Memories of Murder
살인의 추억
“The worst of them will stay with you... forever.”
Synopsis
A sadistic serial rapist and murderer of young women terrorizes a small province in 1980s South Korea. To prevent further crimes, three increasingly desperate detectives with conflicting methods race against time to unravel the violent mind of the killer in a futile effort to solve the case.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
MEMORIES OF MURDER TrailerOfficial
Type: Trailer • Published 2020-09-09
Top Cast
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Song Kang-ho
Detective Park Doo-man
Kim Sang-kyung
Detective Seo Tae-yoon
Kim Roi-ha
Detective Cho Yong-koo
Song Jae-ho
Sergeant Shin Dong-chul
Byun Hee-bong
Sergeant Koo Hee-bong
Go Seo-hee
Officer Kwon Kwi-ok
Ryu Tae-ho
Jo Byung-soon
Park No-shik
Baek Kwang-ho
Park Hae-il
Park Hyeon-gyu
Jeon Mi-seon
Kwok Seol-yung
Seo Young-hwa
Eon Deok-nyeo
Woo Go-na
Kim So-hyun
Lee Ok-ju
Oh Nam-joo
Choi Jong-ryul
Kwang-ho's Father
Yoo Seung-mok
Journalist
Shin Hyeon-jong
Autopsy Doctor
Lee Jae-eung
Little Boy
Jung In-sun
Little Girl
Release History & Theatrical Window
Toronto International Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
July 15, 2005
Wide Cinema Exhibition
February 24, 2005
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$2.8M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$26M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
9.29x
+$23.2M net gain
Theatrical Status
Mega Hit
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Bong Joon Ho
- Screenplay & Story
- Bong Joon Ho, Kim Gwang-rim, Shim Sung-bo
- Original Score
- Taro Iwashiro
- Original Title
- 살인의 추억
- Country of Origin
- South Korea
- Spoken Languages
- Korean, English
- Runtime
- 2h 11m
- Production Budget
- $2.8M
- Worldwide Gross
- $26M
- Production Studios
- CJ Entertainment, Muhan Investment, Sidus
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Bong Joon Ho
Bong Joon Ho, Kim Gwang-rim, Shim Sung-bo
Taro Iwashiro
Kim Hyung-koo
Kim Sun-min
Lee Kang-bok, Noh Jong-yun, Tcha Sung-jai, Kim Moo-ryoung
Department Leadership Roster
Bong Joon Ho
Writer
Bong Joon Ho
Director
Noh Jong-yun
Producer
Kim Hyung-koo
Director of Photography
Taro Iwashiro
Original Music Composer
Tcha Sung-jai
Producer
Kim Sun-min
Editor
Kim Moo-ryoung
Producer
Ryu Seong-hie
Production Design
Shim Sung-bo
Writer
Kim Yu-seon
Costume Design
Han Tae-jung
Visual Effects Supervisor
Kang Jong-ik
Visual Effects Supervisor
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.
Suitable only for 15 years and over.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Memories of Murder.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Memories of Murder.
Flickbase Watchlist
Slashers & Psychopaths
Limelight Watchlist
Letterboxd's Top 250 Films with the Most Fans
Letterboxd's official Top 250 films with the most fans. Letterboxd 官方粉丝最多 Top 250 榜单： 按被平台用户标记为个人主页‘最爱（Favorites）’的数量对剧情长片进行排序的榜单。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:35:26 UTC+8)*
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films. Ranks narrative feature films by average member rating (minimum 25,000 ratings). Excludes documentaries, shorts, and TV series. Letterboxd 官方 Top 500 电影榜单： 根据用户平均评分排名的剧情长片（最低2.5万评价门槛）。已排除纪录片、短片及剧集。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:35:07 UTC+8)*
TSPDT - 1000 Greatest Films
They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? (TSPDT) - The 1,000 Greatest Films. A definitive meta-list aggregating thousands of critics' polls, historical rankings, and director top 10s to represent the ultimate critical consensus in cinema history. TSPDT 影史最伟大的1000部电影： 全球最权威的电影元榜单，由该网站汇总世界各大电影刊物历史评选结果及数千名影评人、学者的个人十佳榜单，通过算法加权计算得出的终极共识。 *片单说明：* 本片单只收录纯电影，以下剧集或迷你剧不予收录： • [#335] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#514] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#614] Edvard Munch (1974) • [#703] The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) • [#890] Elephant (1989) • [#925] Heimat (1984) • [#968] Doomed Love (1978) 以下作品在 TMDB 被拆分为多个独立电影条目；本片单按作品/章节顺序连续收录，且每个分拆条目均沿用同一 TSPDT 名次： • [#171] Dekalog (1989) — 展开为 10 部电影 • [#988] Olympia (1938) — 展开为 2 部电影 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:33:14 UTC+8)*
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Frequently Asked Questions About Memories of Murder
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Memories of Murder about?
A sadistic serial rapist and murderer of young women terrorizes a small province in 1980s South Korea. To prevent further crimes, three increasingly desperate detectives with conflicting methods race against time to unravel the violent mind of the killer in a futile effort to solve the case.
Who directed Memories of Murder?
Memories of Murder was directed by Bong Joon Ho.
Who stars in Memories of Murder?
The principal cast of Memories of Murder includes Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roi-ha, Song Jae-ho, Byun Hee-bong.
When was Memories of Murder released and how long is it?
Memories of Murder was released in 2003 with a total runtime of 2h 11m.
What was the box office and production budget of Memories of Murder?
Memories of Murder had a reported production budget of $2.8M and grossed $26M at the worldwide box office (9.29 return on budget, classified as a blockbuster success).
Who composed the musical score for Memories of Murder?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Memories of Murder was composed by Taro Iwashiro.
What is the age rating and content advisory for Memories of Murder?
Memories of Murder holds official age classifications: CA: 14A; DE: 16 (FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.); FR: TP; GB: 15 (Suitable only for 15 years and over.).