Memories of Murder
Memories of Murder is a 2003 South Korean drama directed by Byong Joon-ho (The Host, Barking Dogs Never Bite) based on the still unsolved serial murders that took place in Hwaseong between 1986 and 1991. The film follows police detectives Park Doo-Man (Kang-Ho Song) and Seo Tae-Yoon (Sang-kyung Kim) in their investigation to track down and apprehend the killer.
Tropes used in Memories of Murder include:
- A Date with Rosie Palms: While Seo investigates one of the crime scenes there is a man caught masturbating. He becomes a suspect and they try to beat him into a confession. But Seo determines that he is not guilty and insists that they try to capture the real killer.
- Anti-Hero: Detective Park and his colleague who enjoys kicking suspects.
- Bishōnen: The factory worker, who is a major suspect.
- Black Comedy
- Downer Ending: Made worse by the fact that it's Truth in Television.
- Foregone Conclusion
- Hidden Villain: Combined with The Faceless.
- High Altitude Interrogation
- Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Used liberally by the police. Though it doesn't help much.
- Just a Flesh Wound: Averted. One of the detectives get's his leg attacked by a plank of wood with a nail attached to it. We see him limping around afterwards, and eventually his leg has to be amputated.
- Karma Houdini: The killer.
- Mood Whiplash: Only slight one. The first half of the film (roughly) focuses a lot on Black Comedy, and the second half entirely on drama.
- Perp Sweating
- Rabid Cop
- Rape as Drama: The murderer raped his victims before killing them.
- Scenery Porn: Some of the country scenery is just beautiful.
- Serial Killer: Obviously.
- Squick: Some of the murders may cause this reaction.
- Ted Baxter: Detective Park, who claims that he can instinctively tell who's a bad guy.
- The Unsolved Mystery: To this day.