Mini Film Review – Memories of Murder

Yesterday I watched Memories of Murder, and it was incredible! Directed by Bong Joon Ho, and starring Kang-ho Song, Kim Sang-kyung, and Roe-ha Kim; Memories of Murder is a South Korean crime thriller loosely based on the crimes of Lee Choon-jae. The film tells the story of an inexperienced detective working on a serious case, who employs over the top and possibly corrupt methods to try and get a quick win in a case that is spiraling out of control. The film is mostly set in the 1980’s, and showcases a very different time for South Korea, and highlights the issues of trying to solve a very serious case, with very little of the required tools; which are commonplace today. The attempts by the detectives to coerce a confession out of suspects show the inadequacy and inexperience of the lead detective, and allows a spotlight to be shone on his new partner from Seoul; who is looking at the case from a different, and more professional perspective. As the film builds up and gains speed however, everyone changes; turning to their flipside as desperation builds, and as the body count increases. Meanwhile, the detailed level of what the victims go through is so detailed that it’s terrifying to watch! It’s like the film wants to show you in explicit detail the suffering of the victims. In these instances, it’s less like a movie, and more like a crime scene reconstruction. It’s haunting, and it builds up to a horrifying but well constructed anti-climactic finish, that just leaves you wanting to see what the detective finally sees! It was an incredible film, but one that is hauntingly, and realistically terrifying!