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Memories of Murder, directed by Joon-ho Bong, 2003
I can and often do judge a movie by its cover. Why not? And that right there is one amazing piece of cover art. I also like to see what statement they choose to put on the poster/cover and who said it:
I'm sure it is the American in me, weened on serial killer pics like Se7en and Silence of the Lambs, but a quote like that puts one grimm expectation in my mind; sick, mutilated bodies a plenty. Now, I didn't watch this movie with the morbid hope I would see some intense gore, I wanted to see it simply because that cover art is rather stunning. If I could have a large print of it, I'd frame that baby on my wall.
But that right there is a defining characteristic of this film. It is beautiful, but my expectation was for something Se7en-esque - which it isn't. It is a far cry from an American styled serial killer film and I wish I hadn't had that expectation going into it; I'd of appreciated the begining much more without such expectations. There is no glorification of the detective process. The detectives in this film are so human and bareboned in nature that I initially faulted the film for it. In the begining I simply didn't buy the characters. They didn't fit in with my cultured schema of what a serial killer seeking detective should be. They provided me, the viewer, with absolutely no thought of comfort, which is what police officers should be doing. The things they did, in contrast to how I as a westerner expect police officers to behave, that seemed like the film was overtly going for a cheap laugh when in retrospect it was just being human.
It really is rather amazing what this film accomplishes by not adhering to the commonalities of the serial killer genre. There is no persistant threat created throughout the entire film. The serial killer isn't portrayed to the viewer (either directly or by proxy through the victims he leaves) as the penultimate evil doer; the killer is simply just a taker of life. When a victim does loose their life to the killer, it isn't over played or over acted, it is just taken at face value. The death portrayed in the film was masterfully handled. We are witness to a coroners examination of a rather decayed body, but the camera doesn't draw attention to the simple fact that it is a dead body despite the astounding makeup job that was done in creating the body. This is a common trait throughout the film. The things we (or at least I) expect to be glorified in a serial killer film (the killings, the killer, the inspection of the mutilated bodies) are indeed created with glory in mind as is evident from the detail put into them, but they're included only as background in the film. Rarely does the camera pay close attention to the details of the death and this trait alone is one of the chief things that I think makes this movie a resounding success.
It is very refreshing to watch a serial killer movie where the focus isn't specifically the serial killer, the victims or the case, but the handful of people trying to live their lives as detectives. It removes the forced expectation of a grand climax, a struggle between good and evil and replaces it with a real world, not some cinematic fantasy, and I applaud the film for it. It maintains a high level of humanity, though not necessairly morality, throughout. It is beautifully shot (one more film that convinces me Korea is one of the most beautifully photographed regions in the world) and wonderfully scored. The actors are all more than capable in their roles. Hell, even the extras are spot on. I really find little that I can hold against the film, it is just a stand up picture, highly enjoyable and highly recommendable. The 123 minute runtime was daunting at first, considering it isn't exactly the thriller that one may expect, but it breezed on by and managed to be interesting every step of the way. And the ending...The ending is all too human; perfect for the film.
Hats off, Joon-ho Bong, you've created a film that miraculously succeeds by being consistently inoffensive, despite the fact that it does have a very dark seam running through its fabric.
The One Sentence Review - Memories of Murder is probably the overall most pleasant serial killer film I've ever seen and certainly worth a watch to anyone with an open mind.
I can and often do judge a movie by its cover. Why not? And that right there is one amazing piece of cover art. I also like to see what statement they choose to put on the poster/cover and who said it:
"A tense, old school crime pic with a dark edge that's not for the squeamish." - BBC Films
But that right there is a defining characteristic of this film. It is beautiful, but my expectation was for something Se7en-esque - which it isn't. It is a far cry from an American styled serial killer film and I wish I hadn't had that expectation going into it; I'd of appreciated the begining much more without such expectations. There is no glorification of the detective process. The detectives in this film are so human and bareboned in nature that I initially faulted the film for it. In the begining I simply didn't buy the characters. They didn't fit in with my cultured schema of what a serial killer seeking detective should be. They provided me, the viewer, with absolutely no thought of comfort, which is what police officers should be doing. The things they did, in contrast to how I as a westerner expect police officers to behave, that seemed like the film was overtly going for a cheap laugh when in retrospect it was just being human.
It really is rather amazing what this film accomplishes by not adhering to the commonalities of the serial killer genre. There is no persistant threat created throughout the entire film. The serial killer isn't portrayed to the viewer (either directly or by proxy through the victims he leaves) as the penultimate evil doer; the killer is simply just a taker of life. When a victim does loose their life to the killer, it isn't over played or over acted, it is just taken at face value. The death portrayed in the film was masterfully handled. We are witness to a coroners examination of a rather decayed body, but the camera doesn't draw attention to the simple fact that it is a dead body despite the astounding makeup job that was done in creating the body. This is a common trait throughout the film. The things we (or at least I) expect to be glorified in a serial killer film (the killings, the killer, the inspection of the mutilated bodies) are indeed created with glory in mind as is evident from the detail put into them, but they're included only as background in the film. Rarely does the camera pay close attention to the details of the death and this trait alone is one of the chief things that I think makes this movie a resounding success.
It is very refreshing to watch a serial killer movie where the focus isn't specifically the serial killer, the victims or the case, but the handful of people trying to live their lives as detectives. It removes the forced expectation of a grand climax, a struggle between good and evil and replaces it with a real world, not some cinematic fantasy, and I applaud the film for it. It maintains a high level of humanity, though not necessairly morality, throughout. It is beautifully shot (one more film that convinces me Korea is one of the most beautifully photographed regions in the world) and wonderfully scored. The actors are all more than capable in their roles. Hell, even the extras are spot on. I really find little that I can hold against the film, it is just a stand up picture, highly enjoyable and highly recommendable. The 123 minute runtime was daunting at first, considering it isn't exactly the thriller that one may expect, but it breezed on by and managed to be interesting every step of the way. And the ending...The ending is all too human; perfect for the film.
Hats off, Joon-ho Bong, you've created a film that miraculously succeeds by being consistently inoffensive, despite the fact that it does have a very dark seam running through its fabric.
The One Sentence Review - Memories of Murder is probably the overall most pleasant serial killer film I've ever seen and certainly worth a watch to anyone with an open mind.