Spoilers of course. Lots of them.
Joon-ho Bong's Memories of Murder from 2003 is one of the best movies ever made. I know many loves The Host - and it's a good one - but the only one he made after this one I felt talked to me emotionally is the stunning 2009 drama-thriller Mother. One of the finest dramas ever actually.
One thing that draws me back to Memories of Murder is the ending. One of those few perfect endings ever made. So far from spectacular, twisty or silly. This is frames that says so much about human nature. Our anti-hero, Detective Park Doo-Man (Kang-ho Song) has finally grown-up. Far from the lousy, incompetent drunk he's in the beginning. This is many years later and something draws him to the scene of the first crime. They never caught the serial killer and then everything was forgotten.
A little girl approaches him and tells him another man was there recently, looking at the same place. A plain, ordinary man. Park Doo-Man analyzes the information and then looks straight at us, the audience. It's not just a matter of growing up for him, the killer did the same thing. Grew up. And he can be anyone.
A family father. An ordinary salesman. A middle-aged, nostalgic man - just like detective Park Doo-Man. Or you and me.
The ending actually reminds me of Camillo Teti's 1986 thriller L'assassino è ancora tra noi, based on the real life The Monster of Florence killings. But Memories of Murder handles it with a lot more taste and elegance.
Endings like this stays with him. They trigger my imagination, which is more or less the reason why I watch movies.
A great post as always. My favourite ending is the one in Francois Ozons "Under the sand". Watch it if you haven't already seen it.
Posted by: Tomas Sandquist | June 16, 2013 at 14:14
Thanks Tomas! And I read a bit about Under the Sand, sounds fantastic! And with Charlotte Rampling!
Posted by: Fred Anderson | June 16, 2013 at 14:23
"Joon-ho Bong's Memories of Murder from 2003 is one of the best movies ever made. I know many loves The Host - and it's a good one - but the only one he made after this one I felt talked to me emotionally is the stunning 2009 drama-thriller Mother."
I still haven´t seen Mother, but so far Memories of Murder is my favorite too.
"Far from the lousy, incompetent drunk he's in the beginning."
Yeah, you have the same character development in.....Chaser/Chugyeogja(2008), sort of.
Not as good, as Memories of Murder/Salinui chueok(2003).
"A little girl approaches him and tells him another man was there recently, looking at the same place. A plain, ordinary man. Park Doo-Man analyzes the information and then looks straight at us, the audience. It's not just a matter of growing up for him, the killer did the same thing. Grew up. And he can be anyone.
A family father. An ordinary salesman. A middle-aged, nostalgic man - just like detective Park Doo-Man. Or you and me."
This something that´s highly effective, that the killer could be among us and we would never find out, Se7en (1995) was touching upon that theme, the killers name is John Doe!
The Collector (1965)with a wonderful performance by Stamp, where he just continues to collect.
Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien/Harry, He's Here to Help (2000) has an even more strange, but brilliant twist to this theme.
"The ending actually reminds me of Camillo Teti's 1986 thriller L'assassino è ancora tra noi, based on the real life The Monster of Florence killings."
I have never seen that one.
"Endings like this stays with him. They trigger my imagination, which is more or less the reason why I watch movies."
You´re right about that, great essay and thanks.
Posted by: Megatron | June 16, 2013 at 14:37
Amazing movie. Great script, superb acting and a fantastic photo. That last frame of Kang-Ho Song says more than a thousand words. Very effective indeed.
Posted by: tobe | June 17, 2013 at 01:25