Confession of Murder
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''Confession of Murder'' (; lit. "I Am the Murderer") is a 2012
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
n
action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
directed by
Jung Byung-gil Jung Byung-gil (born August 7, 1980) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Jung was trained at the Seoul Action School. He graduated from Chung-Ang University, majoring in film, before making his directorial debut with a documentar ...
, starring
Jung Jae-young Jeong Jae-yeong (born Jeong Ji-hyeon; November 21, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He's best known for his roles in the critically acclaimed films '' Silmido'' (2003), ''Right Now, Wrong Then'' (2015), and '' On the Beach at Night Alone'' (2017). ...
and Park Si-hoo. It is about a police officer who is haunted for failing to capture a
serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
15 years back, and returns to the case after a novelist publishes the book ''I Am the Murderer'', claiming responsibility for the crimes. The film is Jung's first mainstream feature; he first drew notice for his 2008
documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
about Korean stunt men, ''
Action Boys ''Action Boys'' () is a 2008 South Korean documentary film directed by Jung Byung-gil. The film follows a handful of students-turned-graduates of the Seoul Action School as they try to find regular work as film stuntmen, with varying success. R ...
''. Produced by Dasepo Club co. Ltd, and distributed by
Showbox Showbox Co., Ltd. () is one of the largest film distribution companies in South Korea, founded in 1999. Showbox is the film investment, production and distribution branch of Mediaplex, Inc., entertainment arm of Orion Group. Its main competit ...
, it was released on November 8, 2012, and ran for 119 minutes.


Plot

Choi Hyeong-goo is a detective who was in charge of hunting down a serial killer who claimed the lives of 10 women from 1986 to 1990, and whom Choi suspects is responsible for the kidnapping and possible murder of another. He managed to hunt down the killer, but lost him after a fierce fight that left Choi nearly dead and permanently scarred. Before the killer vanished however, Choi managed to shoot him in the shoulder. The film begins in 2005, on the day the 15-year
statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In ...
expired, thus rendering prosecution impossible. Choi is now an alcoholic, haunted by his failure to solve the case. He suddenly receives a worrying call from Jung Hyun-sik a family member of one of the victims. Choi rushes to his apartment, only to see Jung throw himself off a roof and land through the windshield of a passing bus. Two years later, Choi is alerted to the news that a man called Lee Doo-seok has released a book titled ''I Am the Murderer'', claiming responsibility for the murders that took place 17 years ago. His book contains detailed descriptions of the murders, and he even displays a wound in his shoulder where he says Choi shot him. His book becomes a bestseller because of the author’s charming looks and his claims of repentance for his crimes. He stages public visits to the homes of family members to beg for forgiveness, and even visits Choi at his precinct. Choi himself however, insists that Lee is in fact an imposter. As the media frenzy surrounding Lee increases, some family members of the victims gather together to plot their revenge. They are led by Han Ji-soo, whose daughter Kang Soo-yeon was the still-missing 11th victim. Snakes are released into Lee's hotel swimming pool during his daily swim, resulting in him getting bitten. The family members then pose as a paramedic unit sent to take Lee to the hospital. They are discovered and pursued by members of Lee's security unit as well as Choi, but manage to get away with an unconscious Lee after a lengthy and dangerous car chase. Choi recognizes who the kidnappers are, but refuses to reveal his suspicions. Instead he goes out of his way to track down where Lee is being held, and stages a daring rescue, much to the consternation of the family members. He leaves Lee in a motel room with a note telling him to not make a fuss about the incident if he valued his life. Lee for his part tells the media that the kidnappers were a group of overzealous fans and that he will not press charges. A television station then invites both Choi and Lee to be on a debate show to discuss the case. A daughter of one of the victims heads there to kill Lee. During the show, a man calling himself J calls in to speak to Lee, and reveals that he knows many personal facts about Choi. J then drops a bombshell, saying that he is in fact the real killer. Choi then goes to trace the call, while Lee himself is shot when he leaves the studio, resulting in him being hospitalized again. The phone call is traced to Choi's mother's house, where J has left a video tape with footage of the 11th victim Soo-yeon being tied up and killed. It turns out that she was also Choi's girlfriend. Upon analyzing the contents of the tape, Choi calls for a press conference to tell the public that despite all this, it cannot be determined whether Lee or J is the killer. Lee continues to insist that he is the real killer, and another television debate is arranged between him, Choi and J to settle the matter once and for all. The debate draws thousands of protestors and fans, as well as Han Ji-soo, who carries a pen filled with snake venom, intent upon using it on the real killer. J arrives and it immediately becomes apparent that he is in fact the killer, as he arranged for a camera crew to be led to the remains of his final victim, Soo-yeon. Confronted with this, Lee then makes his own revelation, admitting that not only is he not the killer, but that he also did not write the book. In fact, it was Choi who wrote the book in an attempt to flush out the real killer, using his own detailed knowledge of the crimes. Lee turns out to be Jung Hyun-sik, who worked together with Choi to fake his own death and who underwent plastic surgery to assume a new identity. Although surprised at the elaborate scheme, J claims that Choi cannot do anything to him, as the statute of limitations has long expired. Choi then plays the tape of Soo-yeon, revealing that a radio broadcast in the background proves that the footage was shot almost to that exact date in 1992, and that in fact he still has 14 minutes until the statute of limitations truly expires. J then admits that he kept Soo-yeon with him for two years, and that when he finally decided to kill her, she claimed to be carrying his child in the vain hope that he would spare her. This enrages Choi so much that he attempts to kill J, but J makes an escape, leading to another intense chase scene. Choi finally catches up to J, and is stopped from killing him just in time. Both Lee/Jang and Han Ji-soo try to kill J as he is being led away in handcuffs, but it ends up being Choi who stabs him with the poisoned pen, thus avenging all the victims and preventing any of the family members from being convicted of the crime. In 2012, Choi is released from prison to be greeted by the media and the grateful group of victim's family members. Due to the case, the statute of limitations was extended to 25 years.


