Memories of Murder (2003)

Memories of Murder is a South Korean film written and directed by Bong Joon-hu (director of The Host) about the country’s first serial murders in the late 1980s. Starring the very talented Song Kang-ho (The Host, Joint Security Area) as a local detective, he teams with an inspector transferred from Seoul (played by Kim Sang-kyung) in order to stop the murders from continuing. This is an unsolved case, so the focus of the story is as much about why they weren't able to catch the murderer as it is about how they tried to. There are various scenes depicting the inadequacies of the police system and the corruption within. The early attempts to catch the murderer involve rounding up the usual suspects, planting evidence, and even torturing those in custody in order to get a confession. When the press gets wind of this, their methods are forced to change. Most of the local policemen seem inexperienced and not prepared for this sort of crime. In the background of the case, there are protests involving the transfer of power during the fifth to sixth republic of South Korea. These protests require many policemen to monitor, leaving only a few detectives to catch the murderer without the technology required to perform decent crime scene forensics. The story itself is fascinating and the characters are all interesting and complex.

Song Kang-ho gives a particularly strong performance both comedic and believably dramatic and the development of his character against that of Kim Sang-kyung’s is really engaging to watch. As the case gets worse and worse, they become more and more consumed by it. Where this film stands out to most though, is in the direction. Bong Joon-hu’s use of the tracking shot in a long take creates some very memorable scenes. Early on in the film, Song Kang-ho’s character arrives at the crime scene, the camera follows him through the chaos and disorganization of the scene that is being contaminated everywhere you look. It’s a powerful scene that sets to the tone for the rest of the film. After watching this scene it becomes apparent as to why a serial killer is the worst kind of case for this police force. Bong Joon-hu is very successful at building suspense as well. The scene before the chase is entirely without background score and the anticipation builds so perfectly that it could easily be compared to a scene out of a Hitchcock film. The quick shots of the detectives’ reactions and their attempts to keep quite make any sound in the scene stand out like a gunshot. Without giving too much away, there is a chase scene in a series of alleyways in the film that makes you feel as exhausted and anxious as they are. As they film says in all the trailers and ads, this case is unsolved. Knowing that it will end this way, does this film lose any element of excitement? The answer is a definite no. Even knowing how it will end, as an audience member you just can't help but root for the heroes and get caught up in the story. This is a great film that is as entertaining as it is dramatic, featuring powerful performances and great direction.