Ok, LADIES!! Simmer down now, simmer down. Relax, he’s not going anywhere. Neither is this blog post. Now, I know most of you are here because of the salesman’s impeccable performance in Squid Game, and you’re ready to go on a hunt and binge some of his other performances. I don’t blame you. That was me back in 2014 after watching his movie Silenced. Man, was I in love with that character he played, Kang In-Ho. He was such a kind, gentle, patient man who went out of his way to fight for those kids. Gong Yoo played it so well, it felt like that was a part of him. Plus, he kind of reminded me of someone I was talking to at the time…but that’s a story for another day. Anyways, I had to find out who this beautiful man was, so I searched up the cast of the movie and found him. GONG YOO! I didn’t stop there. I went and scoured up and down, and all around his entire filmography…and I wasn’t disappointed. Since then, I’ve been following his career/watching from his earliest projects to his latest. Which makes me the perfect candidate to put you on to some of Gong Yoo’s hidden gems. So let’s get into it. Here are some Gong Yoo movies you’ve probably never seen but absolutely need to.
A lot of Gong Yoos earlier works are in the genre of comedy and he’s actually really good at it.. like you’ll genuinely be laughing. If you've seen Goblin, you already know what I mean. That same humor shines through in
Spy Girl
A 2004 movie about a girl working fast who catches the eye of Go Bong (Gong Yoo), and turns out to be a North Korean spy there on a mission. It’s more on the crude side, but will make you giggle nonetheless.
The next two on the list are action films, when it comes to Gong yoo I don’t think his action films get talked about enough. I’m guessing it’s because most of his fan base, love him for his charismatic and charming roles like the good ol coffee prince or the trunk, heck he's even charismatic and charming in squid game. They wouldn’t expect to see him being charismatic in an action film… But he’s actually still pretty charismatic in his action genres. It’s the thing I love about Gong yoo action films, there’s always some heart felt message or something that’ll pull on your heart strings. They’re not your typical action movie. His action movies are always moving and makes you think.
The Suspect
The Suspect follows a North Korean defector framed for a crime he didn’t commit. While on the run, he fights to prove his innocence and in the midst of this he’s uncovering shocking truths about his family.
Here gong yoo plays Ki Heon a former Korean intelligent agent that’s the best at what he does. He gets called back in to successfully transport one of Korea's top secret experiments; a cloned human who’s makeups can cure so many diseases. It’s an action scifi movie. But touches the heart.
Kim Ji-young: Born 1982
Is it even a gong yoo movie if it doesn’t make you cry? I think I’ve cried to at least 80% of Gong yoo’s movie. And this was no exception. In this movie gong yoo plays the husband (Dae Hyun) to Ji Young her gave up her job, her passion after she became a mother and essentially loses herself causing her to have a mental break down.
A Man and a Woman
Oh and another tear jerker .. or maybe I was just the only person who cried to this. A Man and a Woman, a man and a woman meet in Finland, and they coincidentally? meet again in their homeland of Korea and fall for each other. There’s just one thing… they are both married with kids. This movie depicts the complexity of love.
So there you have it, girlies! A quick rundown on Gong Yoo's hidden gems to binge after being blown away by Squid Game. Each of these works illustrates why he’s such a beloved actor in South Korea and beyond. Trust me, once you start watching these films and series, you’ll be an even bigger fan!
