Movies Like Painted Fire (2002)

Painted Fire is a 2002 drama, history film from Im Kwon-taek with a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Caravaggio's Shadow and Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon.

Drama History

Caravaggio's Shadow

2022

The Catholic Church secretly investigates Caravaggio as the Pope weighs whether to grant him clemency for killing a rival.

6.4

MagicScore

Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon

1998

In the 1960s, British painter Francis Bacon surprises a burglar and invites him to share his bed. The burglar, a working class man named George Dyer, accepts. After the unique beginning to their love affair, the well-connected and volatile artist assimilates Dyer into his circle of eccentric friends, as Dyer's struggle with addiction strains their bond.

6.0

MagicScore

Andrei Rublev

1966

An expansive Russian drama, this film focuses on the life of revered religious icon painter Andrei Rublev. Drifting from place to place in a tumultuous era, the peace-seeking monk eventually gains a reputation for his art. But after Rublev witnesses a brutal battle and unintentionally becomes involved, he takes a vow of silence and spends time away from his work. As he begins to ease his troubled soul, he takes steps towards becoming a painter once again.

8.0

MagicScore

Lust for Life

1956

An intense and imaginative artist, revered Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh possesses undeniable talent, but he is plagued by mental problems and frustrations with failure. Supported by his brother, Theo, the tormented Van Gogh eventually leaves Holland for France, where he meets volatile fellow painter Paul Gauguin and struggles to find greater inspiration.

7.2

MagicScore

The Agony and the Ecstasy

1965

During the Italian Renaissance, Pope Julius II contracts the influential artist Michelangelo to sculpt 40 statues for his tomb. When the pope changes his mind and asks the sculptor to paint a mural in the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo doubts his painting skills and abandons the project. Divine inspiration returns Michelangelo to the mural, but his artistic vision clashes with the pope's demanding personality and threatens the success of the historic painting.

7.1

MagicScore

The Lovers of Montparnasse

1958

Biographic film chronicling the last year of the life of the Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani, 1919, who falls in love with a girl from a wealthy family. Her parents are against this relationship and stop financial help. Modigliani worked and died in abject poverty in the Montparnasse Quarter of Paris, France.

6.8

MagicScore

Pollock

2000

In August of 1949, Life Magazine ran a banner headline that begged the question: "Jackson Pollock: Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?" The film is a look back into the life of an extraordinary man, a man who has fittingly been called "an artist dedicated to concealment, a celebrity who nobody knew." As he struggled with self-doubt, engaging in a lonely tug-of-war between needing to express himself and wanting to shut the world out, Pollock began a downward spiral.

6.7

MagicScore

Caravaggio

1986

A retelling of the life of the celebrated 17th-century Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio through his brilliant, nearly blasphemous paintings and his flirtations with the underworld.

6.1

MagicScore

Moulin Rouge

1952

In 1890 Paris, Moulin Rouge is a nightclub where crippled artist Toulouse-Lautrec feels like he fits in. In the following years, he meets two women who provide an opportunity for him to find true love.

6.6

MagicScore

#10

Mrs Lowry & Son

2019

An intimate portrayal of the relationship between one of greatest artists of the 20th century, L.S. Lowry and his unhappy and controlling mother, Elizabeth, whom he lived with all his life.

6.4

MagicScore

#11

Age of Consent

1969

An elderly artist thinks he has become too stale and is past his prime. His friend (and agent) persuades him to go to an offshore island to try once more. On the island he re-discovers his muse in the form of a young girl.

5.9

MagicScore

#12

Klimt

2006

A portrait of Austrian artist Gustav Klimt whose lavish, sexual paintings came to symbolize the art nouveau style of the late 19th and early 20th century.

5.1

MagicScore

#13

Lautrec

1998

The life of Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, famous french painter, who lived, enjoyed, loved in the late 1800s Paris' Montmartre cultural life. He suffered from suffered from congenital health conditions traditionally attributed to inbreeding. His lifestyle and work are a testimony of the late-19th-century parisian bohemian lifestyle, as he was commissioned to produce a series of posters for the Moulin Rouge cabaret opening. As an alcoholic, he was addicted to absinthe. The movie related his love affair with the french painter Suzanne Valadon.

4.9

MagicScore

#14

Great Expectations

1998

Loosely based on the Charles Dickens' classic novel, "Great Expectations" is a sensual tale of a young man's unforgettable passage into manhood, and the three individuals who will undeniably change his life forever. Through the surprising interactions of these vivid characters, "Great Expectations" takes a unique and contemporary look at life's great coincidences.

6.6

MagicScore

#15

Loving Vincent

2017

A young man arrives at the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh to deliver the troubled artist's final letter and ends up investigating his final days there.

8.0

MagicScore

#16

Charlotte

2022

The true story of Charlotte Salomon, a young German-Jewish painter who comes of age in Berlin on the eve of the Second World War. Fiercely imaginative and deeply gifted, she dreams of becoming an artist. Her first love applauds her talent, which emboldens her resolve. When anti-Semitic policies inspire violent mobs, she escapes to the safety of the South of France. There she begins to paint again, and finds new love. But her work is interrupted, this time by a family tragedy that reveals an even darker secret. Believing that only an extraordinary act will save her, she embarks on the monumental adventure of painting her life story.

6.3

MagicScore

#17

Pavarotti

2019

Featuring never-before-seen footage, concert performances and intimate interviews, filmmaker Ron Howard examines the life and career of famed opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti.

7.2

MagicScore

#18

Sanju

2018

Sanju explores some of the most crucial chapters from movie star Sanjay Dutt’s dramatic and controversial real life. It gives a lowdown on his tryst with drugs and his trials and tribulations in the Arms Acts case and the 1993 Mumbai blasts.

7.2

MagicScore

#19

The Danish Girl

2015

When Gerda Wegener asks her husband Einar to fill in as a portrait model, Einar discovers the person she's meant to be and begins living her life as Lili Elbe. Having realized her true self and with Gerda's love and support, Lili embarks on a groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.

7.6

MagicScore

#20

Four Nights of a Dreamer

1972

Jacques, a young man with artistic aspirations, spends four nights wandering Paris with a young woman, whom he rescued from suicide.

7.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Painted Fire?

The top films similar to Painted Fire by MovieMagicScore are Caravaggio's Shadow (6.4), Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (6.0), Andrei Rublev (8.0). Each shares drama/history themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Painted Fire worth watching?

Painted Fire holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10 from 62 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Painted Fire?

Painted Fire (2002) is a drama, history film directed by Im Kwon-taek, starring Choi Min-sik, Kim Yeo-jin, Ahn Sung-ki.

Where can I find more recommendations like Painted Fire?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Caravaggio's Shadow Movies like Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon Movies like Andrei Rublev Movies like Lust for Life Movies like The Agony and the Ecstasy Movies like The Lovers of Montparnasse

About movies like Painted Fire

This ranked list pairs Painted Fire (2002), a drama and history film from Im Kwon-taek, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Choi Min-sik take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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