At the latest with “Oldboy”, films from South Korea have become an insider tip for fans of dark, brutal, suspenseful and simply high-quality thrillers. This also applies to “Memories Of Murder”, the second film by director Bong Joon Ho, which should be known to most movie fans at least since his hit “Parasite”, which was awarded four Osacrs. Incidentally, “Memories Of Murder” was released in the same year as “Oldboy”, so 2003, and presents itself as Hard to grasp genre mix of thriller, black comedy and social studies.
Anyone who hasn’t seen Bong Joon Ho’s early work should definitely catch up. And that’s exactly what Amazon Prime Video now offers, where you can stream “Memories Of Murder” with a subscription (and therefore no additional costs). It is worth it!
“Memories Of Murder” received a solid 4 out of 5 stars from the editors of FILMSTARTS. In his review, our author Andreas R. Becker also addresses how much Bong Joon Ho plays with genre conventions and audience emotions: “The use of the aforementioned non-genre elements and an almost scandalous ending sets Bong apart from the classic Hollywood thriller.but loses none of its tension,” said the critic.
Ultimately, “Memories Of Murder” is primarily a social study of South Korea in the 1980s, ruled by a military dictatorship until 1987, and an attempt to come to terms with this era.
“The violent incompetence of the police is reflected here in a system that, after years of dictatorship, is still looking for a new language”this is how FILMSTARTS editor Pascal Reis placed it in our list of the best serial killer movies of all time, where “Memories of Murder” is number 14:
“Memories Of Murder” is based on a series of real-life murders: Between 1986 and 1991, ten young women were brutally raped and then strangled in the town of Hwaseong in rural South Korea.
Both village police officer Park Doo-man (Song Kang-ho), who suffers from overconfidence, and townsman Seo Tae-yoon (Kim Sang-kyung) who have been brought in, are completely overwhelmed by the case and try desperately and with increasingly dishonest means to somehow find one of the suspects to hand over…
Author: Julius Vitzen
Source : Film Starts
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
