Memories of Murder (Salinui chueok) (2003)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Aditya G

  
  When you are watching a South Korean film, expect the unexpected! I mean literally....trust them to turn a seemingly conventional plot line into a really twisted one and take us viewers completely by surprise. "Memories of Murder", a mesmerizing crime drama by filmmaker Bong… More
  When you are watching a South Korean film, expect the unexpected! I mean literally....trust them to turn a seemingly conventional plot line into a really twisted one and take us viewers completely by surprise. "Memories of Murder", a mesmerizing crime drama by filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho is a riveting mystery centering around the true story of the Hwaseong serial murders that occurred in Hwaseong in South Korea between 1986 and 1991. It all begins one lazy day when the body of a young woman is discovered in a ditch, bound and possibly raped before the killing. Local detective Park Doo-man (Song Kang-ho) is in charge of the case, but just like the town he resides in, his attitude is laid back and nothing of this sort had ever happened in that part of town. Clearly overwhelmed by the incident that is quickly followed by another corpse of a woman murdered under seemingly similar circumstances, Park goes all out in investigating. He really tries but seems to reach dead ends with no witnesses and the handful of clues leading nowhere. Forensic technology was almost non-existent in that part of the globe in those days and determining substantial information solely from the examination of the body was quite difficult. With the media going berserk, the pressure mounting from all over and the lethargic handling of the case leads to a detective from Seoul, Seo Tae-Yoon (Kim Sang Kyung) being sent to assist Det. Park. Now both these men predictably clash in their methods of investigation (not entirely a new plot device to any such story) but that is hardly the crux of the story. With things getting more and more difficult, Park begins to adopt twisted ways of collecting evidence, "creating" suspects (one of whom is a mentally challenged boy) out of the remotest of things connecting them to the murder, getting confessions out of them and trying to close the vexing case any which way! And this is where Seo Tae-Yoon comes in, and keeps proving Park wrong, in the meantime, carrying out his own investigation. [img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ac6u-8ix7Ks/ThH6g4vSKrI/AAAAAAAAB4g/gHR_hqEt3iI/vlcsnap-2011-07-04-22h49m53s244.jpg[/img] A few more corpses follow and the detectives lose their sleep solving what could be one of the most challenging cases they may have faced and it almost seems as if they are chasing a shadow....but little by little they do know that the killer isn't far away... "Memories of Murder" is one of the finest detective-crime stories I've seen in a long long time. It also reminded me of two David Fincher films "Seven" and "Zodiac" both of which dealt with extremely trying serial killer cases which were some rather tough nuts to crack. However, where "Memories of Murder" differs is in its approach to story-telling is that it does not rely on Hollywood gimmicks of any sort and tells it as raw as it should be. It doesn't have the pretty faces of Brad Pitt or Jake Gyllenhaal trying to solve some romanticized cryptic puzzles left behind by the killer. A lot of unpredictable twists and turns and generous amounts of red herrings are thrown in. The viewer feels the angst, relentless frustration and exasperation these guys feel while attempting to solve the murders as all their clues, attempts to find a pattern, the leads and eventual trails keep meeting their dead ends. At the same time there is the disgust and the growing anger over how the killer manages to prey on yet another victim right under their noses and seems to escape their nets! And what ghastly ways to commit the crime! This is the kind of killer who gags his victims, rapes them and stuffs articles found on them into