Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder does original things with a well-worn genre, as CALEB STARRENBURG finds.


Memories of Murder (Salinui Chueok) was South Korea's highest grossing film last year, and garnered a number of awards at various festivals, including the Korean Grand Bell Award in the 'Best Actor', 'Best Director' and 'Best Film' categories.

Memories of Murder is, on the surface at least, a reasonably standard serial killer drama, loosely based on a real life criminal investigation. The film features the good cop-bad cop sensibilities and moral ambiguities typical of the genre. However, it is the film's non-generic elements which distinguishes it above its peers.

Director Bong Joon-ho (Barking Dogs Never Bite) imbues Memories of Murder with a claustrophobic sense of place and time. Set in 1986 (South Korea is still governed by President Chun's military regime), the film is interspersed with air raid drills and reports of violently repressed anti-government protests.(1)

It quickly becomes apparent Bong intends Memories of Murder to be as much about "memories" as he does a series of murders. This reflective premise surely resonates more strongly with a Korean audience, undoubtedly accounting for the films outstanding success in that country.

However, regardless of your nationality, the film's portrait of moral corruption is a theme with universal relevance, while the darkly humorous "Keystone Cops" vein underpinning Memories of Murder prevents it from slipping to into disconsolateness.

The film opens (warning: spoilers ahead) with rural detective Park Du-man, played by Song Khang-ho (Joint Security Area), investigating the rape and murder of a young girl in a red dress. The incompetent Inspector Park struggles to maintain the integrity of his crime scene, as a tractor drives through its centre.

Soon a mentally retarded boy is arrested for the crime. Park and his assistant plant evidence and savagely beat a confession from the youth, despite the detainees insistence he was not involved.

Presently Seoul based detective Seo Tae-yun, played by Kim Sang-kyung (Turning Gate), arrives to aid in the investigation (although the reason why is never clear) and is mistakenly attacked by Park.

Inspector Seo promptly proves Park's suspect was not involved, creating tension between the police officers. As the murders of young girls in red dresses continue, a series of tragically comical mishaps and misunderstandings furthers the conflict between the two detectives, while simultaneously blurring their sensibilities.

Finally Inspector Seo arrests the suspect he is convinced is guilty of the murders. However a DNA test seems to prove the man was not involved, forcing Seo to decide whether to let the detainee go, or to enact his own 'small town' justice.

Despite what might appear to be a clichéd Se7en-esque climax, fully developed performances by the film's leads and a taut screenplay by Kwang-rim and Joon-ho creates a vicariously engaging experience. Kim Hyeong-gyu's (Please Teach me English, One Fine Spring Day) cinematography further heightens tension by mixing lyrical imagery with an almost uneasy proximity to violence.

The director's pacing is generally excellent, with action often occurring on multiple plains. The original soundtrack by Taroh Iwashiro's (Another Heaven) maintains the films intrigue, complementing Memories of Murder perfectly.

The feature's disappointing epilogue, a coda set in the present, serves as somewhat of an unwanted distraction(2). Otherwise the film is a well-constructed and rewarding experience.

Memories of Murder offers a ruminative, poignant and often hilarious approach to a genre not known for its originality. A film for anyone who has ever laughed at the expense of small town New Zealand, or the moral righteousness of Auckland.