Country: South Korea

This gentle, emollient romantic drama is further proof of my never-ending mantra that, at their very best, no film-making industry can tap into the softer emotions better than Asian cinema.

‘Illang’ looks fantastic, often thrills, and features some incredible and expertly staged action but suffers from pacing issues and a lukewarm emotional core.

‘Incredible Shaolin Thunderkick’ is ineptitude on an almost apocalyptic level.

The film wears its fun proudly on its sleeve and if you can go along with it, ‘Jeon Woo-Chi’ does provide a lot of action packed, sorcery-laden entertainment.

‘Jung_E’ is some solid grown-up sci-fi that while not always satisfying nevertheless gives one something to chew on in between all the ballistic action.

A cheeky and often funny, if overlong, look at how the need to act tough and prove you can fight never really leaves you, even many years after high school.

Slick, stylish and stuffed with a surfeit of violent fight action, ‘Kill Boksoon’ is a superb tale of stylised action and a protagonist attempting to leave their violent profession behind.

Exceptionally acted, quirky without sacrificing the central poignancy and ultimately very effective, this is Korean cinema at its best.

‘Love Wind, Love Song’ is given extra impetus by the performance of its stars, in particular Ko So-Young who is effortlessly charming as the lovestruck Young-seo.

Thanks to a trio of popular Korean actors, ‘Lovers’ Concerto’ manages to ease along a predictable route without feeling too manipulative.

A flawed thriller it might be, but it still retains an ability to chill that is appreciated though not always present in the genre.

There is so much acclaim to heap on ‘Marathon’ that it is difficult to pin-point just one stand out feature.