their vagina...!! [img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fFEOej6khoo/ThH6kNUBnzI/AAAAAAAAB4c/Uv2x0yeSmjM/vlcsnap-2011-07-04-22h49m00s225.jpg[/img] Yes indeed.."Memories of Murder" is a disturbing film. A lot of things and happenings you see in this film aren't pleasant to watch. As a matter of fact, the filmmaker manages to evoke a feeling of disgust that comes from the graphically descriptive dialog between the characters narrating the nature of the crime, not from the visuals of the scenes, as there aren't any particularly graphic scenes depicting the actual crime and most of the violence is off screen. Technically "Memories of Murder" excels in nearly all departments. The stunning cinematography by Kim Hyung-ku is breathtaking as his camera captures some of the most marvelous locations of the Korean countryside and a rainy night in a desolate area never looked more terrifying! Ditto for the beautiful music score by Tarō Iwashiro which truly reflects the emotion and the mood of some of the key scenes. Acting by the two leads, Song Kang-ho and Kim Sang Kyung is applause-worthy! Song Kang-ho, especially impresses us most, as the incapable detective, desperate in his attempts to get the case over and done with. The film ultimately belongs to writer-director Bong Joon-Ho, though, who turns a run-of-the-mill, "two detectives on the trail of a serial killer" subject into a disturbing yet quite refreshing and rewarding movie experience, with an ending so powerful it just refuses to let go! This one's really worth your while, folks! Highly recommended! Score: 9/10.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Do you see this kind of thing in Seoul often?"</i> South Korea in 1986 under the military dictatorship: Two rural cops and a special detective from the capital investigate a series of brutal rape murder. Their crude measures become more desperate with each… More
  <i>"Do you see this kind of thing in Seoul often?"</i> South Korea in 1986 under the military dictatorship: Two rural cops and a special detective from the capital investigate a series of brutal rape murder. Their crude measures become more desperate with each new corpse found. Based on a true case <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Set in 1986, "Memories of Murder" chronicles the first serial killer case in South Korean history. The victims are all beautiful young women whose bodies have been found raped and strangled in local fields and ditches. The initial agents who have been put on the case are two incompetent bunglers - one a dropout from college, the other a dropout from high school - who seem to have gleaned the majority of their investigative techniques from cheesy TV crime dramas. Enter Seo Tae-yoon, a forensic investigator from Seoul, who wrests control from the locals and brings some big-city know-how to the case. Given the grim subject matter at hand, it's amazing just how funny so much of this movie turns out to be. Blessed with a sly sardonic humor and a willingness to make fun of its characters even while evincing a great deal of affection for them, "Memories of Murder" plays less like a conventional cop movie and more like a regional comedy filled with rich insights into the subtle truths of human nature. The relationship between Seo, the investigator from Seoul, and Park Doo-man, the more rational of the two local officers, is intriguing and complex, as we watch them bicker and brawl and engage in petty power struggles, while slowly coming to realize that each has something of value to teach the other if only they can set aside their egos long enough to listen. Saddled with even-then antiquated technologies, Seo and Park are forced to rely on good old investigative footwork and informed intuition to try and solve the case. There are strong performances by one and all, and a fine sense of atmosphere in the setting. Those looking for a neatly tied-up resolution to the case may find themselves disappointed at movie's end. But the rich rewards of setting and character should be compensation enough.

