[roshiq]

Originally Posted by neverending

Memories of Murder (2003)

Korean horror film directed by Joon-ho Bong.

Never heard of this guy before but I'm REALLY glad I watched this. Not your typical Asian horror movie at all. No tall women with long hair. No creepy kids with big eyes. No ghosts.

This is the story surrounding the investigation of Korea's first serial killer case. I don't know where to start here... Perhaps by mentioning the directorial finesse of Joon-ho Bong. He straddles a line between a very dark humor and deadpan seriousness with the assurance of a master. Expert at creating tension and surprise.

At first we're presented with the world's worst criminal investigative team. They trample evidence. They arrest the wrong people and torture confessions out of them. They plant evidence. When a detective from Seoul joins them on the case, they are jealous of his more sophisticated methods and try and discredit him.

There's a real visual flair to this film as well, along with some stunning visual metaphores. Many key scenes take place in the rain at night and they're shot with perfection.

The lead actor, Kang-ho Song, turns in such a nuanced performance I was awed. He portrayed his role, at first that of a bumbling corrupt cop, that transforms into a very sympathetic caring character. It was probably the best performance I've seen in an Asian movie (what ones I've seen, of course).

The story itself moves along at a brisk pace, always kept me interested, and revealed some deft touches, symbolism and depth.

Needless to say- I was extremely impressed.

Ashe- you will love this- check it out.

You too Chrono!

Glad you liked it, NE:) . I saw this movie years ago but still can't forget anything about it as every aspect of the film was so beautifully portrayed that impressed me greatly. And as you said it's not a typical serial killer movie..it's more than that. Instead of focusing on the murder scenes and shocking images like most other conventional serial killer films, the movie puts much more time and details into the story, characters and the situation of the time the incidents took place. At the very beginning it was said that the case still remain unsolved but I almost started to forget this fact as the story runs with a great flow. The frustration of witnessing the many problems the investigators were facing and the very high tension during the murder scenes kept me hooked all along. Intense humor, brilliant cinematography, excellent character developments with the incredible casts delivered in perfect way by the director Joon-ho Bong.
Not only chrono and Ashe, I also like to recommend it for fortunato and Alky. I'm sure they'll love this Korean Masterpiece.