Memories of Murder (Salinui chueok) (2003)

Wow!!!!!!!!! what a history sad but very real

its one of the 20 most favorite movies picked by quentin tarantino and i couldnt agree no more,,,its thrilling yet funny in its way..recommended

Korean police try to track down a serial killer before he kills again. An okay police drama that lapses into silliness from time to time.

Has moments of hilarity among a very sombre themed movie. Amazing acting, very believable. This is based on a real unsolved case? Chilling. Highly recommended!

Bong Joon Ho's film starts with the basic ingredients of the serial killer thriller and viewers who know the formula can enjoy the film with that template in mind. But we do not tread old terrain here, instead things largely disintegrate and the tone is that of a very black comedy (largely due to the bumbling efforts of the detectives) that seems to be commenting as much on South Korean history in the 1980s as on the case at hand. When we fast forward to the present, it isn't entirely clear which "murder" is being remembered. Very entertaining.

Ever since I saw South Korean director Joon-ho Bong's amazing 2006 film 'The Host', I decided I was on board with any film he is involved in past and present, which brings me to Memories Of Murder. Set in 1986 in rural South Korea, the film follows two hapless local police officers investigating a series of brutal murders by using questionable techniques to extract information from the numerous suspects without any worthwhile results. When a detective arrives from Seoul arrives to help with the case, he is at odds with the local officers poor police work and investigates the continuing murder spree using his own techniques, whilst turning a blind eye as the local police plant evidence and beat confessions out of the suspects. There is a lot going on in this film, on many levels. At it's core it is a police procedural film, stripped of modern forensic technology and following the many dead end roads that the investigation is confronted with. But it also takes the time to create rich and diverse characters that are fleshed out and ultimately likeable, even when they are doing questionable things. Like 'The Host', I'm positive there is political commentary weaved into the film to be explored, but hey that's a whole other blog. Whilst being only his second film, Joon-ho Bong proves himself as a master of the medium and I'd put him up there with the greats based on his work here and on The Host. Actor Kang-ho Song (J.S.A, The Host, Thirst) is the real deal and is fast becoming one of my favourite actors working today not only in Korean films, but films in general.

Oh My God i wast expecting this from this film, it was amazing just a great story told on screen and they dont use what hollywood uses like gore didnt seen any gore just a great dective story trying to fins out the killer. a really greeat confriation near the end and moment that make you go "Oh Shit" and the ending you dont find out who the killer is but it was like so it was that guy very great movie.

for everyone who has had it up to the eyeballs with the ridiculously overused American cop movie/show formula this is for you. Its funny, thrilling and very human. A breath of fresh Korean air into a stale genre. Or you could just watch csi again...

Excellent, cynical Korean cop flick where the cops are all too human, make errors, are occasionally funny, often tragic, mostly incompetent if persistent rather a long haul but it's worth hanging in there.

I agree with Colin H - well worth watching and definitely not what I expected. A little long winded but excellent charcter and plot development throught the film.

This is a long read, but there is much in it that is really quite excellent. Yes it is a cop story, but their breathtaking incompetence smacks more or realism than anything I have seen in english. Its an ordeal, but well worth the effort.

Brilliant, but not what you will be expecting.

It's a combination of martial arts, thriller and drama. A very interesting movie.