Based on a true story, Memories Of Murder, about a serial killer that struck a small town and the detectives who investigate, is a fantastic and intense thriller.
It was only about five years ago that I developed a deep love of foreign films. I wasn’t raised watching anything that wasn’t in English and I had never given much thought to it until I started viewing some of the Academy Award nominees. Once seeing how incredible some of the movies were, it struck me that I had been missing out on some of the best cinema only because they weren’t in English. I encourage you not to make the same mistake.
Memories Of Murder is about a small town in South Korea where detectives have discovered that there have been a pattern of murders. Not used to this type of crime, Seo Tae-yoon is brought in from Seoul to assist in investigations because he has experienced more, being from a large city. Park Doo-man, the resident detective, and his sidekick, Cho Yong-koo, are not pleased to have a new guy in their midst.
This thriller has a similar vibe to Se7en, so if you enjoyed that film, I highly recommend this one. Some of the visuals are disturbing, but this is based on a real story, and I think they do an excellent job of balancing the horrific events with the mystery beside them. Plus, the powerful score keeps you in a heightened state of interest.
Directed by Bong Joon Ho (Parasite, Mickey 17), the visuals are spectacular. He plays with colors and positioning of characters such that you are often looking at more muted landscapes or actors entering/exiting a scene a little oddly. It’s not obvious and you have to look for it, but everything he does leaves you with a subtle impression so that, sometimes, you’re not even sure where your change in feelings came from.
Song Kang-ho (Parasite, A Taxi Driver) plays detective Park Doo-man, a man of instinct, who says that he can determine guilt simply by looking in a person’s eyes. He is messy, makes assumptions, and collects evidence in scarily inefficient ways. Kim Sang-kyung plays Seo Tae-yoon, the new man on campus, a methodical detective who looks at clues and builds a case. But because this is Park’s home base, there is a power dynamic that never ceases to exist during the investigation.
The information that they had at the beginning of the film was that someone was attacking women who were wearing red, when it was raining, and no evidence was left. It has been over 20 years since they filmed this movie, so after you’ve watched it, I encourage you to do a little research into what has happened since in reference to the case.
Memories Of Murder is an excellent movie with incredible visuals, closeups, and subtle color inferences, along with masterful performances and a wholly engaging story. This is one of those films that you don’t want to miss.
Runtime: 131 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: Not Rated (but I would say that this is R)
Languages Spoken In The Film: Korean with English subtitles
Should You Watch It? Yes, definitely
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Available: Free on Tubi, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
It was only about five years ago that I developed a deep love of foreign films. I wasn’t raised watching anything that wasn’t in English and I had never given much thought to it until I started viewing some of the Academy Award nominees. Once seeing how incredible some of the movies were, it struck me that I had been missing out on some of the best cinema only because they weren’t in English. I encourage you not to make the same mistake.
