Memories of Murder (2003) [Film Review]

Memories of Murder; or, In search for the culrpit

      There's a reason people say I have a shaman's eyes.

This week’s review will be about the most successful South Korean film of the year 2003. A crime-drama film based on true events and crafted by Bong Joon Ho (the director of such quirky blockbuster hits as The Host (2006) and Snowpiercer (2013)).

Release Info

Directed by: Bong Joon Ho Starring: Song Kang Ho, Kim Sang Kyung, Park Hae Il, Jeon Mi Seon
Language: Korean Original Title: 살인의 추억 Runtime: 127 min

Synopsis

The film depicts the unsolved case of the so-called Hwaseong serial murders that took place between 1986 and 1991. In the story, we follow a local detective, Park Doo Man (Song Kang Ho), who hopelessly tries to solve the first murder. Unfortunately, methods and technology of the local law enforcement prove inefficient in catching the killer and, after wrongfully accusing a mentally handicapped boy of being a murder, a detective from Seoul, Seo Tae Yoon (Kim Sang Kyung), is assigned to the case. Initially, the two detectives clash with each other, but the arrival of Seo Tae Yoon really starts the investigation going. The officers discover that every woman was strangled to death by use of their own clothes, each one of them wore a red piece of clothing, and they were all killed on a rainy night (while the song “Sad Letter” was broadcast on a local radio). All clues lead to an inconspicuous factory worker who had moved to the town just before the first murder...

Tough Cops, Elusive Killer

First of all, interesting in Memories of Murder is the fact that it does not attempt to be just another police procedural. Vivid visuals of spacious fields and gloomy look of the local town combined with twisted personalities of the main heroes provide a great deal of realism into the story. Yet, the thing that the viewers may perceive as the most controversial are not the murders themselves, but the investigational activities conducted by the local police. Here’s the list of what you can learn from the movie:

1) It’s perfectly alright to falsify previously destroyed pieces of evidence.

2) It’s okay to hold the suspects in custody indefinitely and relentlessly beat them up until they confess.

3) When nothing else works, it may be a good idea to consult a psychic.

4) Encouraging suspects to give false testimonies is also acceptable.

Obviously, it’s difficult to believe that Korean law enforcement resorts to such methods today, but these provide an unintentional comic relief in the film as well as present the amount of pressure put on the detectives to catch the killer. However, only Seo Tae Yoon does not engage into these questionable practices. He is the only one who employs reason and deductive skills, but his meticulousness eventually turns against him.

Art imitating life

Even though the investigation lasted until the year 2006 and 10 women died in total, the real Hwaseong murderer was never caught. The movie follows a similar line of narrative, but delivers a great twist in the end (if it can be called a twist at all). Memories of Murder does not focus much on the killer, but closely studies characters of the detectives. On the one hand, there’s Park Doo-man, a superstitious idiot rather than a professional officer, who inefficiently struggles to hide his illiteracy, comes up with crazy theories (like that the killer has no hair in his private area), and is genuinely convinced that “his eyes can read people”. On the other hand, we have Seo Tae-yoon, a detective with style and proper expertise, who unexpectedly transforms into a Harry Callahan-like character by the end of the film.

Also, the supporting performances are worth mentioning. Park Hae Il as the prime suspect did a splendid job, as well as Jeon Mi Seon as detective Park Doo Man’s wife, also Kim Roi Ha convincingly portrayed a hot-headed interrogation officer. All thing considered, great performances, wide natural landscapes, gripping story, simple yet powerful score, and professional direction are the main assets of this picture.

 

Recommendations

I recommend this film to anyone interested in the crime genre, yet ‘whodunit’ lovers may feel a bit disappointed. Memories of Murder goes for evoking distinct emotions of empathy, sadness, and rage, while also doing justice to the original source material. It leaves one wonder whether the real Hwaseong killer will ever be found. A flawless motion picture for a rainy night.

Overall score: 9/10