Salinui chueok
Tags: realism, dark, murder, atmospheric, haunting

Plot synopsis:
At the start of the film, in October 1986, a young woman is found raped and murdered in a ditch near a field. Soon after, another woman is found raped and murdered in a field. Local detective Park Doo-man, not having dealt with such a serious case before, is overwhelmed; key evidence is improperly collected, the police's investigative methods are suspect, and their forensic technology is near non-existent. Detective Seo Tae-yoon is sent from Seoul to assist them; their methods clash and he is unable to convince them they are dealing with a serial killer until his predictions of another murder come true. He realizes that the killer waits until a rainy night, and only kills women wearing red. A female police officer realizes that a local radio station is always requested to play a particular song during the nights the murders are committed.While Seo investigates and tries to piece together the clues, Park and his men beat confessions out of a local man found masturbating at the scene of one crime, and a mentally retarded boy whom they threaten to kill, going so far as to make him dig his own grave. Seo clears both of those suspects and follows a trail of clues to a factory worker who had only moved to the area a short time before the first murder. The detectives are unable to pin anything on him; when they realize that the retarded boy witnessed one of the crimes and try to speak to him, they frighten him so badly that he runs in front of an oncoming train and is killed.Finally, when yet another murder is committed and DNA evidence sent for processing in the United States comes back inconclusive, Seo's frustrations flow over and he snaps. He flies into a rage and roughs up the factory worker; only Park stops Seo from shooting the suspect.It's 2003 now and Park - now a businessman with a family - visits a crime scene - the first one, at a drain - from the case. He is interrupted by a little girl who asks him if something was there. He answers that he was just looking. The little girl then says that it seems so weird since she had just recently seen an another man with 'ordinary face' do the exact same thing. Park asks if she had asked him for the reason. She replies that the man said her that he remembered doing something there a long ago and so he had came back to take a look. Park is bewildered realizing that the man with 'plain face' must have been the serial killer from the unsolved case as the little girl innocently looks at his face.

Review: Memories of Murder isn't a fast-paced film, by any means, but this time the slow pace made this movie about an investigation of serial killings so much better than 95% of its American counterparts.Essentially, Memories of Murder is a drama first with thriller and comedy elements (yes, in the first hour or so the movie is actually quite funny).
This is probably the best crime thriller I've seen since "Insomnia," and contains the most haunting climax of any serial killer flick since "Seven." But like most films reaching for greatness, this is most admirable for its striking details.The filmmakers here craft a taut, careful, and delicately strung together motion picture that relishes in its amazing development of mood, place, and character.First, the mood: Haunting cinematography (rain falling on a small village at night, shadows darting across a thick field of grass, figures lurking in the woods, a masterfully choreographed hot pursuit scene on foot), a poignant music score (aided by the creepy use of a Korean pop song that accompanies each murder), and no-nonsense direction (peppered with fabulous doses of comic relief--how Shakespearan!) keep the film more and more intriguing at each turn and fascinating to watch.Second, the place: South Korea, circa the late 1980's, and apparently under some sort of militia rule.
This unique time and place serves as a wonderful respite from the typical American big-city setting of so many other films of this ilk.Finally, the character development: The small details revealing the haunted souls of the detectives on the case is nothing short of brilliant.
Witness the tiny executions of minutae: The cloth one rogue cop wraps around his boot so as not to leave scars when he kick-boxes suspects into submission, the harried chief of police checking his own blood pressure while trying to keep his off-the-cuff detectives in line or fighting to keep headline-starved reporters at bay, the young female officer desperately trying to showcase her abilities in crime solving between serving the chauvinistic detectives cups of fresh coffee, the outsider detective from Seoul's insistence that documents never lie (and the brutal irony at the climax that challenges his entire sense of being), and the main village detective's scathing speech on the difference between American FBI agents and Koren policemen.
The beauty is in the details, and this film, like all the great ones, revels in their uncovering.One flaw is that some might find the film a bit long in the tooth, but this is not to be missed for fans of serial killer thrillers and police procedural movies.
