Confession of Murder - DVD

Content: Fifteen years ago, a gruesome serial killer kept Detective Choi (Jeong Jae-yeong) on his toes. After a wild chase, the masked killer escaped at the last moment. However, Choi never gave up the chase. Completely obsessed with the mysterious killer, his own life has gone completely off the rails. Now, when the statute of limitations has expired, the charismatic Lee Du-seok (Park Si-hoo) shows up, who, accompanied by an enormous media hype, claims in a book to have committed the murders. Choi now sees his chance to solve the case once and for all and a psychological duel between the men begins, in which Han Ji-soo (Kim Yeong-ae) and other survivors of the victims also get involved. They all hope for a justice that the justice system can't give them anymore. But then a new murder occurs and the story takes a surprising turn...

Confession of Murder opens with a heated car chase, staged by director Jeong Byeong-gil in an arguably shaky handheld camera look. Action and pacing are just right here, but the shaky visuals seem a bit exhausting and don't necessarily bode well. However, the tide quickly turns. Although there are still fast-paced action sequences throughout the rest of the film, not only dramaturgically, but also visually the realization seems much less rushed. Rather, the focus is placed on the development of the characters and the story, which can come up with some cleverly constructed twists and some excellent moments of suspense.

This film benefits from the fact that the production is not only dark and brutal turned out, but here and there just loosened by action and humor. It's true that the humour sometimes seems a bit too overdone and could almost be seen as a small disturbing factor. Nevertheless, it is these moments that take away the heaviness of the film, which also makes some clichéd dialogues and a bit too much pathos less negative for the overall picture.

But the thriller benefits most from its really surprising resolution. This is then admittedly diluted a little by a vigilante finale that is dragged out a bit too much. Still, this last big twist lifts the film well above the genre average. The appealing visuals, the really good acting of newcomer Park Si-hoo, the fast-paced chases and the effective moments of suspense also contribute to the fact that Confession of Murder has become absolutely worth watching not only for lovers of Asian thrillers, but for all fans of cultivated suspense cinema!

Picture + Sound: An atmospheric color scheme, a good to very good sharpness level and coherent contrasts ensure that the visual realization of the DVD leaves a positive impression only with minor drawbacks. The sound provides a good surround backdrop during the action-packed moments, but otherwise the sound is primarily dominated by the clearly mixed dialogue and music. Good!

Extras: As a bonus, there is an uncommented look behind the scenes (about 15 min.), as well as the trailer for the film.

Conclusion: Confession of Murder is a cleverly constructed thriller that features some spectacular action and fight sequences, but also a surprising dramaturgy. Although the script occasionally uses some common clichés and some moments seem a bit too overdone, the movie leaves a very positive impression overall. Not only for friends of Korean cinema, but for all lovers of entertaining suspense cinema well worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp