Review of Memories of Murder (2003) by Art S — 01 Apr 2011

Bong Joon Ho's film starts with the basic ingredients of the serial killer thriller and viewers who know the formula can enjoy the film with that template in mind. But we do not tread old terrain here, instead things largely disintegrate and the tone is that of a very black comedy (largely due to the bumbling efforts of the detectives) that seems to be commenting as much on South Korean history in the 1980s as on the case at hand.

When we fast forward to the present, it isn't entirely clear which "murder" is being remembered. Very entertaining.