Why you should watch Memories of Murder (2003)
Looking at the filmography of Bong-Joon-Ho we can see a great number of fantastic films that are mired with some social commentary (mainly the disparity of rich and poor) at its core. Films like The Host (2006), Mother (2009), Snowpiercer (2013), Okja (2017) and of course the film everybody knows by now Parasite (2019) are all films that have a distinguished essence and touch of the director with great technicality. So, there will be some who will debate which of these films is his best work and, in my perspective, his best film and a masterpiece that will always stay in my heart is Memories of Murder (2003).
Memories of Murder tells the story of the real-life incidents of the first serial killer in Korea. The killer was never caught at the time of the movie’s release. This is similar to Zodiac (2007) in that sense but memories of murder do not showcase the obsession that Fincher portrays in Zodiac but rather it shows how that evil can get away from justice especially when there is social and political unrest at the backdrop of these events.
The film has three main cops. Two of which are inept at their works and are of a local presence whereas the third cop is from the city who is assisting in the case. Detective Park doo-man (played by Kang-ho Song) is initially at the helm of the case and he has this characteristic where he says that he has an instinct from just by looking with his eyes he can spot and tell who the criminal is. This characteristic is functioned on many occasions and used magnificently at the end. Then there is the other inept cop Cho Yong-koo (played by Roe-ha Kim) who has a distinct method of his own when dealing with criminals and that is by stomping down on them with his leg. He is the sort of person who rather prefers violence as a tactic to gain the information he wants to hear. Then lastly is the third detective Seo Tae-yoon (played by Kim Sang-kyung) he is the wise detective of sorts and his method is traditional, he uses the facts of documents and evidence to come to his conclusions. It is through these three methodologies and characteristics of these characters do we see the investigation and the police procedural leading to advances and disappointments that makes us the audience revolting with anger and frustration.
The greatest aspect of the film is not just the story or its characters but it is purely Bong-Joon-Ho’s direction and technicality. For example, there is a wonderful scene where we see the camera moving along with detective park while he give commands and instructions to his fellow colleagues at a crime scene. Here Bong portrays the police organization as incompetent and messy. They do not have the experience to deal with this kind of crime, the forensics team is late which causes evidence to be tampered and all of this is engaging to watch because of the staging and movement of the camera. There is an aesthetic beauty that I believe makes this film standout on its own and that is like I said the beautiful combination of assemble staging of the characters and the placement of the camera. The explanation of assemble is done educatively by the YouTube channel Every Frame of Painting so I would recommend you watch that video and how he explains the way the characters are staged and placed based on character and how the camera pans from one side to another based on the information and importance of that information. This wonderful cinematography is by Kim Hyung Ku. The tone of the film is maintained with a bleak and dreary colour palette and also how many of the depictions and events happened in real life. This environmental story telling is also a great aspect of the film as it creates a great feel and ambience of hopelessness in a sense. There are many set pieces that are riveting and thrilling like a chase sequence during the night and how a dark tunnel forbodes in the back of certain scenes which later comes back during the final act which emphasises that the evil is presiding in the dark and can strike.
The film flows seamlessly from beginning to end and it has some dark and beautiful imagery. The killer is shown with true evil presence even though we don’t really get to know who he is or shown till the last act. It is shown only through his gruesome acts of his crimes and the tales that are told about him as if he is some mythical being. This causes a great antagonist at the helm which makes for wonderful progression of the characters.
To realize that this is Bong’s second film is an understatement. It has visual acumen of a masterful filmmaker. And if you are a fan of crime and thriller movies then this will be a darling of a film for you. It is one of my top five films of all time and I am not in any mood to change that position of this film for a very long time. Solely because of nostalgia but as a movie lover and a crime genre fan this is one of those perfect gifts one can receive and I believe Bong-Joon-Ho has gifted this movie to people like us.
FUN FACT: It seems because of this film they later on found out who the killer was. So, in a way Bong helped catch the killer.