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Memoir of a Murderer
살인자의 기억법
2017 118 min South Korea R 18+
★7.2
Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Director: Won Shin-yeon
🎭 Based on
«Diary of a Murderer»
byKim Young-ha
Trailers
Description
A former serial killer with Alzheimer's fights to protect his daughter from her mysterious boyfriend who may be a serial killer too.
Budget:
$125,000
US Gross:
$91,335
Starring
Sul Kyung-gu
Actor
Kim Nam-gil
Actor
Kim Seol-hyun
Actor
Awards
3 wins & 1 nomination total
Key opinion
Memoir of a Murderer is a stylistically assured psychological thriller that leverages an unreliable protagonist with dementia to create tension. While audiences largely praise the atmospheric direction and the central performance, there is significant disagreement regarding the narrative payoff and the emotional weight of the conclusion.
| Acting | Sol Kyung-gu delivers an exceptional, nuanced performance that effectively grounds the protagonist's fragmented mental state and internal conflict. | |
| Cinematography | The film utilizes an atmospheric, stylized visual approach that successfully enhances the protagonist's distorted perception of reality. | |
| Originality | The premise of a retired serial killer battling dementia to stop a new threat offers an original and compelling spin on the psychological thriller genre. | |
| Screenplay | The film creates an engaging narrative structure, but viewers are divided on whether the plot remains logically sound or relies too heavily on convenient memory lapses. | |
| Ending | Opinions on the ending are split: some find it a thoughtful, ambiguous meditation on perception, while others consider it a predictable and unsatisfying resolution. |