• Stella D

  
  an excellent thriller based on the first known serial killings in korea. two small town detectives, plus one on loan from the big city of seoul, struggle to solve the case using decidedly low tech methods. the film also contains a good dose of humor which works surprisingly well.… More
  an excellent thriller based on the first known serial killings in korea. two small town detectives, plus one on loan from the big city of seoul, struggle to solve the case using decidedly low tech methods. the film also contains a good dose of humor which works surprisingly well. fans of the director's 2006 monster movie, the host (gwoemul) should check this out

• Anthony L

  
  Memories of Murder of a real edge of your seat thriller, directed by one of my favourite Asian directors, Joon-ho Bong. The fact it's based on a true story makes it all the more shocking. It's worth watching for Kang-ho Song's performance alone, he is easily one of the… More
  Memories of Murder of a real edge of your seat thriller, directed by one of my favourite Asian directors, Joon-ho Bong. The fact it's based on a true story makes it all the more shocking. It's worth watching for Kang-ho Song's performance alone, he is easily one of the best actors working today.

• Sarah G

  
  Review coming soon...

• Justin Y

  
  Joon-ho Bong has put out more than decent films over the years and <i>Memories of Murder</i> is no exception. Hands down, this is one great Korean mystery thriller based off of a true case.<p>At first glance this film seems like a typical average investigative… More
  Joon-ho Bong has put out more than decent films over the years and <i>Memories of Murder</i> is no exception. Hands down, this is one great Korean mystery thriller based off of a true case.<p>At first glance this film seems like a typical average investigative thriller with the cops tracking down a serial rapist. The earlier parts of this film play out this way, however the final 45 minutes of this 2+ hour picture is just fantastic. In the beginning, there is a little blurb explaining that this is based off of a real life case and at this time it also gives away the ending. Despite all of that, the movie is still engrossing and the ending is worth the watch. In fact, there is a point where the film could have ended, but it gets extended just a few more minutes to make it even better.</p><p>Not only is there good writing, but the cinematography is quite impressive. This helps to carry this picture in the earlier parts when the story is still under its peak.</p><p>Kang-ho Song and Sang-kyung Kim put on fantastic performances as the 2 lead detectives. Both characters switch personalities as the film progresses and this is interesting to watch. Also, the cops are ones to hate in the early going, but by the end they are being cheered upon to solve the case.</p><p><i>Memories of Murder</i> isn't explosive and it doesn't have to be. The story, acting, and camera work speak for itself.

• Ken S

  
  Effective, but a little long and a touch uneven. Some beautiful photography to boot.

• El Hombre I

  
  For an American audience spoon-fed on CSI and Law and Order, some of the tactics may be outrageously outdated, but the film is quite engrossing and surprisingly edgy, from gruesome murders to the unexpected humor found in the ineptitude of the police investigating the case. You… More
  For an American audience spoon-fed on CSI and Law and Order, some of the tactics may be outrageously outdated, but the film is quite engrossing and surprisingly edgy, from gruesome murders to the unexpected humor found in the ineptitude of the police investigating the case. You have to acknowledge the skill of a director who manages to show police brutality as a terrible institutional method at the same time as being amusing from a purely slapstick viewpoint. This film is both genuinely disturbing and genuinely funny, often at the same time. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&current=memories_of_murder_1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/memories_of_murder_1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• Bruce B

  
  A Almost 5 Star for a Korean Film, unheard of right, wrong. This a great first time film, will capture you and keep you on the end of your seat, to many korean films are passed up, if your a DVD Nut like me, and don't want to watch the same ole thing, then get this and enjoy.… More
  A Almost 5 Star for a Korean Film, unheard of right, wrong. This a great first time film, will capture you and keep you on the end of your seat, to many korean films are passed up, if your a DVD Nut like me, and don't want to watch the same ole thing, then get this and enjoy. Snap ending, I smell a sequal.

• Adam M

  
  this director, who did The Host, has a way of using comic relief to make scary and tragic stuff feel even more traumatic

• Luke B

  
  A beautifully shot and well acted Korean answer to Se7en. At first we dislike the police, as they just look for a scapegoat. It isn't long til we are cheering them on as they take on a killer against all the odds. Has some great moments of dark comedy. The scene as the killer… More
  A beautifully shot and well acted Korean answer to Se7en. At first we dislike the police, as they just look for a scapegoat. It isn't long til we are cheering them on as they take on a killer against all the odds. Has some great moments of dark comedy. The scene as the killer hunts his prey in the pouring rain is terrifying.

• Lady D

  
  Sub-titled film, great storyline

• Tsubaki S

  
  One of the best serial killer flicks ever made, showing another side of a crime investigation, when they simply don't go anywhere. There's no fancy CSI uber-tecnologic tools for the characters to use, just their instinct to follow. Considering Korean goverment at that time… More
  One of the best serial killer flicks ever made, showing another side of a crime investigation, when they simply don't go anywhere. There's no fancy CSI uber-tecnologic tools for the characters to use, just their instinct to follow. Considering Korean goverment at that time was more busy containing protests in the streets, the cops trying to resolve this sort of cases truly had a hard time investigating this type of stuff. Korean cinema this past years have show that it dares to go into their not-so-glorious stages of the past. This, along with films like The President's Last Bang, show a social and political awareness that i hope other cinematic industries of the world would dare to follow more often. Must see in every way, that last shot of Kang Ho Song's face, staring helpless, has to be one of the most enduring images i have seen in a while. Excellent performances by all the cast needless to say.

