To call Memoirs of a Murderer a remake of the 2012 South Korean "Confession of Murder," simply doesn't do this motion picture justice. For clarification, Memoirs of a Murderer is the 2017 Japanese reimagining of the 2012 original. And boy, did they succeed.
After 22 years, in 2017, the statute of limitations of a serial killer has expired. The serial killer, now an author of his self-confessional book, in which he details his crimes, tries to make profit off of his 1995 crimes. I can't say more about the plot, it's best to watch this movie knowing as little as possible. But believe you me, this movie will effortlessly hold your attention.
This movie hits all the right notes. When I started watching this, I was hoping it wouldn't be a blatant shot-for-shot remake of the original, and my prayers were answered. What we have here is the same, but extended, thrilling story minus everything that genuinely ruined the original.
I remember watching the original movie thinking how insanely clever the entire plot was. And I still think that is the case, but the way they decided to execute it in the original movie's second half, really hurt the entire movie. I'm talking about the blasphemous Hollywood-esque car chase scene. Yes, it's just one scene, but if memory serves correctly, it was long drawn, and other reviewers criticized the movie for the very same thing.
I am happy to announce that the Japanese learned a lesson from this, and thus I would like to personally applaud the writers for doing some research prior to finalizing the script, and giving the story even more depth than it originally had. I even nearly cried.
To me, this is a masterpiece.
10/10 for the reimagining, 7.5/10 for the original
