Memories of Murder Movie Review 2003

Effective South Korean thriller based on a true incident. In 1986, the body of a young woman is found raped and murdered in a backwater town near Seoul. The two local detectives, Park (Song) and Jo (Rwe-ha Kim), are ill-equipped to deal with what turns into bizarre serial killings in a country where multiple homicides are a rarity. An experienced big city cop, Seo (Sang-kyung Kim), shows up and clashes with the others. Frustration mounts as bodies continue to be found (until 1991, in fact) and the investigation drags on. A coda is set in 2003. Korean with subtitles.

Distribution

Palm Pictures, 727 N. Hudston St., Ste. 100, Chicago, IL 60610, Phone: (312)751-0020, Fax: (312)751-2483

Available on DVD
Running time 132 minutes.
Originally from Korean.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Crime Drama, Serial Killers, Asia, Period Piece: 1980s, Police Detectives, Mystery & Suspense, Rape

Screenplay

Bong Joon-ho, Shim Seong-bo

Cast

Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-gyeong, Kim Roi-ha, Song Jae-ho, Byeon Heui-bong, Ryu Tae-ho, Park Noh-shik, Park Hae-il

Cinematography

Kim Hyeong-gu

Director

Bong Joon-ho

Music

Taro Iwashiro

Other

Lee Byeong-ha, Kim Sun-min, Kim Yu-sun, Ryu Seong-heui