Memories of Murder ★★★★

SIXTEEN years before he won the Oscar for Parasite, South Korean director Bong Joon-ho announced himself as a talent to watch with just his second feature.

Memories of Murder is a fascinating crime thriller that examines the causes of evil, humanity’s flawed response and the random nature of life.

Joon-ho co-wrote the screenplay which was adapted from a play based around the actual police investigation into a series of rapes and murders in the city of Hwaesong in the 1980s.

In October of that year two women were found raped and murdered. Local police, in particular Detective Park Doo-man, are completely out of their depth, blundering from one mistake to another in their attempts to solve the crimes as quickly as possible.

Evidence isn’t properly collected or tested, key witnesses are ignored and interviews with suspects are marred by violence. The attempt to pin the crimes on a teenager with mental disabilities is particularly harrowing.

Slowly things change with the arrival from Seoul of the more experienced, knowledgeable and by-the-book Detective Seo Tae-yoon.

Rather than just assist the case, which is further complicated by more murders, Tae-yoon ends up guiding and then leading the investigation in a manner that could eventually lead to the true culprit but also takes an emotional toll on everyone involved.

Joon-ho’s film stands out from many other crime thrillers for its story, acting and approach which, like his masterpiece Parasite, manages to skilfully balance violence and mystery with human drama and even broad comedy.

There is no doubt the current crop of police procedural dramas has been influenced by Memories of Murder.