The story (about real-life killings of 10 women in Korea during the 1986-1991) is compelling enough, but the actors (Song Kang-ho cuts you deep even when he's silent, and his big-city partner offers emotional jolts at the end), the director (effectively plays some scenes in docu-style approach), the cinematography (a shadow creeps out in the paddy field will give you, well, creeps.
Director Bong Joon-Ho avoided both of these traps by charting an altogether different route: he has made a film that is not about the killer or the crimes or the victims but one that is purely about the police officers charged with the case and the devastating emotional toll it took on their lives.
The disc also includes a reel of cast and crew interviews discussing their characters and the creation of the film as well as an extensive reel of deleted scenes.Memories of Murder is a minor masterpiece, a film that moved Bong immediately onto Korea's A-list of directing talent.
Things quickly mushroom with the discovery of more bodies, more suspects and no end in sight.Whether you like police films or not you should see this movie about the real hunt for Korea's first known serial killer simply because its a great movie.
At other times this is a very taut thriller and you become as desperate as the police in needing to put an end to the madness.On top of all of this is a picture of Korea in 1986, a place with political unrest and civil defense drills that for me at least makes it seem like something out of the 1950's.This is brilliant brilliant film-making.I've given the film an 8 out of 10, even though it probably deserves to be higher, simply because some 12 hours after seeing the film, I'm still pondering what I thought of it, how good is it?
The tempo, the thrill, the development of characters, everything it has been well worked.The direction is good yet without emphatic resources, there are just two moments with a little much use of slow motion but it doesn't arrive to be an abuse of it.If you can see it don't loose your time with Hollywood sad-bad thrillers bet for this Korean present.9/10 cause perfection doesn't exist..
Being a movie buff and a director in the making, I watched this film (with English subtitles, Korean not being my mother tongue), I was completely blown away by this piece of cinematic excellence.
You have seen the probable truth.The way this movie draws you into it, so that you are walking through dangerous rain, with a warning shout in your throat, points to the brilliance of the director and the players.It is difficult to say, "I love this movie", just as it is hard to say, I love Silence of the Lambs, because love is a peculiar word to use for such fare.But yes, I love it for the fact that during it, I was in a small village in South Korea in a terrible era of sirens blaring, military dictatorship, and the hopeless pursuit of a serial killer.
I have long since heard of the excellence of this korean movie on koreanfilm.org, but it was only after reading the review in detail and realizing that the score was written by Taro Ishiwaro ( a well known Japanese musician who also wrote scores for Shohei Imamura and Japanese TV serials, including The Inanimate World ), and that the DOP was Kim Hyung-gu (who also shot Musa, One Fine Spring Day and Chen Kaige's Together) that it stumped on me I was indeed missing a masterpiece.And a masterpiece it is, one deeply haunting and disturbing asian crime thriller.
"Memories of Murder (Salinui chueok)" is an involving, cross-cultural take on the "L.A. Confidential" noir genre of a murder mystery with a political filter, layered with elements that gritty British TV detectives have mastered, from "Prime Suspect" on.While co-writer/director Joon-ho Bong uses the conventions of the contrasting buddy cop movie, sometimes simplistically for comic effect, he has more social commentary on his mind than a captivating investigation into a serial killer and avoids the usual titillating gore fest.Set specifically in 1986, the film visually captures the changes in industrializing, modernizing and politically restive South Korea, where new, dark, noisy factories were sprouting up in the middle of agricultural areas.
Ironically, they ultimately can't get the resources they need in this difficult case because of these politically-drummed up time-consumers, especially for manpower and sophisticated forensic tools that they have to beg from the FBI.The film changes tone and settles down into an intellectual thriller as a classic big city detective is sent from Seoul, and we have some of the interchanges we've seen in "In the Heat of the Night" and in "Insomnia," as the first cop now seems even more of a simpleton in his standard operating procedures of relying on his knowledge of the locals and instincts about human nature (though even a fellow officer teases him about whether he can tell apart a rapist and victim's brother), while the city guy is looking and listening for clues and real evidence, like a Korean "Dalziel and Pascoe." But the tension is ramped up as the killer keeps killing  and the film starts showing us the murders as they are about to happen just as the cops are getting hints about his modus operandi and even after the police are on alert.
