubles down, literally, by playing two characters — the king and his double. Masquerade is about King Gwanghae, who, in fear for his life, hires a body double to rule instead of him when the time comes. When the king becomes ill from a mysterious poison, the body double, Ha-soon, is set to lead the country.

Lee Byung-hun plays both Gwanghae and Ha-soon with fantastic nuance; Gwanghae is tyrannical and paranoid, while Ha-soon is mild-mannered. This movie seems to have been loosely based on Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha, which was based on a real-life story of Shingen Takeda and his body double during feudal wars in Japan.

1 'A Bittersweet Life' (2005)

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%

A Bittersweet Life is a modern cult classic on a level with Oldboy. After Oldboy was made, many filmmakers tried to do the same thing, but it could never be fully replicated. A Bittersweet Life doesn't try to replicate or imitate, but it nevertheless provides the same, hopeless feelings as the end credits roll.

Lee plays Sun-woo, a big mobster's right-hand man who operates from his bar La Dolce Vita. One day, Sun-woo is given a mission he refuses to fulfill, and troubles ensue. The action sequences are packed with bloodshed and reminiscent of Scarface. Lee's portrayal of a man on the brink of turning his life around is subdued, with most of the acting coming from his facial expressions, giving a masterclass in subtle acting.

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