Memories of Murder(살인의 추억)

✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews

Korea · 2003
2h 11m
Director Bong Joon-ho
Starring Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roe-ha, Song Jae-ho
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.

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What are people saying?

Minh Bui

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!

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What are critics saying?

Film Threat by

A haunting score and beautifully atmospheric cinematography by Kim Hyung-gu round out the achievements of this unique and engaging Korean thriller.

100

Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt

Suspenseful, surprising, and psychologically rich.

Variety by Derek Elley

A powerful, slow-burning portrait of human fallibility.

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.

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.

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.

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.