Confession of Murder (2012) — Jung Byung-gil
A Korean crime suspense with a twist that reveals a great deal about society’s crave for media exposure and release through violence.
I often wonder why do Korean filmmakers and producers manage to do so well when creating violent pieces of art. From “Mother” to “Ms. Vengeance”, Korean films dominate the Asian market for crime productions, even inspiring remakes adapted for other countries, just like “Confession of Murder” did in Malaysia and Japan. The fighting scenes remind us of wuxias, but they’re darker, bloodier and less of a dance, more of a battle, bringing some Hollywood aspect to them. And the suspense is kept throughout the entire film, with scarce light, plenty of darkness and a hell lot of rain, only to surprise us with a shocker by the end of it. The recipe is simple but why is this genre so prolific in Korea compared to the rest of the continent, or to the world?
In this case, director Jung Byung-Gil made use of the serial killer frenzy of “Memories of Murder” or “I Saw the Devil” to create an entertaining spectacle of a film. It opens with the last confrontation between the serial killer and detective Choi Hyeong-goo (Jung Jae-young), who ends up getting a “Joker”-like scar on the edge of the mouth. Fifteen years later, the statute of limitation is over and a press conference is held by a man who claims himself to be the actual killer, Lee Doo-seok (Park Si-hoo), who is releasing a memoir recounting all his murders which the police and the media could never solve. Of course he’s an instant sensation and in a matter of hours his book is turned into a best seller and Lee, who is a handsome young man, becomes a popstar, Korean-style: with fans screaming his name and organizing fan clubs dedicated to worship his persona. But, with all the attention, Lee becomes an easy target to the vengeful victim’s relatives, that were always left alive to serve as witnesses for the murders of their loved ones. Even though repudiated by it, detective Choi has the duty of protecting Lee and guaranteeing his safety, which, naturally, doesn’t work out very well. And that is all I’m allowed to disclose in order to avoid major spoilers.
“Confession of Murder” was a huge success of public and received positive critics for director Jung Byung-gil and the actors involved. Also, its story of media exploitation of violence is relatable to any person in the world. Nowadays, it’s impossible to turn on the TV or even go to the movies without expecting to see some level of violence or social degradation. People getting stabbed or bleeding their guts out is proved to sell, since violence is the number one form of release for all that afflicts us, from street violence to corruption or economic crisis. In a highly competitive society such as the Korean one, it’s only logical to find a leve of stress that tries to satisfy itself with a media that feeds on violence, and the same goes for the American society. It’s no surprise that, even though depicted in a exaggerated way, the supposed serial killer becomes a overnight sensation despite of his crimes. People crave this violence since they are not allowed to perform it themselves, even better if it’s from a distance and very good-looking. Although signs of a peak of anxiety and frustration, these violent films are nevertheless works of art that represent the times we live in and if well-made, like this one, are definitely worth our time. Director Jung Byung-gil has just released his third film, “The Vilainess”, which I still haven’t had the chance of watching. If anyone’s seen it, I’d love to read your impressions of it!
