5 Bong Joon-ho Favorite Movies to Watch Before Mickey 17 Hits the Screens

The Korean director, most known for the movie Parasite, is a cinephile to the core. Although Bong Joon-ho grew up in South Korea, he has never focused only on the cinema of his home country.

In numerous interviews, when talking about his favorite films, the director often recalls movies from different countries.

1. Zodiac, 2007

In 1969, after the murder of a young couple on the outskirts of Vallejo, mysterious letters and cryptograms from Zodiac began to arrive at newspapers and police stations.

The plot focuses on three main characters: Robert, a cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle; Paul, a journalist for the same publication; and Dave, a San Francisco police detective.

Despite the fact that David Fincher's Zodiac was released four years after Memories of Murder and Bong Joon-ho was certainly not inspired by it, the Korean director still considers the thriller to be one of the greatest films of all time.

2. Fanny and Alexander, 1982

The story takes place at the beginning of the 20th century in a small Swedish town where the wealthy Ekdahl family lives. The father, Oscar, runs the family theater. The atmosphere in the house is full of warmth and love of life.

But everything changes when Oscar dies of a stroke. Soon Fanny and Alexander's mother, Emilie, marries Bishop Edvard. The priest turns out to be a harsh, cruel man who imposes strict rules on the house. The children's lives become hell.

Bong Joon-ho noted that Ingmar Bergman's work is the most beautiful end to a career in the history of cinema.

3. Cure, 1997

The plot revolves around a series of mysterious murders in Tokyo. Despite the lack of any obvious connection between the crimes, all the victims were killed in the same way – cuts were found on their bodies that formed the letter X.

The criminals are ordinary people who seem to have committed the crimes unconsciously. Experienced detective Takabe takes over the investigation. The case leads him to a young man named Mamiya. Mamiya suffers from memory loss and seems to have a strange influence on people – he knows how to make them commit violence.

According to the Korean director, Cure is the movie that had the greatest influence on his career. It was Kiyoshi Kurosawa's film that inspired the director to make Memories of Murder.

4. Hereditary, 2018

Annie, her husband Steve, son Peter and daughter Charlie are trying to cope with the death of their grandmother Ellen. But the troubles don't end there: Charlie is killed in a car accident.

In an attempt to cope with another loss, the mother begins attending a support group, where she meets a woman who claims there is a way to contact the dead. Annie participates in a séance and discovers that the afterlife is real.

Hereditary is a psychological horror and the debut of Ari Aster, which took place in 2018. But the Korean author had already managed to recognize the talent of the young director, and also appreciated his subsequent films.

5. Raging Bull, 1980

Jake LaMotta, nicknamed Raging Bull, is a talented but troubled boxer. Uncontrollable aggression and a fiery temper make him invincible in the ring, but these same traits complicate his personal life.

Jake has his sights set on the championship title and is willing to do whatever it takes to get there. But his jealousy and mistrust slowly destroy his relationships with loved ones, especially his brother Joey and his wife Vickie. After a dizzying rise, LaMotta's career begins to decline.

According to Bong Joon-ho, Raging Bull is one of Scorsese's three masterpieces, along with After Hours and Goodfellas.