MEMORIES OF MURDER (2003) | Based On True Story : Hwaseong Serial Killer
Title : Memories of Murder
Genre : Thriller/Crime
Release : 2003
Actor : Kang Ho-song, Kim Sang-kyung
Director : Bong Joon-ho
Hi guys, this time you want to review a film from South Korea which is very popular. This film, which is based on a true story, really touched the hearts of the audience. The story of a psychopath who sadistically killed the victim and made him "the first serial killer in Korean history". It's really not an achievement.
SYNOPSIS
Memories of Murder (Hangul: 살인의 추억) is a film about South Korean crime. This film was released in 2003 and was written and directed by Bong Joon-ho. The film is based on the true story of the serial murder that occurred for the first time in Korea in history, carried out by Lee Choon-jae. The case occurred from 1986 to 1991 in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. In this film, Detective Park, played by Song Kang-ho, and Detective Seo, played by Kim Sang-kyung, are the detectives who handle and try to solve this case.
A HARD CASE TO SOLVE
This case is very difficult to solve because of the lack of sophisticated tools or systems to track and search for strong evidence. Because in that year the tools owned by the police were very limited and still completely manual. There is no GPS, CCTV and cell phones like today. This is what makes it difficult to catch the perpetrator. In every incident the police find it difficult to find evidence at the crime scene and always end up empty-handed. This made the detectives desperate.
DETECTIVES WITH DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES
In this film, director Boong Joon-ho clearly conveys criticism of the police system which uses violence and the ineffectiveness of its investigations. In this case, a detective named Park is depicted who is manipulative and uses various methods to make anyone a suspect, he even deliberately uses violence so that the person being interrogated admits to a crime he never even committed.
Unlike Detective Seo, this detective who came from Seoul is younger than Detective Park, but Detective Seo has more experience. He prefers to use logic and reason to solve a case. Because of the magnitude of the case regarding this serial killer, detective Seo came to Hwaseong to help with the investigation.
Because these colliding personalities are an interesting thing to watch. Detective Park with his manipulation and violence while detective Seo goes according to his logic and reason.
IT IS DIFFICULT TO FIND EVIDENCE
The perpetrators who committed their crimes when it rained, made it difficult for the police to find evidence because the rain had destroyed them. Coupled with the unsophisticated police system, the detectives are increasingly desperate. Because of this, Detector Park felt his reputation was threatened because he was unable to catch the real perpetrator and blindly accused anyone of being the perpetrator by using violence to get the suspect to admit to the crime.
This is what makes detective Seo brought in from Seoul to help with the investigation. Detective Seo, who is calm and works logically, tries to collect all the data that can be used to catch the culprit. This is what sometimes makes Detective Park and Detective Seo fight because they don't get along.
DEATH OF VICTIMS WITH THE SAME PATTERN
In this film, every incident is shown clearly, such as the victim being brutally murdered and also the form of the corpse which is very pathetic. For those of you who can't see things like this, you shouldn't have to force yourself to watch.
Starting from the discovery of the body of a woman who shook Korea because of her tragic death. With hands tied, naked and mouth gagged with socks. Immediately the detectives went to the location and looked for any evidence they could take from the incident. However, because of the rain, the existing evidence was damaged.
Two months after the incident, the body of a woman was found in a ditch with the victim's condition similar to that of the previous victim. And again this happened when it rained making evidence difficult to find.
With the series of incidents, Detective Seo began to realize that there was the same pattern in the two bodies, namely the victim was wearing red clothes, it happened during the rain, there was a sad song on the radio and also the condition of the victim's body was the same. This makes Detective Seo believe that the perpetrator is the same person.
Based on this pattern, Detective Seo tries to trap the perpetrator by using a pattern that can lure the perpetrator to appear. He asked one of his colleagues to disguise himself by wearing a red shirt and walking alone in the rain around the location where the case occurred. And for Detective Park and Detective Seo, they hide and stalk their colleagues if the perpetrator appears. After waiting for so long there were no signs that the perpetrator would appear. And they returned without bringing anything.
LACK OF EVIDENCE
This case made the entire police force desperate, they tried everything they could to catch the perpetrator. Detective Park even went to the sauna just to pay attention to the genitals of the men who were there, because the detective felt that the perpetrator had no pubic hair because he didn't leave any traces.
Detective Seo, who remains calm and tries to guess through the existing data and evidence, makes Detective Park angry so that arguments often occur between the two. Although both still influence one another. But this is also what ultimately creates chaos in the investigation.
BASED ON TRUE STORY
This case is based on a true story that occurred in South Korea. And this film evokes memories of this case which occurred from 1986 to 1991. At the time of the incident, all Korean people were too afraid to just leave the house to buy dinner.
All the victims were women of various ages, there were 15 victims aged 71 to 13 years. During the period of this case, the police examined 3,000 suspects and interrogated them but none of them was proven to be the perpetrator and this left the case unsolved for more than 20 years.
Until finally something surprising appeared. In 2019, a man admitted to the serial murder as the perpetrator. He is Lee Choo Jae, who was previously nicknamed the "Hwaseong Serial Killer" or "Korean Zodiac Killer".
So, for those of you who like thriller/crime films, this film is very suitable for you to watch. Because this film is claimed to be South Korea's best film!
Best Regards,
Tina K Harnis.
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Before watching Parasites I visited Bong Joon-ho's filmography and I was amazed. Every movie I watched seemed better that the previous one and among their first films this one and Mother are my favorites. This movie has all a thriller needs to keep you enchanted and although the real events are cruel and horrible, Memories of murder is a great movie. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, Bong Joon-ho has high intelligence in making films more than imagined. I also like Parasite. Really good movie.
Thank you too for sharing :)