After binge-watching 남편들 on Netflix, it reminds me how much I love Korean buddy comedies where there is a large mixture of totally diverse people put in the same space and let to wreak havoc. The combination of Jin Sun-kyu’s Hwang Choong-sik and Gong Myung’s Lee Min-seok getting themselves into more and more absurd scenarios gives the film a perfect blend of explosive action, touching family scenes, and funny comedy that appears quite effortless. If you ended up loving the movie and hoping to get to know these adorable mess-makers even better, these Korean movies like Husbands in Action, are definitely worth watching.
What makes this movie fun to watch isn’t only the action scenes and crime underworld story plot. It is the chemistry between the characters. It is fun to see how Choong-sik and Min-seok gradually transform from two competitors into two reliable teammates who suddenly get another madman into their game – Do-jun. Their relations are so natural and unpredictable that watching the most surrealistic moments becomes really engaging.
Fortunately, the Korean industry is providing us with a great variety of such funny buddy comedy films. From mismatched detectives to accidental heroes and undercover agents, whose actions only seem to get things messier before making things right, all these are infused with the same manic quality and are movies similar to Husbands in Action because of their entertainment value. Therefore, for those interested in more friendship and action-filled adventures, here are some of my recommendations.
Best Buddy Comedy Korean Movies Like Husbands in Action
Midnight Runners
If there is a movie that exudes the same sense of not knowing how something is going to work out but going for it anyway as Husbands in Action, then it is definitely the movie called Midnight Runners. Starring Park Seo-jun and Kang Ha-neul as police academy trainees named Ki-joon and Hee-yeol, respectively, the movie tells us about two best friends who get involved in the kidnapping scandal without waiting for the officials to solve it for them.
Similar to Choong-sik and Min-seok, the appeal of Midnight Runners comes from the relationship between its main characters. Park Seo-joon and Kang Ha-neul work together with such ease that their onscreen chemistry is evident even in a simple conversation. Their action scenes are exciting, the jokes are well-delivered, and there’s an unexpectedly sincere story behind all the madness about friendship and loyalty. If you enjoyed the fathers in Husbands in Action trying to cope with absurd challenges side by side, then you’ll definitely love this one.
Mission: Possible
Not all buddy comedies are created equal; some just seem to have everything go wrong no matter what. Such is the case with Mission: Possible, which stars Kim Young-kwang and Lee Sun-bin as an amateur private eye caught up in a botched mission involving guns and gangsters.
The tension that exists between the two leads always reminds me of the kind of confusion and chaos that was evident in Husbands in Action after the two characters, Choong-sik and Min-seok. It is clear that neither of the two is well-prepared for what he/she is doing but, at the same time, keeps moving on. They have a lot of misunderstandings that make them very funny, and at the same time, the action in the movie is never slow.
Extreme Job
It is impossible to discuss Korean action comedies without mentioning Extreme Job. The main cast members include Ryu Seung-ryong, Lee Hanee, Jin Seon-kyu, Lee Dong-hwi, and Gong Myung. The story centres around an underperforming narcotics squad who go undercover as a group of people running a fried chicken shop, as they try to investigate a criminal syndicate.
Why is it that Extreme Job is such an ideal recommendation for lovers of Husbands in Action? This is because of the teamwork dynamics. Just like Choong-sik, Min-seok and Do-jun add their own individuality into the mix, so does each member of the covert team. Extreme Job is built on the foundation of teamwork, confusion and mayhem while providing some truly thrilling action scenes. There is no doubt as to why it ended up being such a popular comedy film in the history of Korean cinema.
Hitman: Agent Jun
The funniest protagonist is often the one who wants to live a normal life but cannot be given the chance. This is precisely the case with Kwon Sang-woo’s Jun from the movie ‘Hitman: Agent Jun’. A retired and elite secret agent gives up on his life-threatening career to be a comic strip artist. But now, he is back in the dangerous world that he escaped from.
Both movies have an uncanny number of similarities; both deal with mundane family life mixed up with criminal madness, and both contain characters that continually end up in messes beyond their reach. The timing of Kwon Sang-woo is impeccable, and this film does not take itself too seriously. Just like watching Choong-sik struggle with being a dad, a lover, and dealing with gangsters, the sight of Jun managing his family duties and avoiding ridiculous dangers is highly amusing.
Confidential Assignment
Hyun Bin and Yoo Hae-jin star in this most enjoyable buddy-action movie that is considered one of the funniest to be produced in Korea till today. The movie is about two detectives, who are a highly skilled detective from North Korea and a hyperactive detective from South Korea, who have been brought together to apprehend a dangerous criminal.
Those who appreciate the developing chemistry between Choong-sik and Min-seok will definitely love it here. While the professional and responsible Hyun Bin plays an inspector, the humorous and unpredictable Yoo Hae-jin plays a detective. In this way, an amusing odd couple is created. Everything is stylish, there is no forced humour, and mutual respect developing among the two characters is based on the same thing that makes Husbands in Action so entertaining – emotions. Once more, this movie proves that sometimes the best action comedy can be based on making two absolutely incompatible people do their job together.
Which one of these dysfunctional duos would you like better? Or do you have any other Korean action-comedy films to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below!