Cast

*
Jung Jae-young Jeong Jae-yeong (born Jeong Ji-hyeon; November 21, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He's best known for his roles in the critically acclaimed films '' Silmido'' (2003), ''Right Now, Wrong Then'' (2015), and '' On the Beach at Night Alone'' (2017). ...
as Choi Hyeong-goo, a police detective * Bae Seong-woo as detective Gwang-Soo * Park Si-hoo as Lee Doo-seok * Jeong Hae-gyoon as J *
Kim Young-ae Kim Young-ae (; 21 April 1951 – 9 April 2017) was a South Korean actress. Career Kim Young-ae began her acting career when she joined MBC's 3rd Open Recruitment in 1971. She made her acting debut in the TV police procedural ''Chief Inspe ...
as Han Ji-soo, the victim's mother *
Choi Won-young Choi Won-young (; born Choi Seong-wook on January 10, 1976) is a South Korean actor. Career Choi Won-young made his acting debut in 2002's ''Sex Is Zero'', and has since appeared in both film and television. But his most notable roles have be ...
as Jeong Tae-seok, the victim's brother *
Jo Eun-ji Jo Eun-ji (born February 10, 1981) is a South Korean actress. She debuted in the gritty Im Sang-soo film '' Tears'', and has since become better known for her supporting roles on film and television, such as in '' The President's Last Bang'', '' ...
as Choi Kang-sook * Min Ji-ah as Kang Soo-yeon, Hyeong-goo's ex-girlfriend *
Lee Bong-ryun Lee Bong-ryun (; born Lee Jeong-eun, February 7, 1981) is a South Korean actress. She has appeared in supporting roles in various films and television dramas, and worked as a stage and musical actress. Early life Lee Bong-ryun was born as Lee ...
as High School girl *
Jang Gwang Jang Gwang (born January 5, 1952) is a South Korean actor in film and television. Filmography Film * ''Taste of Horror – Gym for Residents'' (TBA) * '' Air Murder'' (2022) * '' Sinkhole (2021) * ''White Day: Broken Barrier'' (2021) * ...
as a chief producer in the TV broadcasting company * Lee Jae-goo as Director Park as a TV program director * Kim Min-sang as Jeong Min-kwon * Ryoo Je-seung as Jung Hyun-sik *
Cha Chung-hwa Cha Chung-hwa (; born on 28 April 1980) is a South Korean character actress who has worked extensively on stage, screen, and television. She has been nominated for Baeksang Arts Awards for her role as court lady in tvN historical drama ''Mr. ...
as Jang Jin-gak


Reception

The film received positive review ratings on local Internet portals, and sold 1.2 million tickets in its first week of release. Despite being rated 18, it sold two million tickets by its 18th day of release. It was scheduled to be released in Japan in 2013. The film ranked second and grossed in its first week of release, and grossed a total of domestically after six weeks of screening.


Remakes

The film was remade in 2017 as '' Memoirs of a Murderer'' by
Yu Irie is a Japanese film director / screenwriter who was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, and grew up in Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture. After a number of short films, including ''Obsession'' and ''Seven Drives'' which were screened at the Yubari I ...
, starring
Hideaki Itō is a Japanese actor. Biography Ito is best known for starring in the hit franchise ''Umizaru'' film series which consistently topped the Japanese box office of the year. He has also head-lined many other major Japanese films such as Takashi M ...
and
Tatsuya Fujiwara is a Japanese actor. Internationally, he is best known for his leading roles as Shuya Nanahara in the '' Battle Royale'' films, Light Yagami in the ''Death Note'' films, Kaiji Itō in the '' Kaiji'' films, and Rikuhiko Yuki in Hideo Nakata's '' ...
in the lead roles. The film was remade as a South Indian Malayalam film ''
Angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...
'' directed by Jean Markose starring Indrajith. It was a moderate success and hit.


Awards and nominations

2013 Baeksang Arts Awards *Best Screenplay –
Jung Byung-gil Jung Byung-gil (born August 7, 1980) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Jung was trained at the Seoul Action School. He graduated from Chung-Ang University, majoring in film, before making his directorial debut with a documentar ...
2013 Grand Bell Awards *Best New Director –
Jung Byung-gil Jung Byung-gil (born August 7, 1980) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Jung was trained at the Seoul Action School. He graduated from Chung-Ang University, majoring in film, before making his directorial debut with a documentar ...
*Nomination – Best New Actor – Park Si-hoo *Nomination – Best Cinematography – Kim Ki-tae *Nomination – Best Editing –
Nam Na-yeong Nam Na-yeong (; born 1970) is a South Korean film editor and negative cutter. She has edited films with directors Ryoo Seung-wan (''Arahan'', '' The City of Violence'', and ''Crying Fist''), Kim Jee-woon (''The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' and '' ...
2013 Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival *Thriller Competition Winner 2014 Golden Cinema Festival *Silver Medal for Cinematography – Kim Ki-tae


References


External links

*
''Confession of Murder''
at
Showbox Showbox Co., Ltd. () is one of the largest film distribution companies in South Korea, founded in 1999. Showbox is the film investment, production and distribution branch of Mediaplex, Inc., entertainment arm of Orion Group. Its main competit ...
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Confession Of Murder 2012 films 2012 action thriller films 2010s crime films South Korean action thriller films South Korean mystery thriller films Police detective films South Korean serial killer films Films directed by Jeong Byeong-gil Showbox films 2010s Korean-language films South Korean films about revenge South Korean films remade in other languages 2010s South Korean films