Some of Ma Dong Seok’s best movies include Train to Busan, The Outlaws, The Roundup series, and more. He is known as the action king of South Korea and Don Lee in the West. Having been one of the very few Korean actors to witness a steady Hollywood rise, he joined MCU Eternals as Gilgamesh, solidifying his stance in the American film landscape. However, his astounding portfolio expands further than that.

List of 10 best films starring Korea’s action king Ma Dong Seok

Even before earning global stardom from the superhit film Train to Busan, he consistently worked his way up to one of the top actors in the Korean film industry, otherwise known as the hitmaker. So today, let’s delve deeper into his filmography.

1. Train to Busan

• Cast: Gong Yoo, Choi Woo Shik, Ma Dong Seok
• Director: Yeon Sang Ho
• Runtime: 1 hour 58 minutes
• Release Date: July 1, 2016

Train to Busan is a global box-office hit film on the popular zombie trope. From jump scares to horrendous flesh-eating monsters, this film is a must-watch for horror and occult lovers. 

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The story unfolds a gripping saga of a man named Seok Woo (Played by Gong Yoo), who is traveling with his daughter. When a sudden zombie outbreak occurs, chaos ensues, leading to uncontrollable havoc and passengers trying to survive against all odds. 

Ma Dong Seok embodies the character of Sang Hwa, an ordinary man traveling on the same train with his pregnant wife. His character was presented in somewhat a ‘heroic’ way. From his engrossing zombie fights to a heartbreaking end, the actor meticulously portrayed each emotional transition.

2. The Outlaws

• Cast: Ma Dong Seok, Yoon Kye Sang, Jo Jae Yoon
• Director: Kang Yoon Sang
• Runtime: 2 hours 1 minute
• Release Date: October 3, 2017

An action and comedy-packed blockbuster, The Outlaws depicts the somewhat raw image of Seoul’s underworld, where violence and gang wars go hand in hand. Ma Dong Seok Portrays a no-nonsense police investigator named Ma Seok Do, who is determined to take down the Chinese and Korean gangs ruling the streets of Seoul’s Garibong district.

The actor earned immense recognition for his brilliant portrayal of a strict cop, who occasionally engages in humor, perfectly fitting with the film’s comical and gritting plot.

3. The Roundup

• Cast: Ma Dong Seok, Son Suk Ku, Park Ji Hwan
• Director: Lee Sang Yong
• Runtime: 1 hour 46 minutes
• Release Date: May 18, 2022

The Roundup is a popular film franchise featuring Ma Dong Seok as the lead character. The first film of the anthology is titled The Roundup and narrates the story of a police officer, who travels to Vietnam to find out a murderer suspected in many cases surrounding tourists. In this superhit film, Ma Dong Seok reprises his role from The Outlaws, which serves as a prequel for this film. 

4. The Roundup: No Way Out

• Cast: Ma Dong Seok, Lee Jun Hyuk, Park Ji Hwan
• Director: Lee Sang Yong
• Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes
• Release Date: May 31, 2023

Ma Dong Seok returns as the badass police officer as this sequel’s narrative fast-forwards to seven years after the Vietnam incident. In The Roundup: No Way Out, the actor joins a new detective squad investigating a fresh murder case. Upon digging deeper he finds dirty secrets of a corrupt Korean police element involved with Yakuza (Japanese gangs), synthetic drugs, and violence.

5. The Roundup: Punishment

• Cast: Ma Dong Seok, Kim Mu Yeol, Lee Joo Bin, Lee Dong Hwi
• Director: Lee Sang Yong
• Runtime: 1 hour 49 minutes
• Release Date: April 24, 2024

This is the newest release of this anthology series, where Ma Dong Seok returns again as Ma Seok Do, unveiling the dark secrets of the cybercrime world. While pursuing the developers of a drug trafficking system, he ends up discovering its ties to an online gaming syndicate. To take down this unexpected alliance, he sets on a perilous expedition.

With this latest release, The Roundup series successfully created an action film phenomenon in the South Korean industry, brilliantly encapsulating Ma Dong Seok’s comical yet intimidating persona.

6. The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil 

• Cast: Ma Dong Seok, Kim Mu Yeol, Lee Eun Saem
• Director: Won Tae Lee
• Runtime: 1 hour 50 minutes
• Release Date: May 15, 2019

In this classic Korean action-thriller, Ma Dong Seok first created his tough guy persona. He stars as a mafia boss named Jang Dong Soo, who joins forces with a police officer to take down an infamous serial killer disrupting his affair with his heinous crimes.

7. Badland Hunters

• Cast: Ma Dong Seok, No Jeong Ee
• Director: Heo Myeong Haeng
• Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes
• Release Date: January 26, 2024

Another fresh release from the hitmaker, Badland Hunters portrays a dystopian apocalyptic Seoul city affected by a major earthquake. Ma Dong Seok embodies the character of Nam San, a resilient hunter who tries to rummage through any left resources to save his people.

When a teenager goes missing, the fearless Nam San sets on a dangerous journey to bring her back.

8. Unstoppable

• Cast: Ma Dong Seok, Song Ji Hyo
• Director: Kim Min Ho
• Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes
• Release Date: November 22, 2018

In Unstoppable, Ma Dong Seok transforms into Dong Chul, an erstwhile thug who gets by as a fish market worker. When his wife gets kidnapped in a tragic turn of events, relentless Dong Chul teams up with his best pal and an investigator to save her.

9. The Villagers

• Cast: Ma Dong Seok, Kim Sae Ron, Lee Sang Yeob
• Director: Lim Jin Soon
• Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes
• Release Date: November 7, 2018

This underrated filmography of Ma Dong Seok is a must-watch for his fans. In The Villagers, the actor plays Yeok Gi Cheol, a boxer-turned-teacher. Upon joining a rural school as a PE instructor, he discovers many secrets and mysteries surrounding the locality, while trying to fight political warfare with his righteousness.

10. The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos

• Cast: Ma Dong Seok, Kim Ah Joong, Jang Ki Yong, Kim Hye Yoon
• Director: Son Yongho
• Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes
• Release Date: September 11, 2019

Ma Dong Seok returns to the action-comedy genre with The Bad Guys: Reign of Choas, a loose adaption of the popular Korean series Bad Guys. He stars as a thug serving time in prison. To reduce his sentence, he takes on a rare opportunity to join a special unit, collaborating with the cops in taking down a gang.

As usual, Ma Dong Seok leaves up to his reputation and doesn’t hesitate to deliver outstanding fight sequences.

Some of his other notable movies include Champion (2018), Start-Up (2019), Deep Trap (2015), Ashfall (2019), and more major hits. Though usually known as an action king, Ma Dong Seok expanded his horizon delving into many genres. This beloved Korean actor paved a sturdy way in the industry with little to no contemporaries. Ma Dong Seok’s best movies are still rewatched each passing day and are considered treasures in mainstream Korean cinema.

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