Voice of a Murderer is a Korean foreign language film following
the story of the kidnapping of a nine-year old boy in Seoul in the year 1991.
The film is based on a true story which details phone conversations and ransom claims between the abductor and the family of the boy,
while the entire nation follows the story on the news.
Voice of a Murderer touches on a wide range of themes on the
topic of policing, government regulations and laws in Korea.
It goes without saying that Voice of a Murderer is a
film that touches on some sensitive subject matter. So be warned, there are
some intense and disturbing scenes found in the film. However, not a lot of
direct violence or bloodshed.
Synopsis
The year is 1991. Seoul is a global city and expanding on an
exponential rate due to urban sprawl. Found within the city are many districts,
crowded neighborhoods and millions and millions of people. And like the aforementioned
districts, the people of the city are just as diverse.
However, not all of them are good people, as we will soon find out.
However, not all of them are good people, as we will soon find out.
On one ordinary day, a nine-year old boy is playing outside
of his house at his neighborhood’s residential park. But, as time passes he
doesn’t return home.
His parents scour the neighborhood, call up his friend’s parents and search everywhere for him, all without any luck. Until they receive a mysterious call from someone claiming they have their son, demanding a ransom payment of 100,000 won for his life.
His parents scour the neighborhood, call up his friend’s parents and search everywhere for him, all without any luck. Until they receive a mysterious call from someone claiming they have their son, demanding a ransom payment of 100,000 won for his life.
Understandably, the boy’s parents have no clue what to do.
Their son is missing and his life is in the hands of a monster. When the police
hear of the case, they set up a special task force to solve the case,
monitor communications between the two parties and ultimately find the boy.
The remainder of the film follows the police officers and
the victim’s family as the boy’s conditions worsens over time and as the kidnapper
plays many sick, psychological games with the family.
Important Themes
Voice of a Murderer concretely touches on a hotbed of emotional
themes. As well as spotlighting important themes revolving around police work
and Korean national policies and individual rights.
In the 90’s and 00’s murders and killings in Korea occurred
quite often. There were always stories about ‘monsters’ abducting, raping, torturing
and killing young people across the country.
At the time, serial killers ran
amuck across the country. Committing many heinous crimes without being found
out. There were even serial killers who murdered and tortured over 20 and 30
people.
So it’s no wonder that there are so many Korean serial killer films. For reference, this article by the Korean Herald mentions some of the most infamous serial killers the country has had.
So it’s no wonder that there are so many Korean serial killer films. For reference, this article by the Korean Herald mentions some of the most infamous serial killers the country has had.
Voice of a Murderer also does an important job of noting just
how ingrained serial killer stories were among Korean society. Highlighting the
popularity of crime and how stories were followed over television, radio and
newspaper by millions.
These stories would grip the whole country and hold their attention for long after the actual crimes took place.
These stories would grip the whole country and hold their attention for long after the actual crimes took place.
Reporting on murders was almost a
daily feature on news reports at the time. Similarly to now how we seem to hear
about shootings in America every day.
Voice of a Murderer also highlights the 15-year statute of
limitations (later stretched to 25 years), the Korean government used to have in place. Meaning that cold
cases cannot be re-opened after said time. Leading to those those guilty of murder getting off scot-free after the statute date expires.
However, the statute of limitations has since been removed (in 2015), when the government removed the statute for crimes
involving murder.
Conclusion
Altogether, Voice of a Murderer is a
tremendously well made film. It brings you into a palpable and emotional story that
keeps you glued to the edge of your seat the entire way through.
Korean thriller and horror films have this amazing ability
to transcend genres, while still telling very real and plausible stories.
They do not go down the Hollywood route of making everything seem so fantastic that it seems like science fiction or like a frightening nightmare.
Instead, they focus in on real and disturbing narratives, depicting how these reprehensible crimes impact those people involved.
They do not go down the Hollywood route of making everything seem so fantastic that it seems like science fiction or like a frightening nightmare.
Instead, they focus in on real and disturbing narratives, depicting how these reprehensible crimes impact those people involved.
So, do yourself a favour and watch Voice of a Murderer. It is
hands down one of the best Korean thrillers you will ever see. It is a
classic and is worth every second of your time.
