![]() ![]() However, without that knowledge, I believe much of the satire and social commentary, which Bong deftly weaves into the cop procedural, is lost. Nevertheless, the film has an enduring legacy, which speaks to Bong’s ability to craft a powerful narrative that’s independent of the social context. Detective Park Doo-man, portrayed by Song Kang-ho, is blatantly corrupt, and undoubtedly a satirical portrayal of the police of the time, yet I’ve read some reviews that simply characterize him as “a misguided cop who ultimately cares about justice,” which, to me, is almost like reading a review of Casablanca where the reviewer doesn’t know what Nazis are. My review of this film isn’t the first to exist, and it certainly won’t be the last, but I seldom see a review tackle the film from a historical perspective. Unfortunately, the historical and cultural context is almost entirely lost on Western audiences, yet it’s still regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. Why am I digging up all this history? Well, because Memories of Murder, Bong Joon-ho’s crime drama about Korea’s first serial killer, takes place in 1986. Any one reported incident is but a drop in the bucket, but there is a rather famous incident in 1987 when 21-year-old university student Park Jong-chul was tortured to death during an investigation over his alleged anti-government activities, sparking what would be known as the June Democratic Struggle. The twisting and compelling plot points, the wit on the surface of every dialogue exchange but also beneath the surface of other filmmaking tactics like shot variety, well-placed subtext, and palpable character development.Police brutality was also so widespread at the time that it became commonplace. But mostly, the film stands out for the genius of its script. So, again, and with those various accolades in mind: one could write a book on the mastery of this film, with each chapter being a different subject from “Framing” and “Blocking” to “Continuity Editing” and “ Sound Design”. Meanwhile, the film also won the award for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and most prominently Best Film. And it's their absurdity in tandem with the dialogue’s darkly comedic overtones that facilitate such brilliant portrayals from the likes of Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, and Kim Roi-ha.Īt the 2003 Korean Film Awards, Bong Joon-ho won Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, while Song Kang-ho - the lead actor in Memories of Murder, and several other Joon-ho films - picked up the award for Best Actor. These are some pretty impressive performances, too, from talented actors portraying lively, off-the-wall characters. They saw that the film's primary characters - detectives Park Doo-man, Seo Tae-yoon, and Cho Yong-koo - were more facilitators for the commentary on humankind's condition than anything else. In the end, though, the bulk of Bong’s success with Memories of Murder came from critics, fellow filmmakers, and more hardcore movie maniacs who recognized the film as more than a generic murder mystery. The director’s sophomoric follow-up Memories of Murder saw great reception from critics like Barking Dogs Never Bite before it, and while it wasn’t a massive success at the box office, or anything, it definitely attracted more moviegoers than the director’s debut. He loathes the film, in fact, and perhaps channeled that hatred as inspiration for his next project. And despite its positive reception (from those that actually went to see it), Bong Joon-ho considered it a failure. His debut Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000) garnered great reviews from critics, but it was by no means a financial success. He has a few co-screenwriting credits from that period as well, on top of one as a co-director. ![]() ![]() ![]() After graduating from film school in the mid-1990s, Bong worked as both a cinematographer and a lighting technician on several small-scale productions. This was his second feature film, but even before he directed full-length projects, he was still quite active as a behind-the-scenes creative. ![]()
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