Memories of Murder (2003)

Michael December 28, 2022

★ 8/10

Doch eines ist sicher, alle die sich auf das koreanische Kino einlassen können werden bei „Memories of a Murder“ mit einem Film belohnt, der nachwirkt, der nach dem Abspann nicht nur ein weiterer gesehener Film ist. Man liest es vielleicht aus dieser Rezension raus, dass „Memories of a Murder“ überzeugen konnte und genau deswegen sollte auch klar sein, was Ihr nun tun solltet. Genau! Schaut Euch „Memories of a Murder“ an. Überzeugt Euch selbst davon, wie vielschichtig und spannend dieser Film ist. Fiebert selbst mit den Ermittlern mit und rätselt wer die Taten begangen hat. „Memories of a Murder“ ist sicher kein einfacher Film und auch kein „Feel Good“-Film, aber ein mehr als sehenswerter Film. [Sneakfilm.de]

CinemaSerf September 3, 2023

★ 7/10

This is cracking serial killer drama from Bong Joon Ho - with some superb performances - that tracks a police investigation trying almost every technique known to man to trace a rapist/murderer who is terrorising young women (especially if it is raining and if they are wearing red). Kang-ho Song, Sang-kyung Kim and Roe-ha Kim don't exactly see eye to eye as they set about their task, adopting some scientific and not-so scientific approaches to their detection. The stylish and witty writing allows the characters to develop at a slow, but steady and interesting pace - using humour, pathos and violence - and at times it is the methods and attitudes of the police that appear under more scrutiny than the perpetrator of the crimes! Sadly, though, it does sag towards the end. The sharp pace of the writing and the intensity of the performances having reached a pretty high plateau, comes off the …

badelf July 7, 2026

★ 10/10

Summary: 10/10: one of the greatest crime films of the 21st century, a perfect marriage of Bong's satirical instincts and his capacity for devastating emotional truth. This is a great mystery film featuring comically inept police detectives, and it stands as one of the best Korean films of all time. (The other top contender is probably Parasite, also by Bong Joon-ho.) This is a must-see for any cinephile. The script and the direction are perfect. The story is based loosely on the Hwaseong serial murders, one of South Korea's first real serial killer cases. The crimes went unsolved for more than twenty years, a frustrating reality that Bong transforms into devastating cinema. What begins as dark comedy, bumbling rural detectives beating confessions out of innocent suspects, contaminating crime scenes, relying on shamanism and "instinct", gradually darkens into something far more des…