Review Memoir of a Murderer

[plsletitrain]

South Korea does it again. I believe SK thriller movies with most of the letters in the title are M and R (like Memories of Murder) really make it into my top whatever list. I almost got teary-eyed after watching this (yes, a thriller movie that made me teary-eyed) not because of any dramatic scene but I just felt so overwhelmed having seen this wonderful movie.

Not to be confused with a Japanese movie MemoirS of a Murderer also released this year.

The strength of the film lies on the powerful portrayal of the lead, Sul Kyoung-gu. He plays Byung-su, a single dad whose painful childhood led to him becoming a serial killer (although his victims aren't innocent ones, he only kills bad people). He has dementia or alzheimers causing him to forget vital information (when he twitches his eyes and mouth whenever his alzheimers attacks is acting chops 101 for the beginners). This is where the dilemma in the film enters. Several maiden killings have surfaced recently and he accidentally bumps into the killer. He knows a killer when he sees one. Now that killer decides that his next victim will be his daughter. Or is he really a killer or was it Byung-su all along, his memory just playing with him? It was a wonderful experience seeing the film through the eyes of someone with dementia. The director did a clean job in leading us to a conclusion, only to be proven wrong, or eventually be proven right.

I'm sure this isn't the first film we saw with this kind of plot. But psychological thrillers never get old to me. Especially when done cleanly. The movie does a decent job of showing scenes then taking us to a flashback which will vitally change the course of the story. There are only a few characters in the film but the lead actor alone brought the film to a whole higher level. There are touching father-daughter moments here that was a bonus.

I can't recommend it enough. This is a must watch.

 

[sitenoise]

Sounds good. I like Sul Kyoung-gu. It's advertised at my neighborhood convenience store but the shipment hasn't shown up or something.

 

[divemaster13]

Sounds right up my alley!

 

[sitenoise]

Kyoung-gu Sul is a kick ass actor. Nam-gil Kim is an over-moisterized non-entity. I didn't believe him as a cop or a serial killer. He wrecked the movie for me. I thought the K-pop girl was fine and I quite liked the father-daughter relationship.

Koreans love to make these "tricky" movies where things aren't what you think they are ... but

I'm not sure Alzheimers involves hallucinations. I thought it was about mis-memory, forgetfulness and such. But it's a fine line. For example: when Kyoung-gu Sul thinks he's putting his daughter in the cab with his sister. He could have forgotten who the serial killer was and mistaken him for a cab driver BUT why would he hallucinate his sister in the passenger seat? Later on he may remember it incorrectly, but WHEN HE DID IT, it had nothing to do with forgetfulness. The director used this tenuous device too many times, trying to be tricky, to the point it became cheap. "Haha, Fooled you!".

The premise of the film is a great idea. Kind of: reformed serial killer gets Alzheimers and a new serial killer tries to make it like the first serial killer just forgot he started killing again. But Nam-gil Kim and the unfair 'trickiness' kept pushing me away.

I thought it was nice, and I think it's a Korean thing, to change the real nature of the "father/daughter" so she could live a life free of the association. Lots of good to this film but a couple big boogers forced my final thumb down.

 

[plsletitrain]

Nam-gil Kim is an over-moisterized non-entity.

Bwahahahaha!!!!! Sounds good for Kim Nam-gil's resume. I can picture you not liking him. I know you felt he looked like a paper here. Like a lifeless poster boy.

I'm not sure Alzheimers involves hallucinations. I thought it was about mis-memory, forgetfulness and such. But it's a fine line. For example: when Kyoung-gu Sul thinks he's putting his daughter in the cab with his sister. He could have forgotten who the serial killer was and mistaken him for a cab driver BUT why would he hallucinate his sister in the passenger seat? Later on he may remember it incorrectly, but WHEN HE DID IT, it had nothing to do with forgetfulness. The director used this tenuous device too many times, trying to be tricky, to the point it became cheap. "Haha, Fooled you!".

I frequent hospitals but I'm not a doctor so I took it as it is, just a layman's understanding of the disease. I thought it also involves hallucinations to a certain degree. I think dementia is a vague and vast area that whatever messes with the intellectual capacity of a human being can be covered by it, including hallucinations. I accepted with my whole gullible heart the film's premise that his hallucinations were symptoms of his disease, and I accepted the film's presentation and thought it was clean.

So sad you didn't like the film. I thought this would make my 2017 list or all-time list. Oh well....we have different set of eyes.

 

[sitenoise]

Ahhh, it was okay. I'm just mad at Korean cinema these days for three things: over-moisterized non-actors; overly tricky plots; and its depiction of unnecessary violence. This film hit all three of those things. I almost punted the film when dad took son into the room to beat him. If they would have showed it on camera I would have definitely punted. Koreans seem obsessed with the notion that it's entertaining to just beat the shit out of someone. I mean, I get that fisticuffs is kind of an inherent, cathartic (or something) entertainment. I just watched Charlize Theron beat the crap out of a few dozen guys and enjoyed it. (The gun fights were stupid because gun fights on film are always stupid-and it was kind of an overly tricky, unfolding plot). There's just something about the way Koreans are doing it these days that leaves me flat and feeling like they've sold their souls to the devil. I started watching that flick A Special Lady recently because if I'm going to dig on some ass-kicking I'll probably enjoy it more if it's a lady doing the ass-kicking. As I reported here, the film took less than two minutes before it shows some guy kicking a naked woman (because that's what rich and powerful men get to do. There was no reason for it, and it wasn't a fight). That's sick. Fuck you South Korea.

 

[plsletitrain]

I'm just mad at Korean cinema these days for three things: over-moisterized non-actors; overly tricky plots; and its depiction of unnecessary violence.

I can't comment much on the first because if they can't act, they at least have to be cute so I can endure the entire film. And my idea of cute is your idea of over-moisterized lol. Seriously now, as to the second, this is where I'm leaning on the other edge. I've always enjoyed their psychological thrillers, the "you think you knew yet you didn't part". The twists, so to speak. As to the unnecessary violence, I'm also quite divided on this. I used to frown on their violence, the beating (especially when done casually) but if its to augment to the beauty of the film, then I'm all for it. South Korean films are the ones that break tradition. I've regarded a lot of their films as challenging both to the mind and the stomach.

 

[plsletitrain]

Fuck you South Korea.

Which brings me, did anybody here actually see a movie from North Korea? I want to, where can I get one. *insert Kim Jong-Un jokes here*

*And insert you-can't-even-get-a-copy-of-your-own-local-movies-and-now-you're-looking-for-North-Korean-films gif here*

 

[sitenoise]

I did just watch a documentary about The first western rock band to play North Korea: Laibach.
Funny strange