Time now once again,
to dive into the world of movies.
Sometimes the stories told are too far out,
or just uncomfortably real...
but we just can't get enough!

Thanks for tuning in all you film buffs out there!
This is Daniel Choy's Flixology.
a weekly review or preview of the big pictures.

BG: 살인의 추억(Memories of Murder) - Taro Iwashiro

In many different instances, Bong Joon-ho has been voted the director Koreans love.
And that's entirely understandable for a number of reasons.
His story telling technique hits home.
His characters are relatable to average Koreans.

Arguably the greatest work by this maestro of movies
is Memories of Murder or 살인의 추억.

It's about a group of police officers who struggle
to try and solve a serial murder case.

Based on the true story of the country's first
known serial murders, which took place between
1986 and 1991 in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province

From Kim Kwang-rim's 1996 stage play
about the same subject.

The 80s were a much simpler and analogue time, especially in Korea.

The small town police detective played by Song Kang-ho
is simply overwhelmed when confronted with a serial murder case.
Something he never had to deal with in his relatively smooth sailing career.

Song's character is something that many Korean
fathers from that era can relate to.

Overwhelmed with grave responsibility,
an outdated version living in a rapidly changing world.

Trying to be the alpha dog,
when he doesn't know what it takes.

Actually, I suppose it can apply
to any breadwinner in any period.


SONG BREAK: 우울한 편지(Sad Letter) - 유재하

Song's character tries to make sense of it
and still prove to his followers that he knows what he's doing.

It's the ultra-macho, "ready, Fire, then aim." approach to things.

He starts by picking up potential suspects
and then trying to beat the truth out of them.

BG: 제비처럼(Like a Swallow) - 윤승희

At some points, his eagerness to close the case quickly
leads him to force suspects to belt out what his team would like to hear.

The key suspects include
a mentally less able boy who happens to be
at the wrong place, wrong time, saying the wrong things.
And extremely easy to manipulate.

A pervert who likes to dress up in the wrong outfits.

Perhaps his approach worked in some rare instances
in much simpler and obvious cases before... but this time,

Kim Sang-kyung plays an intellectual,
somewhat by-the-book style detective from the city, Seoul, that is...
dispatched to Hwaseong to help out with the case.

He will not tolerate any more
improper collection of key evidence
and ridiculous investigations driven by hunches.

But unfortunately for Park's character,
this is a time when Korean police
had to wait for weeks before receiving
conclusive DNA evidence result from the US.

The prime suspect boils down to a young man
played by Park Hae-il.

Is he a super criminal who knows
how to outsmart the virtually non-existent
forensic technology back then?

Or are the officers,
both the hunch-first detective and the science and logic cop
barking up the wrong tree?

Song Break: 빛속의 여인(Lady in the Rain) - 장현