A masterpeice Korean Crime Thriller 'Memories of Murder'

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If I were to talk about Bong Joon-ho’s hit films before Parasite, I’d like to recommend Mother as well, but I’d rather recommend Memories of Murder. Because it is sometimes based on true events, and because it is fun to deduce the culprit throughout the film. 


1. The Plot 

In 1986, a horrific rape and murder takes place in Gyeonggi Province. Two months after this incident, another murder occurs.  Led by Captain Gu Hee-bong and Detective Park Doo-man, they keep investigating local thugs as suspects, but there is no progress in the investigation. Seo Tae-yoon, who voluntarily came from Seoul, searches for a culprit based on data, but there is little advancement in the investigation. One day, he discovers that the victims are women wearing red on a rainy day and starts a sting operation, but when another murder occurs the next day, it remains unsolved. 


2. The Cast and Director 

Byun Hoe-bong played Captain Gu Hee-bong, the beloved actor Song Kang-ho as Detective Park Doo-man, actor Kim Sang-kyung as Detective Seo Tae-yoon, and actor Park Hae-il as the suspect. 

The direction was handled by Bong Joon-ho, South Korea’s greatest director, whose name is now too famous to even mention. Some even call *Memories of Murder* South Korea’s best thriller film to rival Parasite. 


3. What to watch for 

Since it is based on a real case, and the actual culprit was later caught, I recommend watching the movie first and then looking up the real case. The film humorously portrays the sloppy investigation process of the time and the wrongful identification of suspects.Although it is a thriller, this film can also be said to showcase director Bong Joon-ho’s unique sense of humor quite well. And I think everything about Mr. Park Hae-il, who was identified as a suspect, including his face and aura, made the film stand out even more. Especially there was a moment when I was startled because it felt so similar to the culprit’s face in the future. 


4. Personal Review

Although it is a very old film, it is still one of the movies I remember very strongly—so much so that whenever I think of crime films, Memories of Murder comes to mind. In particular, actor Park Hae-il’s restrained acting and expressions remain one of the impressions that still leave a stronger impact than the poster. And the final scene where actor Song Kang-ho looks down into the tunnel still lingers in my mind. When I watched the film, it didn’t seem like the criminal would ever be caught, but now that he has, I feel so good, and I can’t help thinking that director Bong Joon-ho’s efforts may have played a major part in getting him caught. I also think that actor Song Kang-ho’s acting was expressed here more naturally than in other films.  If you’re looking through director Bong Joon-ho’s filmography one by one, I highly recommend watching Memories of Murder without missing it.


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