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Prepare To Develop A Twitch From This Film, It Will Make Your Brain Hurt
What a fascinating twisty turny story this was about a serial killer chasing another serial killer! I had seen a clip of this film weeks ago and it immediately peaked my interest. That clip was the one of our main character Byung Soo rear ending a younger man Tae Joo with his car, then coming to find out Tae Joo has a bloody body in his trunk. That interaction was so well done and gripping I had to see the movie.I'll start with the acting. It's great all the way around, but especially from Sol Kyung Gu (Byung Soo) and Kim Nam Gil (Tae Joo). Those two acted off of each other so well! The daughter's actor Kim Seol Hyun was good as well, but her peak didn't really happen until the revelation about her father much later on into the film. There's some really nice cinematography in this. A couple unique shots stood out to me and I loved, then some others were meh and could've been tweaked. Specifically shots within the bamboo forest. Some of those could've been so cool if done differently. Overall though, really well shot! The music score was also really gripping, especially with the use of hard drums. Definitely made the suspense cling to you.
So with that all aside, let's move onto the plot. Like I stated before, the overall plot is really interesting. A serial killer would know how to track down another serial killer! Just by the way he thinks and plans. The dementia and alzheimers definitely made for another interesting plot device to keep the story going and make it more difficult for out main character. Whom I believe could've taken down Tae Joo sooner if not for the illness weighing him down. Sometimes though, the mental aspect felt overused a tad and it made things unclear what was real for awhile. Which could be very confusing for casual viewers. However, I don't consider myself one of those so I thought the solid not knowing was a highlight of the film, because it keeps you guessing and questioning. There's a period of the film where it kind of backpedals a bit, but eventually gets you moving forward again and I quite liked that.
That last act of the film was really solid, including the revelation that Byung Soo wasn't wrong or guilty of the current crimes being committed. Which led to an amazingly choreographed fight scene in the house. Another scene that happens before this that I really liked was the friend cop lighting the cigarette only for its flame to show Tae Joo's face in the shadows. That was really cool, shocking and very horror-esque. Dude opened the pack too early, because I'm pretty sure those cigarettes were meant to be lit after capturing Byung Soo but I could be wrong?
I am aware that this film is based on a book, which now I want to read. As well as there being a directors cut with an alternate ending. I didn't like this alternate ending and think viewers should stick to the theatrical cut, since the other cut is too obvious for me and not gripping like this one. Definitely watch the film though and don't get it mixed up with Bong-Joon Ho film "Memories of Murder" completely different film! Both worth a watch though!
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A serial killer after a serial killer!
Just when you thought you know how the story will unfold, you'll get hit with another plot twist! This movie has such a unique storyline that I dont think I have watched anything quite like it. Casting was on point. Kim Nam Gil who drew me to watch this movie was excellent as an antagonist. His acting complemented Sol Kyung Gu almost like a typical love team. Their chemistry on screen was so at par with each other that it carried the movie into a box office hit. I especially love how the ending left me in anguish... did it really ended the way the man with dementia said it did!? Did it!?Was this review helpful to you?
As a thriller, however, not so. I love watching thrillers because of the intense and shocking scenes. When I approach a thriller movie, I expect it to blow my mind. Memoir of a Murderer couldn't do that. The movie is quite predictable, there weren't many thrilling scenes (despite the good acting of Kim Nam Gil) and the movie lacks shock value.
But the characters I really loved. The acting was superb, too. Sol Kyung Gu was absolutely brilliant as Kim Byung Soo, his expressions were amazing. Kim Nam Gil stole the show, though. I know what a nice, funny person he is in real life and that's why I was so shocked seeing him play this kind of role. I think he really fits the role of a serial killer though. Kim Seol Hyun's performance was fine-ish, she could have done better, but I didn't mind her acting.
The movie makes you think, too. Byung Soo is a person who only kills the people who, in his opinion, deserved to be killed and failed as human beings. While Kim Nam Gil's character, Min Tae Joo, simply killed whoever he wants. Both serial killers had horrible past but, at the end of the day, both are murderers. Despite the fact that Byung Soo has a good side, that doesn't mean that he is not a brutal murderer. The movie makes you think ''What would I do if I were Eun Hee? Would I forgive my father?''
So overall, Memoir of a Murderer is a good movie indeed and I would recommend it. But if you're looking for a very intense thriller, you won't find it here.
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I'm really in love with the movie. I watched it 3 times in 4 days and I didn't lose the interest. If you love thriller movies just like me you'll not regret watching it. And if you're confused about the ending (like me at the beginning because I really thought a lot about the movie), you should watch the other version (Memoir of a Murder: Another Memory).
I hope I am not the only one who loves this movie that much.
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Detailed presentation of a complex situation.
