Memories of Murder
Template:Infobox Korean Film Memories of Murder (살인의 추억) is a 2003 South Korean drama film. It is based on the true story of the country's first known serial killings, which took place between 1986 and 1991 in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. The film's dark, moody cinematography, unsparing portrayal of an incompetent police force, and a sensational performance by Song Kang-ho earned it wide praise.
The film was the second feature film directed by Bong Joon-ho, following his 2000 debut film Barking Dogs Never Bite. The screenplay for the film was adapted by Bong and Shim Sung-bo from Kim Kwang-rim's 1996 stage play about the same subject. Song Kang-ho and Kim Sang-kyung star as two of the detectives trying to solve the crimes.
Plot
At the start of the film, in October 1986, a young woman who is going to a date is found raped and murdered in a ditch near a field. Soon after, another woman is found raped and murdered in a field. Local detective Park Doo-man, not having dealt with such a serious case before, is overwhelmed; key evidence is improperly collected, their investigative methods are suspect, and their forensic technology seems close to non-existent. Detective Seo Tae-yoon is sent from Seoul to assist them; their methods clash and he is unable to convince them they are dealing with a serial killer until his predictions of another murder come true. He realizes that the killer waits until a rainy night, and only kills women wearing red. A female police officer realizes that a local radio station is always requested to play a particular song during the nights the murders are committed.
While Det. Seo investigates and tries to piece together the clues, Det. Park and his men beat confessions out of a local man, found masturbating at the scene of one crime, and a retarded boy, whom they threaten to kill, even going so far as to make him dig his own grave. Det. Seo is able to clear both of those suspects and follows a trail of clues to a factory worker who had only moved to the area a short time before the first murder. The detectives are unable to pin anything on him; when they realize that the retarded boy witnessed one of the crimes and try to speak to him, they frighten him so badly that he runs in front of an oncoming train and is killed.
Finally, when yet another murder is committed and DNA evidence sent for processing in America comes back inconclusive, Seo's frustrations flow over and he snaps. He roughs up the factory worker, telling him to leave town and only Det. Park's actions stop Seo from shooting the suspect. In the end, the crimes remain unsolved.
Reception
Memories of Murder was well-received by both critics and audiences. The film won the South Korean film industry's 2003 Grand Bell Award for best film, while Bong Joon-ho and Song Kang-ho won the awards for best director and best leading actor respectively.
By the end of the film's domestic run it had been seen by 5,101,645 people[1], making it the most watched film during the year 2003 in South Korea. While it was eventually outgained by Silmido, which was released in the same year, most of Silmido's audience didn't see it until 2004. At the end of the film's run, Memories of Murder was also the fourth most viewed film ever in the country, after Shiri, Friend and Joint Security Area. The commercial success of the film has been credited as saving one of its production companies, Sidus Pictures, from bankruptcy.[2]
Memories of Murder received screenings at several international film festivals, including Cannes Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, London International Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival and San Sebastian International Film Festival, where Bong Joon-ho won the Best Director Award.
Correspondence with real events
While a total body count was never mentioned in the film, a total of 10 similar murders were committed in the Hwaseong area between October 1986 and April 1991. Over 300,000 policemen took part in the investigation and over 3,000 suspects were interrogated.[3]
Some of the details of the murders, such as the killer gagging the women with their underwear, were also true to the real murders.[4] Like in the film, the investigators found bodily fluids suspected to belong to the murderer in the crime scenes, but didn't have access to equipment to determine whether the DNA matched with the suspects until late in the investigations. After the ninth murder, DNA evidence was sent to Japan (unlike the film, where it was sent to America) for analysis, but the results didn't correspond with the suspects.[5]
Like in the film, the actual murderer hasn't been caught. Since the statute of limitations for the crimes in South Korea is 15 years, it would seem unlikely that anyone will have to stand trial for the crimes. However, as the case grows closer to reaching the statute of limitations, South Korea's leading Uri Party has sought to amend the law to give the prosecutors more time to bring the murderer to justice.[6]
Main cast
- Song Kang-ho - Detective Park Doo-man
- Kim Sang-kyung - Detective Seo Tae-Yoon
- Kim Roe-ha - Detective Cho Yong-koo
- Song Jae-ho - Sergeant Shin Dong-chul
- Byeon Hee-bong - Sergeant Koo Hee-bong
- Ko Seo-hie - Officer Kwon Kwi-ok
- Park No-shik - Baek Kwang-ho
- Park Hae-il - Park Hyeon-gyu
References
- ^ 2003 Korean film reviews and box-office report at koreanfilm.org
- ^ Cheong, Sung-il; Paquet, Darcy (2004). Korean Cinema 2003, Korean Film Commission. p.7.
- ^ CJ Entertainment's site on Memories of Murder
- ^ Unsolved murders may escape prosecution, daum.net, March 2, 2006, retrieved March 11, 2006.
- ^ Hwang Ho-taek, DNA Evidence, donga.com, January 21, 2006, retrieved March 11, 2006.
- ^ Lee Sun-young, Uri seeks extension of prosecution time limits, The Korea Herald, November 23, 2005.