MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for City of the Rising Sun

City of the Rising Sun

1999 · 108 min

A slow, somber character study of friendship and struggle, with a gritty realism that lingers.

Directed by
Kim Sung-soo
Genres
Drama, Crime
Starring
Jung Woo-sung, Lee Jung-jae, Lee Beom-soo
Tagline
The last one is going in style!
Overview
Do-chul is a boxer who never wins a game. While trying to make some money, he gets involved with Hong-ki, a small-time crook. They somehow make friends and hang around together, but their views toward life and the world are almost opposite.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Kim Sung-soo
Genres
Drama, Crime
Starring
Jung Woo-sung, Lee Jung-jae, Lee Beom-soo
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 1 of 3
  • tensestrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • friendship
  • class
  • survival
  • betrayal
  • redemption
Places
  • big city
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • serialised
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror0
Humour3
Realism8
Romance2
Tension5
Darkness6
Complexity5
Emotional weight7

More like this

Titles like City of the Rising Sun

TV series

Bloodhounds

2023–2026

A punchy, high-stakes ride with brutal fights and a warm bromance at its core, keeping you tense and invested.

Earnest · about friendship and survival

Via
  • earnest
  • friendship
  • survival
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Seasons
2
Details
BloodhoundsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Kids Return

1996

A quiet, bittersweet drift through wasted potential, with sudden violence and deadpan humour under a melancholic surface.

Melancholic · about friendship and betrayal

Via
  • melancholic
  • friendship
  • betrayal
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
107 min
Details
Kids ReturnHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

Tomorrow's Joe

1970–1981

A gritty, slow-burning underdog saga that immerses you in the hardscrabble world of boxing, with raw emotion and tough fights.

Melancholic, earnest · about friendship and class

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • friendship
  • class
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Seasons
2
Details
Tomorrow's JoeHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Once Upon a Time in America

1984

A sweeping, mournful epic that drifts through memory and time, heavy with regret and lost friendship, demanding patience but rewarding it with haunting images.

Melancholic, earnest · about friendship and betrayal

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • friendship
  • betrayal
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
139 min
Details
Once Upon a Time in AmericaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Bet on Fire

1988

A somber, heartfelt drama about two women clinging to each other through hardship, with moments of tension and tenderness.

Melancholic, earnest · about friendship and class

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • friendship
  • class
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
95 min
Details
Bet on FireHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Wilderness: Part 1

2017

A slow, heavy character study that immerses you in bruised lives and quiet desperation, with boxing as a raw outlet for pain.

Melancholic, earnest · about friendship and survival

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • friendship
  • survival
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
157 min
Details
Wilderness: Part 1Hidden from your suggestions.
TV series

A mano limpia

2010–2013

A heartfelt telenovela about second chances, with romantic sparks and boxing-ring grit in a close-knit barrio.

Earnest · about class and survival

Via
  • earnest
  • class
  • survival
Pacing
measured
Attention
easy-watch
Seasons
1
Details
A mano limpiaHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

Splitting

2023

A quiet, observant short that turns a simple take-out order into a tense, revealing look at friendship and money.

Melancholic, earnest · about friendship and class

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • friendship
  • class
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
12 min
Details
SplittingHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Umit Street

1966

A earnest, slow-burning drama about friendship and poverty, with a tense undercurrent as two men chase money and risk losing themselves.

Melancholic, earnest · about friendship and class

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • friendship
  • class
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Details
Umit StreetHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Friend

2001

A slow, aching look back at boyhood bonds that curdle into loyalty, violence and regret, leaving a heavy sadness long after.

Melancholic, earnest · about friendship and betrayal

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • friendship
  • betrayal
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
118 min
Details
FriendHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Summer Will Come

2025

A somber, slow-burning character study of precarious friendship, where every kindness feels like it might carry a hidden cost.

Melancholic · about friendship and class

Via
  • melancholic
  • friendship
  • class
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
90 min
Details
Summer Will ComeHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

La Belle Équipe

1936

A bittersweet, human story of friendship tested by sudden fortune, with moments of warmth and tension.

Melancholic, earnest · about friendship and class

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • friendship
  • class
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
101 min
Details
La Belle ÉquipeHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, crime
Directed by
Kim Sung-soo
Written by
Sim San, Kim Sung-soo
Starring
Jung Woo-sung, Lee Jung-jae, Lee Beom-soo, Han Go-eun, Park Ji-hoon, Lee Ki-yeol, Han Bok-hui, Park Sung-woong
Music
Park Young
Cinematography
Kim Hyung-koo
Runtime
108 min
Country
South Korea
Languages
Korean

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata