Choi Min-shik is set to take center stage at the 27th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN). The festival’s choice to highlight Choi, calling him “the face of Korean cinema”, comes as no surprise. A highly reliable performer thanks to his exceptional ability to breathe life into the most complex characters, Choi has not only played an essential part in the early days of the new wave of Korean cinema, propelled it to new heights, he also helped put Korea on the map of international movie fans. His casting in Roaring Currents (2014) as Korean history’s most celebrated hero, Admiral Yi Sun-shin, therefore appeared like an obvious choice given his stature. The fact that this movie has remained undefeated at the top of the all-time box office for the past decade or so, having drawn in 17.5 million people, speaks volumes about his stature as well. Although his career spanning 34 years is no short of highlights, we managed to keep this week’s picks down to seven titles that best represent one of Korea's most esteemed actors and that will be screened at the BIFAN, which will run from June 29th to July 9th. 

 ​Our Twisted Hero

The Birth of a Legend: Our Twisted Hero (1992) 

With over 30 acting awards to his name, Choi has firmly established himself as one of the most highly regarded Korean actors. He didn’t have to wait long to receive his first accolade, however. Choi Min-sik's journey in the world of cinema began in Kuro Arirang (1989) and later reunited with director Park Jong-won for his third movie role in the 1992 school drama Our Twisted Hero. Based on a novel by Lee Mun-yeol, this film revolves around a middle school fighting against bullying amidst a feud between gangs. Choi’s role as the head teacher who tries to help the kid, earned him Best Supporting Actor at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival.

 ​Swiri

The first Korean blockbuster villain: Swiri (1999) 

Korea's first big-budget blockbuster inspired by both Hollywood and Hong Kong was an unprecedent success for a Korean film - more than 6 million admissions while Titanic (1997) ended short of 5 million - that served as a proof-of-concept that the whole industry would try to replicate in the coming decade. While lead actor Han Suk-kyu was already well-known at the time, it catapulted that of the two other main actors, Song Kang-ho and Choi. The latter’s turn as the commander of a North Korean sleeper cell planning to set off bombs across Seoul surprised many with its depth, winning him several awards, and set the tone for what would come next.

 ​Happy End

A honest portrayal of toxic masculinity: Happy End (1999) 

The other film Choi filmed in 1999 couldn’t have painted him in a more different light. In this drama from Jung Ji-woo, Choi plays a man who, having lost his job, grows frustrated with his careerist wife and mother of their sole child becoming the breadwinner, and he even suspects her of having an affair. While controversial at home for its sexually explicit scenes, this is the film that first brought Choi (and his co-star Jeon Do-yeon) to Cannes, and it added a couple more awards to his name. 

 ​Failan

Between crime and melodrama: Failan (2001) 

Choi’s return to the big screen two years later was another highly regarded performance. One could easily believe this role was written specifically for the actor given the acting range needed to pull it off, if the script wasn’t based on a novel, Jiro Asada’s Love Letter. An old gangster who agrees to a marriage of convenience with a Chinese woman (Hong Kong star Cecilia Cheung) seeking a better life in Korea in exchange for money finds out much later about her circumstances through her letters and realizes that she developed feelings for him. Some of the scenes remain to this among the most melancholic in Korean films.  

 ​Old Boy

The original vengeance thriller: Old Boy (2003) 

Long holding the status of most well-known Korean title among movie buffs around the world until one Parasite took that crown, Old Boy, without taking anything away from his director Park Chan-wook, seems like it would have been a totally different film, and would have experienced a totally different fate, were it not for Choi. His portrayal of a man seeking vengeance against the mysterious individual who got him locked up in a private jail for 15 years helped define a whole new film sub-genre, the “vengeance thriller”, that is responsible for the still ongoing popularity of the Korean thrillers in general in film festivals and film clubs all around the world. With this film, Choi won his place in the Pantheon of world cinema.

 ​I Saw the Devil

To the bitter end: I Saw the Devil (2010) 

Whereas Old Boy set the tone for Korean vengeance thrillers, I Saw the Devil was its final form, the one film that reached the limits of what can be shown in a regular theatrical release. A serial killer is tracked down by the husband of his latest victim in some sort of gruesome, depraved game of cat and mouse, while leaving countless bodies - or parts of them – behind him. Few actors would have had a strong enough backbone to portray such a repugnant character and keep their career unaffected, but by then Choi had nothing to lose and so delivered one of the most chilling performances in Korean cinema.

 ​Nameless Gangster: Rules Of The Time

Choi Min-sik in a nutshell: Nameless Gangster: Rules Of The Time (2012) 

A corrupt customs officer makes his move to play in the big league when he discovers a cache of crystal meth and forms a bond with his buyer, a gangster who happens to be a relative. In this riveting tale of intrigues and betrayals set (mainly) in the underworlds of the 1980s’ Busan, Choi seems right at home in this character who is goofy at times and intimidating at others. In a way, this is the perfect encapsulation of the actor’s career, showing all at once the many personas he has developed over his career.