Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
Director
Bong Joon-ho
Cast
Song Kang-ho,
Kim Sang-kyung,
Kim Roe-ha,
Song Jae-ho,
Park Hae-il,
Go Seo-hee
Genre
Crime,
Drama,
Thriller
The year is 1986, and a young woman has just been found brutally raped and murdered in the small Korean province of Gyunggi. Two months later, the bodies of more women are found, causing locals to fear that a serial murderer is on the loose. In response, a special task force led by two local detectives - Park Doo-Man and Jo Young-Goo. A masterful and gripping thriller by director Bong Joon Ho.
The real event that this film is based on is a murder mystery that is unsolved to this day, thus giving viewers no clear answer or a satisfying sense of closure. But in spite of that, Memories of Murder is still filled with dramatic conflict and is extremely captivating all throughout. I was on the edge of my seat from the beginning until the very end!
Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt
Suspenseful, surprising, and psychologically rich.
Original-Cin by Linda Barnard
Powerful, unrelenting, and with excellent performances — especially from Song who is never less than outstanding — Memories of Murder is unforgettable and justifiably described as a masterpiece.
Village Voice by Michael Atkinson
It's an altogether remarkable piece of work, deepening the genre while whipping its skin off, satirizing an entire nation's nearsighted apathy as it wonders, almost aloud, about the nature of truth, evidence, and social belonging.
The A.V. Club by Scott Tobias
It takes enormous skill to pull off such a high-wire act without diminishing the gravity of the situation, but Bong and his first-rate cast are up to the task.
Village Voice by Bilge Ebiri
By the time the spellbinding and mysterious final shot rolls around, we’re left with this thought, the sad, mad truth of an authoritarian world: Nobody’s innocent, and everybody’s a victim.
Washington Post by Stephen Hunter
What emerges is quite extraordinary.
LarsenOnFilm by Josh Larsen
Dark—with a black wit to match—this serial-killer thriller from director Bong Joon-Ho functions clinically as a genre exercise, while also holding persuasive power as a stark meditation on police corruption.
Boston Globe by Wesley Morris
What's most remarkable about it is the way Bong builds real suspense and plays the chilling moments straight while leaving himself room for nonsense and horseplay. He seems completely at ease with the marriage of the silly with the serious. Only time can reveal whether he's a master filmmaker, but this, at least, is a masterful performance.
Washington Post by Desson Thomson
As exciting for its narrative twists and turns as for its Korean textures and rhythms.
The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck
Uses dark humor, incisive characterizations and social commentary to infuse its familiar detective tale with a distinctive flair.
The New York Times by Manohla Dargis
What distinguishes Memories of Murder, setting it apart from rank-and-file thrillers, is its singular mix of gallows humor and unnerving solemnity.
Variety by Derek Elley
A powerful, slow-burning portrait of human fallibility.
Film Threat
A haunting score and beautifully atmospheric cinematography by Kim Hyung-gu round out the achievements of this unique and engaging Korean thriller.
Film Threat by Mariko McDonald
A haunting score and beautifully atmospheric cinematography by Kim Hyung-gu round out the achievements of this unique and engaging Korean thriller.
Austin Chronicle by Marc Savlov
Becomes something of a rainswept Korean koan on both the nobility and futility of persistence in the face of obviously insurmountable odds.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer by Sean Axmaker
The script is as sloppy as Song's unkempt cop, sprinkled with intriguing ideas and imaginative details that, like the investigation, simply get lost in blind alleys.
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