The story about a detective in a small countryside town who finds a serial killer yet it's the incompetencies of the police force in general and human error which leads more and more murders.
There are only a handful of serial killer films that actually work, and with the Korean-based "Memories of Murder," it's evident that director Joon-ho Bong has done his homework.Successful examples include "Seven" and "Silence of the Lambs," a pair of films that expose their audience to grisly and suspenseful sights, but all the while creating vivid characters and memorable stories.
Getting under your skin is what serial killer films are all about, and this is no exception.In South Korea in 1986, a naked woman is found bound and gagged in a drainage ditch in a field, and a pair of detectives and a special agent from Seoul has been assigned to find the murderer/rapist.
Based on the first recorded serial killer in Korean history, "Memories of Murder" is a film not easily forgotten.
There are obviously more issues to discuss about how good this film is but the acting speaks for itself and is truly the driving force of this film, and 'will' keep you watching.Memories is a wonderful film, which is by no means perfect, but its fusion of serial killer thriller will drama and black humour gives this all too familiar genre a refreshing new twist, if Zodiac were any good this is the type of film it would be like, and is more often than not provocative.
Based on an actual series of murders in South Korea between the years 1986 and 1991, Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder is a well performed, thought-provoking film about the investigation into Korea's first serial killings.
To be very honest, no other thriller impressed me this much.Surely Hollywood must learn lot from this Mesmerizing film.Each and every frame of this movie is important.Bye Hollywood, hello Korea.Almost best film in Korea﻿ right now so far.Trust me, you wouldn't wan't to miss this brilliantly acted, brilliantly paced, brilliantly shot, brilliantly written, brilliantly directed (etc.) BRILLIANT FILM.
The serial killer ends up being more that the small town detective, Park Doo- man, (played by Korean actor, Kang-ho Sang famous for his roles in Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, and The Host) can handle.
But as more and more bodies pop up the detectives quickly become desperate, resulting in am intense heart-stopping third act.Bong Joon-Ho crafted arguably the best cat and mouse serial killer film ever.
If that's not a sign to watch a few more of Korean cinema, I don't know what is.At its heart, the story is based on a real life incident in the 1980's in a small province in South Korea.
Bong Joon Ho shows his genius idea by adapted an unsolved true story into a terrifying and memorable film, also combining with some jokes that makes 'Memories of Murder' not boring to watch.
But then this cop from the big city shows up (the murders are happening way out in the countryside), and we start to see a really interesting interaction among the cops (the city cop, two country cops, and their supervisor).If you like watching police try to solve a tough puzzle -- and people keep on being murdered, so the stakes are high -- this is an excellent film.
It's a terrific look at the frustrations of police, when they don't have the evidence necessary to stop a killer in a small town.The movie is top notch, very well made, and Korea should be very proud of their film community.The array of characters are interesting and plausible.
It's been a while since I've seen this great murder mystery based on South Korea's only known serial killer but it was one hell of a movie.You've got your inept cops just looking to appease the scared public by finding any way and using any means to pin the murder of girls on a mentally slow guy who isn't smart enough to know he's being used and framed all the while a smart detective figures out the killer's modus operandi and tries to get the information to the cops but they are dismissive and plod on their own frustrated and angry path to finding the killer.
As one goes through this tight murder mystery, based more on character and on the frustration of a clear pattern of a killer who makes it just a little too hard for the detectives to track down, you forget about the world around you or the time and just focus in on this story, of the grim line that delineates how to find a serial killer.
