Memories of Murder

Memories of Murder is a 2003 South Korean drama directed by Byong Joon-ho (The Host, Barking Dogs Never Bite) based on the still unsolved serial murders that took place in Hwaseong between 1986 and 1991. The film follows police detectives Park Doo-Man (Kang-Ho Song) and Seo Tae-Yoon (Sang-kyung Kim) in their investigation to track down and apprehend the killer.

Tropes used in Memories of Murder include:

• A Date with Rosie Palms: While Seo investigates one of the crime scenes there is a man caught masturbating. He becomes a suspect and they try to beat him into a confession. But Seo determines that he is not guilty and insists that they try to capture the real killer.
• Anti-Hero: Detective Park and his colleague who enjoys kicking suspects.
• Bishōnen: The factory worker, who is a major suspect.
• Black Comedy
• Downer Ending: Made worse by the fact that it's Truth in Television.
• Foregone Conclusion
• Hidden Villain: Combined with The Faceless.
• High Altitude Interrogation
• Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Used liberally by the police. Though it doesn't help much.
• Just a Flesh Wound: Averted. One of the detectives get's his leg attacked by a plank of wood with a nail attached to it. We see him limping around afterwards, and eventually his leg has to be amputated.
• Karma Houdini: The killer.
• Mood Whiplash: Only slight one. The first half of the film (roughly) focuses a lot on Black Comedy, and the second half entirely on drama.
• Perp Sweating
• Rabid Cop
• Rape as Drama: The murderer raped his victims before killing them.
• Scenery Porn: Some of the country scenery is just beautiful.
• Serial Killer: Obviously.
• Squick: Some of the murders may cause this reaction.
• Ted Baxter: Detective Park, who claims that he can instinctively tell who's a bad guy.
• The Unsolved Mystery: To this day.