Overview of Memories of Murder
‘Memories of Murder’ is a 2003 movie directed by Bong Joon-ho. The film takes the audience to an unresolved investigation of Park Doo-man and Seo Tae-yoon, which happened in 1986. Song Kang-ho plays the role of Park Doo-man and Kim Sang-kyung plays the role of Seo Tae-yoon in the movie. The murder series which happened between 1986 and 1991 in the Hwaseong City in South Korea influenced the plot construction of the movie.
Profile
- Name: ‘Memories of Murder’
- Genre: Thriller, Mistery, Crime
- Starring: Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung
- Directed by: Bong Joon-ho
- Produced by: Cha Seung-jae
- Screenplay by: Bong Joon-ho, Shim Sung-bo
- Cinematography: Kim Hyung-koo
- Music by: Taro Iwashiro
- Edited by: Kim Sun-min
- Release date: 2 May 2003
- Production Companies: CJ Entertainment, Sidus Pictures
- Distributed by: CJ Entertainment
- Language: Korean
- Running time: 131 minutes
Cast
- Song Kang-ho as Park Doo-man
- Kim Sang-kyung as Seo Tae-yoon
- Park No-shik as Baek Kwang-ho
- Song Jae-ho as Shin Dong-chul
- Kim Roi-ha as Cho Yong-koo
- Go Seo-hee as Kwon Kwi-ok
- Byun Hee-bong as Sergeant Koo Hee-bong
- Ryu Tae-Ho as Jo Byeong-Sun
- Jeon Mi-seon as Kwok Seol-yung
- Park Hae-il as Park Hyeon-gyu
- Yeom Hye-ran as So-hyeon’s mother
Synopsis
‘Memories of Murder’ narrates a series of brutal murders of young ladies on rainy days that happened in October, 1986. Park Doo-man, an ordinary detective with no experience of investigating serious murder cases, takes up the case.
Doo-man goes through a series of barriers in his investigation when the police hands down an awkward set of evidence and forensic reports. However, Doo-man is confident about his ability to point out the suspects through glancing an intent look into their eyes. To collect evidence, he questions a mentally retarded boy named Baek Kwang-ho because he followed one of the victims before her death.
Considering the inexperience of Doo-man in investigating crime scenes, Seo Tae-yoon, a detective from Seoul having advanced knowledge, is introduced to the case. According to Tae-yoon’s evaluation, Baek Kwang-ho is a weakling to commit a murder after rape.
The evidence collected confirms a certain pattern of the crimes. The murders were committed on rainy nights and the women dressed in red cloths were chosen as victims. In addition, a female police officer reported that an obscure song is played on the local radio on the night of every rape and murder.
One day, the detectives gather at a new crime spot. When they search the crime scene, they find a man performing obscene acts and take him into custody suspecting him as the culprit. The man gets drubbed in their custody and he fabricates a story. He also mentions the presence of a mysterious man around the premises of a school.
Listening to the story, the detectives understand that it has no ground, though his confession of seeing a man around the school premises matches the words of some high school girls.
Doo-man and Tae-yoon decide to investigate the murder cases together and they go to meet a clerk named Hyeon-gyu working in a gypsum factory. Tae-yoon notices the soft hands of Hyeon-gyu and he suspects him as the killer, but there is no other evidence to confirm.
The investigation takes the detectives to Baek Kwang-ho’s father’s restaurants. There they meet a drunken man named Cho. Cho is a policeman who is suspended for beating Hyeon-gyu. Doo-man and Tae-yoon see Baek Kwang-ho, but the frightened boy runs from getting caught by the detectives and accidentally gets hit by the train.
For further investigation, Tae-yoon sends the semen dictated from the victim’s body to the US. Out of curiosity and suspicion, Tae-yoon follows Hyeon-gyu but he slips out of his sight. An angry Tae-yoon tries to shoot him the next time he sees Hyeon-gyu. By the time the DNA report arrives from the US, it proves the innocence of Hyeon-gyu. Doo-man stops Tae-yoon from killing Hyeon-gyu.
Years later, in 2003 Doo-man goes through the places where he once came to investigate the murder series. He meets a young girl and while talking she says about a man whom she saw there earlier. The anonymous man was recollecting something enjoyable that he did there in the past. The girl describes him as an ordinary man. After listening to the girl, Doo-man looks into the camera, overwhelmed.
Theme
‘Memories of Murder’ exposes the political situation which prevailed in the 1980s in South Korea. The detectives initially suspect Baek Kwang-ho, the boy who followed one of the victims. In the movie, he symbolises purity and innocence which gets smashed when hit by a train. The unprofessional evidence collection and the death of the only witness help the culprit escape from getting caught. Later, in the movie, the culprit recalls the pleasure that he once enjoyed at the crime spot devastating the detective.
Awards
- Chunsa Film Art Awards 2003
Best Film
Best Editing – Kim Sun-min
Best Director – Bong Joon-ho
Best Screenplay – Bong Joon-ho, Shim Sung-bo
Best Actor – Song Kang-ho
Best Supporting Actor – Park No-shik
Best Cinematography – Kim Hyung-koo - Grand Bell Awards 2003
Best Film
Best Director – Bong Joon-ho
Best Actor – Song Kang-ho - Blue Dragon Film Awards 2003
Best Cinematography – Kim Hyung-koo - Busan Film Critics Awards 2003
Best Director – Bong Joon-ho
Best Screenplay – Bong Joon-ho - Tokyo International Film Festival 2003
Best Asian Film - Director’s Cut Awards 2003
Best Director – Bong Joon-ho
Best Actor – Song Kang-ho
Best Producer – Cha Seung-jae - Korean Film Awards 2003
Best Film
Best Actor – Song Kang-ho
Best Director – Bong Joon-ho
Best Cinematography – Kim Hyung-koo
Best Screenplay – Bong Joon-ho and Shim Sung-bo
Best Editing – Kim Sun-min - Torino Film Festival 2003
Best Screenplay – Bong Joon-ho and Shim Sung-bo - Festival du Film Policier de Cognac 2004
First Prize
Premier Prize
Interesting Facts about Memories of Murder
- ‘Memories of Murder’ is inspired by a true story and it discusses a great deal about the political background back in 1980.
- The plot of ‘Memories of Murder’ is developed from the unresolved murder cases done by Lee Chun-jae between 1986 and 1991 in Hwaseong, a city in South Korea.
- Shim Sung-bo and Bong Joon-ho worked as a team to finish the story’s screenplay.
- ‘Memories of Murder’ is a masterpiece of the director Bong Joon-ho.
FAQs
- When is the movie ‘Memories of Murder’ released?
The movie ‘Memories of Murder’ was released in South Korea on 2 May 2003. - Who is the director of the ‘Memories of Murder’?
Bong Joon-ho directed the movie ‘Memories of Murder’. - What is the Instagram ID of Song Kang-ho?
@song.kang.ho
