Downstream is a humble compromise, upstream is a noble persistence

Dylan 2022-04-23 07:01:47

The criminal policeman, who was keen to kick, beat, and torture, finally cut off his limb.

The criminal police who believe in scientific data finally choose violence.

This kind of "black humor" between cause and effect appears to be fatalistic at first glance, but in fact the real culprit is the military dictatorship of South Korea in that era. I have always liked this theme of looking at small places through the background of the big era + the joys and sorrows of small people: in the long river of history, people are humble compromises when they go downstream, and noble persistence when they go upstream. In the end, Song Kanghao revisited his hometown after 17 years, and when he learned that the real murderer had also visited the crime scene not long ago, he broke the dimension wall and looked at the audience, pushing this obsession to the climax of the whole film:

Hi, murderer, are you watching this movie too? look into my eyes!

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Extended Reading
  • Joana 2021-11-18 08:01:27

    Not only the murder case, but the memories of South Korea from that era are also integrated into it and become a background.

  • Emmalee 2022-03-25 09:01:08

    Bong Joon-ho became famous and is regarded as the greatest Korean movie (tied with Old Boy). Fans who are accustomed to watching commercial films may feel drowsy because of the slow rhythm and detailed plot, and I am also the same, but after sticking to the end and thinking about it carefully, I realize how wonderful this film is. Not without flaws, but the subversion of traditional suspenseful crime films makes it go beyond this genre, and more emphasis is placed on the reflection on the history of South Korea's military and political dictatorship in the 1980s. (8.5/10)

Memories of Murder quotes

  • [repeated line]

    Detective Seo Tae-yoon: The documents never lie.

  • Detective Park Doo-Man: Chief, I may know nothing else, but my eyes can read people. That's how I survive as a detective, and why people say I have shaman's eyes.