• Lanning :

  
  <b> Salinui chueok </b> <p> Mahalo, Sabina, another great recommendation. I'm often shy of watching films based on true stories, but I'm glad I saw this. Granted, the topic of serial killers can be gruesome. Not so with this film. The actual murders are… More
  <b> Salinui chueok </b> <p> Mahalo, Sabina, another great recommendation. I'm often shy of watching films based on true stories, but I'm glad I saw this. Granted, the topic of serial killers can be gruesome. Not so with this film. The actual murders are not over-dramatized, and the clear focus falls not so much on the deaths, but on the personalities of the investigative team figures. <p> Song Kang-ho is definitely an actor I've come quickly to appreciate, as is Kim Roe-ha. Song, I believe, would have a good chance acting on a more international scale. My guess is that he has done not a little theater acting in his time, and my bet would be that he has some Shakespearian training on his resume. The great find here, however, is an actor I've not seen before: Kim Sang-hyung. As sabee points out, his portrayal of the transformation from the cool and rational "city" policeman, to a desperate, wild, and near-vigilante intensity in his rabid quest for justice is something to behold. <p> In the end, I think what I like best about this film is the fact that even if the serial murder theme is deadly serious, there is a constant sense of humor that bubbles up through the darkness. In fact I would not be surprised if Song and Kim proved to be excellent comic actors as well as very fine dramatic ones. I must look to see if either has actually done comedy. <p> By the way, just to add some balance to the synopsis offered on flixster, this movie does not remind me at all of <i>Silence of the Lambs</i>. Both in tone and focus, they really have nothing in common save for serial murders.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"Memories of Murder" starts out in 1986 in rural Korea where two women have been raped and murdered. Two local detectives are going through a long list of possible suspects. Detective Suh arrives from Seoul to help.(And his arrival scene is one of the… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"Memories of Murder" starts out in 1986 in rural Korea where two women have been raped and murdered. Two local detectives are going through a long list of possible suspects. Detective Suh arrives from Seoul to help.(And his arrival scene is one of the better in the film.) The local detectives come up with an unlikely suspect whereas Suh deducts that there must be another body somewhere.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Memories of Murder" is an intelligent and excellent mystery. The movie serves as a commentary on the Korean police and is very interested in their procedures as they attempt to solve the murders. The police are pictured as just as likely to force confessions through brutal interrogations as to conduct actual investigations and seem to spend as much time putting down protests as anything else. The local police are ill-trained and undereducated and seem to have gotten their inspriation from watching old TV shows. This film also has something to say about sexism in Korea, too. All of the vicitims are women and one of the policewomen is constantly saddled with lesser tasks, even though she may be more competent than her male counterparts.[/font]

• Ryan M

  
  7.0/10 "Memories of Murder" is a beautifully directed, wonderfully acted murder-mystery thriller from Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho. His previous film was "Barking Dogs Never Bite", a witty satire; and the film that he followed up this one with was… More
  7.0/10 "Memories of Murder" is a beautifully directed, wonderfully acted murder-mystery thriller from Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho. His previous film was "Barking Dogs Never Bite", a witty satire; and the film that he followed up this one with was "The Host". Now, I have always loved "The Host"; which is the best monster movie of the 2000's, and perhaps my favorite of all-time; or at least one of them. I admire how Joon-Ho breathes new life in the form of satire and commentary into each of his films. Somehow, he manages to succeed in doing so yet again in this movie; which happens to be about something that most people wouldn't even attempt to satirize: serial killers. This is, to my knowledge, the first serial killer-thriller that Bong Joon-Ho has directed. Yet, he still seems to know the basics; and he puts his own unique spin on the genre. He is a skilled filmmaker and he's out to prove it. "Memories of Murder" works so well because it is not drenched in style, but it is very much interested in its characters and its narrative. Sometimes, of course, there are characters that feel a bit left out amongst others; but when you've got a movie this involving, you just don't care all that much. Park Doo-man (Song Kang-ho) must deal with the toughest and most serious case in all of his life; as a police-man. The case is centered on the local murders and rapes of young women. Park does not have access to high-tech equipment that would help him and his crew find the culprit as fast as they possibly could, so the film goes slowly-and-slowly into the depths of human darkness. However, I think this works to the film's advantage. By not having the technology of today, the team has to use older techniques to beat information out of each suspect. They make use of torture methods; and they even have to call in another detective for help. The minds of the new guy and the genuinely unready and inexperienced guy clash; and all this time, the murders refuse to stop. The film is sometimes deep, and always slow-moving. So if you don't like slow films, you should start walking now and keep on doing so until you're far, far away. However, you could always look deeper into this film and acknowledge that it's fairly good at what it does. There is satire and dark humor to be found here; it's not always obvious, but it's always intriguing and intelligent nonetheless. "Memories of Murder" is thoroughly bleak yet somewhat exciting at parts. It makes good use of its cast, and its director. I think it's a smart movie. I don't know if it's a great one, but I respect anyone who thinks it is. It's well-made and understandable enough, I suppose. And as always, Bong Joon-Ho delivers when it comes to pitch-perfect cinematography and music. The film looks beautiful without feeling stylish; because if the film WAS stylish, it would have lost its appeal, I think. But that's just my opinion. Sometimes I enjoy a stylized murder-mystery movie, sometimes I don't. This one feels old-fashioned enough for me to enjoy it as much as I did. It's not a movie for everyone, but I'd recommend it to those with solid attention spans. I enjoyed the human element of the film. For me, it's not as emotionally striking as it wants to be, but when the film gets tense, believe me; it gets TENSE. Overall, this is a nicely-made little mood piece that is as disturbing as it is thought-provoking. It feels a tad overlong at times, but it's good enough to be worth most of the ride. It's not as good as Bong Joon-Ho's "The Host", but that's not saying too much; because I loved that film, and I don't necessarily love this one. However, few movies, like this one, are interesting, like this one. So if you're in to stuff like this, I say: check it out.

