Review of Memories of Murder (2003) by Thomas B — 14 Feb 2010

The film stars Song Kang-Ho and Kim Sang-Kyung as two detectives trying to solve a series of rapes/murders in a rural community. The film is an entertaining and thought-provoking take on what would usually be considered a typical police procedural. Fortunately for us, these particular detectives are exercising anything but typical procedures.

Song Kang-Ho plays the local detective Park Doo-man, who is awestruck by the nature of the first murder. The woman's body is found in a cement tunnel section of a ditch near a large open reed field, raped, strangled with her bra, her panties over her head and her arms and legs bound. This is just the first in a series of murders that drags Park Doo-man into a downward spiral bringing a detective from Seoul along with him.

The surprising thing about Memories of Murder is how the factual material is handled along with the elements Korean filmmakers often use to make an entertaining film. Director Bong Joon-Ho consults a successful stage play which was based on these events, as well as historical documents to craft a finely-tuned screenplay which is as entertaining as it is horrifying. Given the brutal and rare nature of the murders (for Korea at that time), Detective Park Doo-man finds himself under pressure to solve his investigation as quickly as possible, and begins interrogating a list of suspects he feels are likely candidates because "his eyes and his instincts tell him so".

His desperation to solve the case deepens, and his interrogations quickly turn into forced, rehearsed confessions, the methods to which are less than comfortable for the suspects. The film finds its niche in the realm of dark humor with moments like the interrogations, which work to surprising degrees. Note: In terms of the plot I just laid out for you, this is just a tiny slice of a very large pie. I'm really giving nothing away.

Also worth noting is the ensemble cast, doing a fantastic job of creating vibrant and interesting characters. Song Kang-Ho gives a wonderful performance to be sure, but the supporting cast nearly steals the show. Kim Sang-Kyung plays Detective Seo Tae-Yun, an investigator from Seoul who is sent to help the local police solve the crimes. Sang-Kyung's is the more understated performance but is not without its emotional backbone. The conflicting nature of the Sang-Kyung and Kang-Ho characters create compelling tension onscreen, and the two actors breathe life into the respective ideals of the characters.

Kang-Ho's character knows deep down that his interrogations are futile and his suspects unlikely candidates, yet he continues to convince himself otherwise. The Sang-Kyung character is a competent and dedicated detective, and can see clearly the nature of the interrogations. He holds his own in his performance opposite Song Kang-ho, and his final scenes are among the films most memorable. Needless to say, there's a lot of ground to cover with the casting and the superb performances put forth by all involved in this picture, much of which I leave for you to discover.

The cinematography is no slouch either, being one aspect of the film that garners some of the biggest praise. Less is more in the rural setting of this picture, as the director favors painting his picture with earthy tones which fully realize an underdeveloped and small community. The film is well-crafted and always entertaining, far exceeding any expectations I might've had when I picked it up. The film culminates in a very real and extremely disturbing revelation, none of it contrived or false because we know it actually happened that way. The ending stays true to the events and the characters that lead us through them. It's an emotionally satisfying finish to a superbly executed piece of filmmaking, and an entertaining one at that.