Master Rank #235

A Taxi Driver

2017

GCML Total8.9040% Greatness · 40% Engagement · 20% Ease

Directed by Jang Hoon

CastSong Kang-ho · Thomas Kretschmann · Yoo Hae-jin

South KoreaKoreanDrama / History137 minNot Rated
GCML CuratedNarrative FeatureModerate pace
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

A Seoul taxi driver accepts a lucrative fare that carries him into a city under military repression.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Debt-strapped Seoul driver Kim Man-seob accepts German reporter Jürgen Hinzpeter's lucrative request for a round trip to Gwangju, unaware of the military crackdown there. Roadblocks, injured civilians, and local drivers transform the fare into a dangerous obligation.

Why it belongs

A Taxi Driver places an ordinary driver's awakening inside urgent history through road geography, citizen witnesses, news footage, and Song Kang-ho's emotional range.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

The taxi's movement from comic Seoul hustle toward blocked roads, hospitals, and besieged streets gives political discovery physical form; Song Kang-ho's expressive uncertainty keeps courage tied to fear, responsibility, and incomplete knowledge.

Major award wins

No verified wins in this six-institution crosswalk.

Awards are reference metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20

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