• Greg A

  
  This movie even with its moments of dark humor playing off the investigators frustration in the search of the killer is a sad mystery. This awful look in the eyes of the main actor Song at the end of the film paralyzed me; this look of shocking realization in his eyes as the film… More
  This movie even with its moments of dark humor playing off the investigators frustration in the search of the killer is a sad mystery. This awful look in the eyes of the main actor Song at the end of the film paralyzed me; this look of shocking realization in his eyes as the film gives me a close-up of his face revisiting the first crime scene found just haunting me like it haunts him. The film plays off of these two incompetent investigators and the new hotshot detective from up north who work together to basically get in each others way as much as humanly possible and mess with all the innocent males within the region of the killings possible. The two idiots attempt beating people into signing false confessions while the new hotshot is following the best leads he can get. All the while you slowly see the hotshot becoming more and more unwound by the length of the investigation becoming more angry and nasty as a person. The frustration is very real as it feels like they continuously get so close to the truth but it is just within their grasp but their hands are slippery and the truth always just escapes them. I needed the dark comedy in this movie, it relieved the humongous tension this film generates just by not knowing who the fuck could possibly be this serial killer. I don't feel bad for laughing because if you don't laugh when surrounded by a horrible situation you will goes as crazy as the hotshot investigator went. This movie is incredibly good, it blends dark comedy, crime and mystery while it makes a loud statement about Korean Law Enforcement in the late 80's and just how out of control it was at that time. Though in all fairness they did not have DNA testing to aid forensics at that time and place in the world, all DNA testing had to be shipped out of country to be done.

• Alec B

  
  Many see it as a sort of "companion piece" or "precursor" to David Fincher's brilliant Zodiac. I agree and while I think this film lacks the cohesiveness of Fincher's film it is still a remarkable study of a group of men tasked with catching a brutal… More
  Many see it as a sort of "companion piece" or "precursor" to David Fincher's brilliant Zodiac. I agree and while I think this film lacks the cohesiveness of Fincher's film it is still a remarkable study of a group of men tasked with catching a brutal killer. It works best when the real problem of catching the killer isn't his genius but the police's own incompetence and inability to be prepared for such a brutal crime.

• Jonny C

  
  Good Korean detective movie. Memories of Murder is about two rural cops and a special detective from the capital who investigate a series of brutal rape murders.The story was engrossing until the end, and the acting was top class. It reminded me a little of David Fincher's Se7en… More
  Good Korean detective movie. Memories of Murder is about two rural cops and a special detective from the capital who investigate a series of brutal rape murders.The story was engrossing until the end, and the acting was top class. It reminded me a little of David Fincher's Se7en and Zodiac in how the story was structured, and even though it was a little slow at times, the off-beat humour of Kang-ho Song always give it the lift it needed.

• James B

  
  An amazing crime film! Joon-ho Bong is probably more known stateside for the wonderful creature feature/family drama, 'The Host', but this film is just as well made! If you are a fan of Zodiac, you must check this one out!

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