GREAT CINEMAMASTER LIST
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The Essential 713, made interactive

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great film.

Search 713 spoiler-free recommendations from 1916 to 2026. Filter by the night you want—not the list you’re supposed to finish.

Direct film viewShowing master rank #372 on its own—not above the ranking.
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Artwork
DirectorAll directors

Most represented · 6+ films

More recurring directors · 3–5 films54
All directors · surname A–Z438
ActorAll actors

Most represented actors

Big Three membership
Major award winners

1 selected film

Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

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View The Wailing film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

Village policeman Jong-goo investigates violent illness as suspicion falls on a Japanese stranger and his own daughter becomes affected.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

In the mountain village of Gokseong, policeman Jong-goo investigates families afflicted by a violent, disorienting illness after a Japanese stranger arrives nearby. Rumor, a mysterious woman, dreams, and changes in Jong-goo's daughter Hyo-jin draw him toward shaman Il-gwang.

Why it belongs

Na Hong-jin makes belief itself terrifying, layering police comedy, rain-soaked procedural detail, shamanic spectacle, and irreconcilable signs.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Mud, rain, photographs, animal remains, mountain roads, ritual percussion, crosscut ceremonies, and Kwak Do-won's increasingly frantic Jong-goo keep evidence plentiful but unstable. Competing explanations acquire equal sensory force.

Major award wins

No verified wins in this six-institution crosswalk.

Awards are reference metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness8.7
Engagement9.2
Ease7.6

Korean · Not Rated
Narrative Feature
Mood: Terrifying & Gripping