I’ll be honest with everyone - the only reason one should watch this over a director's cut (which for me is a 10/10), is to later watch the director's cut and appreciate it even more.Memoir of a Murderer is a story about simple characters in a complex and convoluted situation - both internally and externally. The addition of dementia is such a fresh and fascinating take on the typical serial killer story. What happens when a “reformed” serial killer starts to lose himself in the past, regressing to immoral behavior and not being able to control his urges that were tamed for years? Add another layer of him trying to catch another serial killer while struggling to remember all the encounters and identities of people around him - what a horrifying, but also captivating scenario.
What the movie does perfectly well is confusing the audience - what is reality? What is just a fragment of imagination? What was a lie and what was a forgotten memory? No matter how much you might pay attention, you cannot differentiate between the real and the fake, unless the movie itself wants to tell you the truth. How did they achieve that? Smart directing, amazing editing, trusting the audience and one aspect that made the director's cut better - the conclusion that actually makes sense.
Sol Kyung Gu as Kim Byung Soo? Perfection. The range of emotions and expressions, the chilling narrations and that eye twitch… The performance that somehow made me sympathize with a serial killer, even feel bad for him. Disagreeing with his murderous nature was obvious, but the fear of losing your identity and years of life and memories is such a horrible vision, it was hard not to feel anything while watching the movie.
Overall, probably one of the best serial killer movies I have seen in years, easily top5 of all times. Personally preferred the director’s cut, so if one is not up to watching mostly the same movie twice, skip the theatrical release.
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PROS:
+ Very creative and intriguing story, where the protagonist can't really be trusted, yet he is likeable and you want him to succeed
+ Impressive acting performance from the lead cast
+ Nice, tension that builds to create a thrilling second half
CONS:
- There are probably too many plot twist reveals that cause a "cry wolf" effect and make many actions seem less believable/plausible
- Upon revealing the most significant plot twist, there is very little emotion expounded from that revelation
- While the latter half of the movie is thrilling from the "pursuit against time situation," the pacing is rapid and misses the mark to properly de-escalate and accept the weight of the happenings
- There is a questionable scene at the end that comes off as corny, due to the implications of yet another silly twist
Yes, I think this is worth watching. Especially if you are looking for a less conventional detective and serial killer movie. However, this is certainly a one-time watch that will sour if you think about it too much.
I would have been much more eager to recommend this, had the ending been done a little differently by adding some much needed emotional impact.
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Great psychological thriller that messes up with your mind
It's been a week since I watched Memoir of a Murderer and I still feel dizzy just from thinking about it. I knew what I was signing up for when I decided to watch it but I did not expect that this movie would play with my mind as much as it did.Memoir of a murderer is what the title implies: it's basically the biography of a former serial killer, Kim Byung Soo, who faces problems with his memory after he got diagnosed with Alzheimer disease. One day, Kim Byung Soo come across another potential serial killer, Min Tae Joo, who works as a police officer. Byung Soo tries to prove that Tae Joo is a serial killer while protecting his daughter from being a potential victim.
As one would expect from such an ambiguous premise, the film completely messes up with the viewers' mind. It had me constantly rethinking about what could be real and what could be false. Whom can I trust? Who tells the truth? I couldn't tell what was reality and what was a fragment of Byung Hoo's troubled imagination. The cinematography and the acting added to the distortion of the events, at one point I began wondering if I could be the culprit all along. There was not a single moment where I could settle for a final answer, every time I believed I had sorted everything out, the movie would prove me wrong. If it was a person, it would laugh at my confusion. During the last half hour, I felt like I was losing brain cells with all of the twists that occurred but it was so so worth it.
The production of the film was excellent. The dark and grey colours highlighted the bleak and mysterious atmosphere. The camera work was really effective, especially when it came to the characters. The editing and the combination of the scenes in general added extra layers to the ambiguous nature of the story. I couldn't tell what was truly happening and what was not.
One of the strongest aspects of the movie was the psychological exploration of the characters. When you have such a rich plot, you ought to explore the psychology of the characters and this is precisely what happened. Byung Hoo was a very complex person. You do not necessarily condemn his actions but you can excuse them to some extent. Even his murders were done with good intentions (or at least, that's what he believes). He is a troubled man who wants to protect his daughter and who is willing to go to great lengths in order to do so.
Tae Joo, on the other hand, appears to be the polare opposite. The film frames him to be a cold, manipulative psychopath who kills for the sake of killing. Although the film doesn't delve deeper into his past, his character still has so many layers to explore. I was constantly trying to figure out whether he was truly the culprit or not and I couldn't help but feel threatened every time he appeared. He was cocky, confident and despite the fact his cockiness got on my nerves at times, I was fascinated by him.
