
Seo Tae-yoon, a detective from Seoul with more scientific training in crime scene analysis, volunteers to assist them.

Park's partner Cho beats confessions out of Baek. He questions a scarred mentally handicapped boy, Baek Kwang-ho, because he used to follow one of the victims around town. Park claims he has a way of determining suspects by eye contact. Local detective Park Doo-man, not having dealt with such a serious case before, is overwhelmed-evidence is improperly collected, the police's investigative methods are suspicious, and their forensic technology is near non-existent.

In October 1986, two women are found raped and murdered on the outskirts of a small town. It received numerous awards and nominations, and is widely considered one of the best East Asian films ever made. The film received critical acclaim, with praise for its screenplay, Bong's direction, the performances of its cast (particularly Song's), tone, and editing. Memories of Murder was first theatrically released in South Korea on May 2, 2003, by CJ Entertainment. Principal photography took place across South Korea, including Jangseong County, Haenam County, and Jinju. It is also inspired by detective fiction and elements of Bong's personal life.
#Memories of murder wiki serial
In the film, detectives Park Doo-man (Song) and Seo Tae-yoon (Kim) lead an investigation into a string of rapes and murders taking place in Hwaseong in the late 1980s.ĭevelopment of the film was confirmed in September 2002, after CJ Entertainment purchased the rights to Kim's play, which is loosely based on South Korea's first confirmed serial murders. It stars Song Kang-ho and Kim Sang-kyung. I also know that this is based on the Hwaseong serial murders that the investigation ended in 2019 with Lee Chopin-Jae being caught.Memories of Murder ( Korean: 살인의 추억 RR: Sarinui Chueok) is a 2003 South Korean crime thriller film directed by Bong Joon-ho, from a screenplay by Bong and Shim Sung-bo, and based on the 1996 play Come to See Me by Kim Kwang-rim. I just happened to watch Zodiac first, hence the comparison.

#Memories of murder wiki movie
And I'm so glad it's on Hulu because now I can rewatch it whenever the hell I want.Įdit: I know that this movie came before Zodiac!! I even put the years of both movies in this write-up so that people would know I’m not dumb. But goddamn, what a beautiful piece of storytelling this is. I could honestly talk about this one for ever so I'll stop before I write a novel. It's so chilling knowing that the real life perpetrator likely watched this film-which is why that last look that Song gives is so impactful. And knowing the history behind the basis of this movie makes it worse. And the bandaid, and Seo covering her up-The pain that was felt by everyone on screen in that moment transferred through my laptop screen and into my soul. That final victim? They might as well have knocked on my door and punched me in the gut, that's how awful that was. The intense emotion and pain that was evoked in me upon finding each victim and realizing that the killer was too far ahead of the law for them to catch up to him.I honestly haven't felt so strongly about a plot in years. But it kind of leaves it up to each person-that's something I love about this film. I also noticed myself trying to solve the case with them: I, personally, thought it was most DEFINITELY Park Hyeon-gyu who did it. I found myself laughing even though there was an investigation into some horrible murders going on. But *Memories of Murder* somehow combined a crime thriller with an absurdist comedy with a piece of political commentary in a way that I've never in my life seen done before. Though the film was incredibly unique, I found myself reminded of David Fincher's *Zodiac* (2007) at times-the dark humor, the topics. Seriously! I don't know a lick of Korean, but the intent behind each performance was so clear that I became lost in the moment. Each performance by every single actor was 100% there and honest and YET AGAIN WITH BONG I found myself not needing to look at the subtitles. The cinematography was simple but extremely effective, and the score was beautiful. Seriously, Seo's 360 degree character arc was so believable and chilling up until the very end! And that final look to the audience that Song gives? Goose bumps. The characterization by Song Kang-ho (Park) and Kim Sang-kyung (Seo) was hauntingly good. Seriously, I just finished it only minutes ago and I'm still shaking. I had an inkling that it would be amazing, since I love Bong Joon-ho's other works (The Host is a personal favorite of mine), but I had no idea that my entire essence as an actor and viewer would be impacted.

This one's been on my watch list for years and I'm ashamed it took me this long to get around to watching it.
