Memories of Murder (2003)

Korean language crime-drama set in the rural South Korea of the mid 1980's. The story concerns a group of cops, sometimes at odds, as they attempt to solve a series of rap murders of young girls in the country side. The film is actually based on the real life Hwaseong serial murders which occurred from 1986 to 1991 and were never solved. The film has got an excellent sense of mode and foreboding, is crispy shot with a few visually memorable sequences, is well cast, and really gives one a sense of rural Korean life at that time, aided through the use of pop music, television programs, and real life events from the period. I found the film evoked a vocal reaction from me a couple of times, most prominently when a potential witness is unexpectedly killed in a tragic fashion. This is strong movie making, and I think only the second South Korean film I've ever seen (after Save the Green Planet, also a 2003 release). Worth a look. ***