The cat-mouse game between these two men was thrilling to say the least. Byung Soo wanted to frame Tae Joo for his current crimes while Tae Joo wanted to frame Byung Soo for his past crimes. Both men tried to gain the trust of Byung Soo's daughter and both wouldn't hesitate to harm each other in order to reach their goal. It was mildly amusing to watch Tae Joo sabotage Byung Soo's attempts to find more evidence against him, I started feeling sorry for Byung Soo and the humiliation he had to go through.
Of course the successful portrayal of the characters must be attributed to Sul Kyung Gu and Kim Nam Gil's stellar performances. They did not just play their characters. They became the characters.
Sul Kyung Gu delivered an excellent performance, one that gave more depth to Byung Soo. I could feel his emotions through the screen. His frustration, his desperation, his love, his confusion. Everything was so transparent. I especially liked the way he used his facial expressions and his mouth, the little details in his acting captured Byung Soo's personality perfectly and proved how meticulous he is an actor.
Kim Nam Gil was one of the major reasons why I decided to watch the movie. Ever since I've watched him in Through The Darkness and Trigger, he has become one of my favourite actors. It goes without saying that once again, he did not disappoint. His role was very different compared to his other projects. Gone is the traumatized but kind profiler or police officer. Now he transformed into a serial killer who hid his true colors under his disguise of a good servant of justice. If any casting directors are reading this, I want them to know that I desperately need more evil roles for Nam Gil. He was phenomenal. The way he talked, the way he used his face, the way he acted...He commanded the screen and gave me the chills.
If I could pinpoint a small drawback that would be the pacing during the middle. The story never lost its spark of course, it's just that I found my attention drifting away at times after all of the chase between Byung Soo and Tae Joo. Nevertheless, the final act was a certificated banger. I do not want to delve into spoilers but be prepared: you will not be ready.
Do I recommend Memoir of a Murderer? Without a doubt! Those who love psychological thrillers will definitely appreciate it but even if you're not a huge fan of the genre, the acting alone and all of these guessing shenanigans will be enough. I am very curious to watch the director's cut version too and I cannot wait to dive deeper into this story.
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The acting and the plot is good, but...
I really wanted to LOVE this movie. BUT…This movie has a REALLY interesting plot. BUT the characters are the weakest part of the movie. While watching a movie we want to root for a character or at least understand them. In this movie we learn the history of both killers but still it lacks emotion. And for the daughter she doesn‘t have much influence on the film tbh. She‘s just there to create this thing between the killers. She has no character developments. From the start till the end she’s the naive daughter/damsel in distress. The acting is good. Sol Kyung Gu is AMAZING. Seolhyun isn’t a great actress but her acting in this movie was good and believable. Kim Nam Gil’s acting was also good. Another thing about this movie is that it has so many twists and at some points you don‘t try to connect the dots because you‘re lost, you just watch it. It becomes complicated and starts to lack sense. I don‘t think I‘ll remember what happened in this movie in a week.
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THIS WILL MAKE YOU WORK YOUR BRAIN
From the very first scene, the cinematography is very beautiful. It's one of those movies where you'll be wondering "what did I just watch?". With top-notch acting, the cast is just perfect. Kim Nam Gil and Sol Kyung Gu as usual delivered a spectacular performance. I am a big fan of Kim Nam Gil and it's my first time seeing him as a villain and I have to say it he pulled it perfectly. In spite of your best efforts, you will never be able to predict the twist the director created. There's nothing better than watching a good thriller movie, and this just hits the spot.Watch it, it's worth it.
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Leaves you astonished
waiting for the day kim namgil will disapoint me.the plot twist was something you'd expect in korean films ALL the time. abt how the victim/protagonist thinks a certain character is trying to kill them but its exactly the opposite, what made this film different was how the really depicted namgil's character as the killer till the end of the film while the plot twist was revealed in the last 3 mins of the film flashing through scenes, revealing what REALLY happened, which left me dazed 🤷♀️
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[Director's Cut]
So many twists and turns, it's like the filmmakers watched MEMENTO and dialed it up to 11. I hear that maybe I shouldn't have watched that version first from some, but what's done is done.How dare anyone try to murder Kim Seol-hyun though? That I can't forgive!
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Stunts - 80/100 | Surprisingly good stunts here, and quite a large number of them too.
Narrative - 70/100 | Terrific performance by lead actor Sol Kyung-gu, impressive from start to finish. Really that's one hell of a show he gave in this movie, by far the best part about it, in fact. The rest of the movie was a bit too convoluted for my tastes, especially the ending which introduces a few problems. Unreliable narrators can be a great tool but sometimes they're kind of annoying.
Fight Choreography - 70/100 | Not much typical choreography going on but the final fight is lengthy and brutal, somehow. Good action directing and stunt work, although this is far from an action movie so don't expect Hong Kong choreography here, it's just fighting for survival.
Enjoyment - 68/100 | There's grim and there's this. This movie is like an endless pit of despair. Goes a tad too long.
But South Korean thrillers are always a good choice because they frankly know how it's done.
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