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Parents' Guide to

Memories of Murder

By Stefan Pape, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Modern Korean classic has adult themes, sexual violence.

Movie NR 2005 132 minutes
Memories of Murder Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 16+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 16+

Riveting, quiet, and desperate...

A riveting and violent film that centers the shot in the dark reality of many police cases, their lack of evidence and inherent insolvability and what that does to your spirit. Compelling, sad and suspenseful, you feel the killer close but like the wind you cannot catch it. A film that echoes it's desperation long after it's over.
1 person found this helpful.
age 16+

This title has:

Too much violence

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (2 ):

This crime drama from 2003 is one of Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho's (Parasite) most accomplished pieces. Memories of Murder is an unsettling production with an atmosphere that lingers long after the credits roll. Now this may sound like a deterrent, but it's far from it, as this film offers a rewarding watch to the patient viewer, and a fascinating, albeit candid and pessimistic study of the human psyche.

The movie harps back to classic film noirs of old, while there are shades of David Fincher in there too. In films of that nature often comes an antihero; the troubled cop, a loose cannon with outdated methods -- a familiar cinematic portrayal. Yet while Bong implements this conventional protagonist, he still manages to layer the character with nuance. And so, despite everything, you find yourself rooting for this very detective, in spite of his often vile behavior. This is of course in large part thanks to actor -- and regular Bong collaborator -- Kang-ho Song. A good performance will do that, and this performance is a great one.

Movie Details

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