Memories of Murder
Palm Pictures | Release Date: June 24, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
82
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Original-CinLinda Barnard
Powerful, unrelenting, and with excellent performances — especially from Song who is never less than outstanding — Memories of Murder is unforgettable and justifiably described as a masterpiece. Read full review
100
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Suspenseful, surprising, and psychologically rich. Read full review
90
Village VoiceBilge Ebiri
By the time the spellbinding and mysterious final shot rolls around, we’re left with this thought, the sad, mad truth of an authoritarian world: Nobody’s innocent, and everybody’s a victim. Read full review
90
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
It takes enormous skill to pull off such a high-wire act without diminishing the gravity of the situation, but Bong and his first-rate cast are up to the task. Read full review
90
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
It's an altogether remarkable piece of work, deepening the genre while whipping its skin off, satirizing an entire nation's nearsighted apathy as it wonders, almost aloud, about the nature of truth, evidence, and social belonging. Read full review
90
Washington PostStephen Hunter
What emerges is quite extraordinary. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
What's most remarkable about it is the way Bong builds real suspense and plays the chilling moments straight while leaving himself room for nonsense and horseplay. He seems completely at ease with the marriage of the silly with the serious. Only time can reveal whether he's a master filmmaker, but this, at least, is a masterful performance. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter Bradshaw
Memories of Murder is a great satire of official laxity and arrogance, and its final scene is very chilling. Read full review
80
Film ThreatMariko McDonald
A haunting score and beautifully atmospheric cinematography by Kim Hyung-gu round out the achievements of this unique and engaging Korean thriller. Read full review
80
VarietyDerek Elley
A powerful, slow-burning portrait of human fallibility. Read full review
80
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
What distinguishes Memories of Murder, setting it apart from rank-and-file thrillers, is its singular mix of gallows humor and unnerving solemnity. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
Uses dark humor, incisive characterizations and social commentary to infuse its familiar detective tale with a distinctive flair. Read full review
80
Washington PostDesson Thomson
As exciting for its narrative twists and turns as for its Korean textures and rhythms. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesJeff Shannon
What seems like a meandering comedy of police ineptitude eventually tightens into a gripping character study that defies genre conventions. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Becomes something of a rainswept Korean koan on both the nobility and futility of persistence in the face of obviously insurmountable odds. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineJason Clark
The film is overlong at 132 minutes, but never dull or predictable, especially in delivering an ambiguous ending that goes against the grain of most Hollywood slasher films. One wishes it strayed even further from the land of the Hannibal Lecter, then we’d really have something. Read full review
50
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
The script is as sloppy as Song's unkempt cop, sprinkled with intriguing ideas and imaginative details that, like the investigation, simply get lost in blind alleys. Read full review
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