Memories of Murder (2003)

The worst of them will stay with you... forever.

A sadistic serial rapist and murderer of young women terrorizes a small province in 1980s South Korea. To prevent further crimes, three increasingly desperate detectives with conflicting methods race against time to unravel the violent mind of the killer in a futile effort to solve the case.

Directed by: Bong Joon Ho

Written by: Bong Joon Ho, Shim Sung-bo

Music by: Taro Iwashiro

Starring: Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roi-ha, Song Jae-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Go Seo-hee, Ryu Tae-ho, Park No-shik, Park Hae-il, Jeon Mi-seon

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Released: 2003-04-25

Runtime: 131 minutes

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Memories of Murder (2003): trivia & fun facts

Fun facts

• The production team initially contacted many famous Japanese composers such as Joe Hisaishi, and yet tried to find the right music that would not "overwhelm the film", and later found about Taro Iwashiro.
• Filming took place in Jangseong County, South Jeolla Province and the reed field scene was filmed in Haenam County, South Jeolla Province, with cinematography by Kim Hyung-koo.
• In 2010, Film Comment listed their top films of the decade based on an international poll of various cinephiles, including filmmakers, critics and academics.
• Development of the film was confirmed in September 2002, after CJ Entertainment purchased the rights to Kim's play, which is loosely based on South Korea's first confirmed serial murders.
• Initially over 20 demo tapes were sent to Bong, with some modifications in response to Bong's requests.
• To reflect the blank spaces that are intentionally laid on the screens in the frames of the film as well as the missing information in time, the music was composed in "almost connected, yet almost disconnected rhythms".
• In 2025, it ranked number 99 on The New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century" and number 49 on the "Readers' Choice" edition of the list.
• The tunnel scenes were filmed at the Jukbong tunnel located in Jinju.

Source: Wikipedia

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