In his breakthrough second feature, Bong Joon Ho explodes the conventions of the policier with thrillingly subversive, genre-defying results. Based on the true story of a string of serial killings that rocked a rural community in the 1980s, Memories of Murder stars New Korean Cinema icon Song Kang Ho as the local officer who reluctantly joins forces with a seasoned Seoul detective (Kim Sang Kyung) to investigate the crimes—leading each man on a wrenching, yearslong odyssey of failure and frustration that will drive him to the existential edge. Combining a gripping procedural with a vivid social portrait of the everyday absurdity of life under military rule, Bong fashions a haunting journey into ever-deepening darkness that begins as a black-comic satire and ends as a soul-shattering encounter with the abyss.DIRECTOR-APPROVED TWO-BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURESNew 4K digital restoration, supervised by cinematographer Kim Hyung Ku and approved by director Bong Joon Ho, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrackTwo 2003 commentaries featuring Bong and members of the cast and crew, plus a new commentary featuring critic Tony RaynsNew interview with filmmaker Guillermo del ToroNew interview with Bong about the real-life serial killer who inspired the filmDocumentary from 2004 on the making of the filmDeleted scenes, with optional audio commentary by BongNew interview with film scholar Jeff Smith on the use of sound in Bong’s workIncoherence, a 1994 student film by Bong, with a new introduction by the directorTeaser, trailer, and TV spotPLUS: An essay by critic and novelist Ed Park
M**J
South Korean Cinema lives!
One of the best detective films of all time
M**N
yummers
Cinephiles are ugly people, that's why we try to compensate by watching beautiful movies like this one. Absurd and refreshing, these are the two words that perfectly describe Memories of Murder! Great add to my personal collection. Criterion is just perfect
L**E
Director Bong’s Masterpiece
I loved Parasite but this movie is above all the movies I loved before. Every scene clutched me through out the entire movie and I cried together with the cop at the end…
J**N
Excellent Flick
I bought the DVD accidentally but i still love the movie so much, I kept it. Excellent performances and direction. Can't say too much about it that will spoil it but check it out.
M**L
Riveting meditation on South Korean policing
Great scan of a great film. You’ll probably enjoy if you’re interested in the ethics of policing.This director is developing a reputation for his talent for striking a balance between disparate tones. Memories of Murder, like Parasite and Mother, juggles a strong comic sensibility with the seriousness befitting a dark social drama.
J**E
One of the greatest, least known detective movies ever made
One of the best crime movies ever made. Each scene is crafted to perfection. Every time I watch this I become enchanted by the acting, the cinematography, each telling the story of people struggling to understand their situation, and to deal with something entirely new to their experience; a serial killer. I shout out what is obvious to an over exposed veteran of the serial killer hunt, but were unknown techniques at the time, especially in a rural community in South Korea during a tumultuous period in their recent history.This story is based in a true event.
K**H
Perfect CC version
As a fan of the director, you wouldn’t miss this boy ray movie
B**2
Liked story and acting, but color grade/timing is awful imo
This film was the rare blind buy for me all because of its unusually high stellar reviews from several sources and that Criterion released it. Having seen it now I probably would not have purchased this Criterion version. The reason is that the overall color grading was much over done and took me out of concentration several times where I kept telling myself how odd the color looks, from outdoor scenery to really bad skin tones. I should have listened to the real expert over at blu-ray dot com where he warned readers about the grading; go read it for yourself ("overview > video quality"). Whatever, just my honest opinion. Now that I own it the disc is just good enough to keep and rewatch in future, and maybe the next viewing I will know going in about the color grade and then be able to immerse myself more into the story and acting.
Trustpilot
1 day ago
2 weeks ago