In the clip above, critic Darcy Paquet speaks with Bong Joon-ho about the research that went into constructing the profile of the killer as they were portrayed in the film, the emotional strain of filming some of Memories of Murders’ most harrowing scenes, and his complicated reaction to the news of Lee Chun-jae’s confession.Ĭriterion will release the 4K edition of Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of Murder on April 20, and it can be purchased via Amazon or the Criterion store. This week, Criterion will release a new 4K digital restoration of Memories of Murder, complete with extra dvd features including commentary tracks, interviews with admirers such as Guillermo del Toro, and interviews with the director himself. He eventually confessed to the murder of over 14 women, 10 of whom were victims in the Hwaseong murders. And for those that have seen the film, you know that the crimes at the center of the plot remained unsolved, much like the real-life investigation. But in 2019, Korean authorities confirmed the identity of the killer as Lee Chun-jae, a 57-year-old serving a life sentence since 1994. No matter what you think of the film, Memories of Murder has an interesting backstory, as it’s based on the true story of South Korea’s first serial killings that happened in the late-‘80s. It’s a film whose consummate craft and tone rivals, if not outright surpasses, David Fincher’s Zodiac from 2007, with terrific performances courtesy of Song Kang-ho and Kim Sang-kyung and a final scene and shot that’s sure to devastate and haunt you long after the credits roll.įollowing the release of Bong’s film in 2003, the real case remained unsolved for another 16 years. Memories of Murder is an emotionally taut and exquisitely plotted crime thriller that encompasses many if not all of the aesthetic touchstones that would go on to become Bong’s signature across his later films: darkly comedic undertones, evocative cinematography, and impressive blocking. As the stress of the case wears on and the bodies pile up, Seo (Kim Sang-kyung) and Park (Song Kang-ho) are pushed to their brink by a desperate search to bring the killer to justice. Bong’s 2003’s procedural murder thriller Memories of Murder is commonly touted as not only one of his best, but one of the greatest Korean films ever produced.īased on a true story from the 1980s, Memories of Murder finds two detectives struggling to capture the culprit behind a then-unprecedented series of murders of women in the agrarian town of Hwaseong. Films like Okja, Snowpiercer, and The Host garnered him international acclaim for his biting social commentary, acerbic wit, and deft tonal twists. A young cop transferred from Seoul, Inspector Seo (Kim Sang-kyung) has more professionalism but he, like the other two, is hopelessly out of his depth.Before he directed 2019’s Best Picture winner Parasite, Bong Joon-ho was already a pioneer filmmaker at the forefront of Korea’s New Wave. Veteran actor Song Kang-ho (the dad from Parasite) is the beefy, cynical Inspector Park his dopey and aggressive sidekick is Inspector Cho (Kim Roe-ha) who beats suspects and uses a special woollen oven mitt-style overshoe to put on his boot when he wants to kick someone to avoid leaving a mark. The officers in Memories of Murder are quite different. With the benefit of hindsight, we can see how the film challenges and subverts the serial killer procedural in its entirety Anglo-Hollywood cops on the trail of psychopathic monsters tend to be tough professionals, or forensic savants – or they can be fascinatingly “flawed” with weaknesses or vulnerabilities that only underline how sympathetic they actually are. His film is based on the Hwaseong serial murders of the late 1980s they remained unsolved until this film came out, sparking a renewed upsurge of interest in the case, which led finally to the identification of the culprit last year – who was already serving a life sentence for the murder of his sister-in-law in 1994. B ong Joon-ho broke through to global acclaim with an Oscar for his film Parasite, and now the rerelease of his black comic thriller Memories of Murder from 2003 reminds you that, along with all his other glittering prizes and achievements, this director also helped catch the most notorious serial killer in South Korean history.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |