Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
A former serial killer with Alzheimer's fights to protect his daughter from her mysterious boyfriend who may be a serial killer too.
Memoir of a Murderer is a clever, high-concept Korean thriller that flips the unreliable narrator trope on its head — a serial killer whose Alzheimer's makes him question whether his instincts about a new threat are real or imagined. The plot is genuinely inventive and tightly constructed, with moral ambiguity baked into every scene. Sol Kyung-gu delivers a tour de force performance as the deteriorating yet dangerous protagonist, anchoring the film's emotional and psychological weight. Cinematography is competent and atmospheric but fairly conventional for the genre. Novelty is high — the premise is singular and the execution confident, blending dark comedy, pathos, and thriller mechanics in a way few films attempt. The ending, while satisfying enough, leans into somewhat expected thriller territory and doesn't quite match the audacity of the setup.