Maybe it's because Joon-Ho knew that he was making a movie about the first ever serial killer in South Korea that he had to make it this way, about clash between inexperience and professionalism and right and wrong that's demonstrated here.It's not an action movie, but a character study, as non-conventional in its outcome or in its style as something like Fincher's films Se7en and Zodiac (for the former there's even so much as a specific shot and scene that is lovingly ripped-off, and the latter, well, just see the results of the case to know what I mean).
While the local detectives Park Doo-Man and Cho Yong-koo try and shake down a confession out of a couple of suspects, one obviously mentally retarded, a seemingly hot-shot cop out of Seoul, Seo Tae-Yoon, comes in to help with the investigation and practically takes it over since he is, frankly, best at the job.
Korean films are just so remarkable and brilliant,I haven't seen one bad Korean film till date but memories of murder is just another level all together though as a woman I find the film sad and disturbing I cannot deny that it is one of the most intriguing film I have seen,it was so realistic and the acting and atmosphere they created was just splendid.Based on true case which happened in Korea and where they could never find the serial killer this film is a masterpiece from Korea though you need real guts to sit and watch the film.The acting,direction and story telling is engrossing and deserves special mention,loved the two chase scenes esp the one in the paddy fields was so damn scary.THe film creates all the thrill and scare with the atmosphere it creates like late evening darkness,rains,red dress it just send some chills down my spine.Hats off to the whole team of this film for making a memorable film..
Any film chosen by Quentin Tarantino in his list of top films is a cause of celebration for the film's director as the metteur en scène would get the feeling of being accepted by a wider audience.However,by being a complete family entertainer,Bong Joon-Ho's film "Memories of Murder" outsmarts any move to include his film to any list.It is not so often that you see comedy, suspense and thriller in the same film.Bong Joon Ho achieves this feat with his wry sense of humor which is able to convince viewers to mock some of life's incongruities.His talent at revealing black humor comes in a hilarious scene which features a chief detective for whom nice shoes are as good as Nike shoes.It is often believed that the bad portrayal of women in South Korean films is heavily resented outside of South Korea too.However, positive portrayal of feminine characters in this film reveals itself as a redeeming quality.If one were to single out the most important element of this film, then it would emerge that the endless frustration faced by police forces when the crooked criminal positions himself a step ahead of detectives would take the large piece of cake.The film features nice performances by its leading men Song Kang-ho and Kim Sang-kyung.Film critic Lalit Rao watched this film at South Korean Embassy Cultural Centre,New Delhi..
The film is highly original, the cinematography has deservedly been highly praised, the acting is top notch (and I wouldn't expect any less from Korean veterans like Song Kang-ho), but what really propels this film into movie masterpiece is the quality of the characters involved.
Memories of Murder is based on the case of the first serial killer in South Korean history.
Based on a true story that occurred in a South Korean town from 1986 to 1991 during which 10 women were found gagged, raped & murdered by a serial killer, Memories of Murder is an extremely well-crafted, ingeniously narrated & intelligently paced mystery thriller about this very case file which not only qualifies as a defining example of its genre but is great enough to rank amongst the greatest films to come out from the South Korean film industry.The story of Memories of Murder begins in 1986 with the discovery of the first victim's dead body & concerns the investigation carried out by two detectives with very different working methods.
And here's where director Bong Joon-ho, who went on to make the superb The Host, excelled, in sailing with an even keel in the presentation of Memories of Murder, making it extremely memorable, and went beyond your standard crime thriller fare by deftly gelling together all elements in the movie, into one keenly felt film.Memories of Murder recounts possibly South Korea's first serial killer, who went on a spree between 1986 and 1991 with 10 women brutally raped and murdered, and sparked off an intense investigations which involved some 1.8 million cops and 3000 suspects, as the prologue would have us believe.
Probably this was the best crime investigation film i ever watched.It was so realistic,humerous&intense.so watch a movie and find the murderer with those detectives..
The korean film " Memories of a murder " by Joon-ho Bong follows the story of three detectives as they try to catch a serial-killer who rapes and murders women in a small town in Korea.
A serial killing movie where the detectives try to catch the killer but every time they failed & get confused about the murderer.