YONHAP NEWS

(Movie Review) Based on a true story, murder film cool, composed but short of spice

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- Making a film based on a true story definitely has its pros and cons. While reality and solid plot are guaranteed, people know the ending, leaving very little room to build suspense.

Based on an unsolved murder case at a hamburger chain in Seoul's multicultural Itaewon district in 1997, "The Case of Itaewon Homicide" opens with a graphically brutal scene in which an innocent college student is stabbed to death by a stranger.

Th killing shook the country that year, as local investigators failed to find the real killer, despite having two Korean-American suspects in custody who blamed one another. The hamburger shop eventually closed down, and frightened locals shunned the popular neighborhood for months.

As the movie shows, contradicting evidence and claims by the two suspects were enough to throw off the investigators, who still haven't been able to solve the case. One of the suspects was declared not guilty by the court in 1998 for lack of evidence, and the other suspect left the country a year later. The investigation will officially close in April 2012 when the statute of limitation expires.

   Retaining composure throughout, "…Itaewon Homicide" dutifully tracks the case as the three main characters -- two teenage suspects and a prosecutor -- try to outwit one another in a mental battle.

   Actors Jeong Jin-yeong, in the role of the prosecutor, Jang Geun-seok, and Sin Seung-hwan each pull off his part of the job, their obfuscations leading the audience to understand why the investigators could not nail down the killer.

   What the movie fails to do, however, is bring some spice to the story, a critical element in a storyline based on a true incident. The movie naturally invites comparison with another film based on a real-life homicide, also unresolved: "Memories of Murder (2003)." In that piece, director Bong Joon-ho managed to build up the suspense by adding drama and fitting the characters.

In "…Itaewon Homicide," the actors perform stably and convincingly. but their characters are somewhat plain and dull, not quite managing to bring viewers to the edge of their seats.

   The film also fails to hit the bull's eye on two aspects it should have put more focus on -- the U.S. influence in the case and the role of the victim's family.

   Records show the case was complicated by the involvement of Korean-Americans, whom the U.S. protect as American nationals.

   Losing their son and brother to an unknown killer, the victim's family did not, and still hasn't been, offered an apology by the criminal or the authorities.

Director Hong Ki-sun said he wanted to "expose the South Korean government's inability and incompetence" through the case in which the suspects were set free when one of them was clearly the killer.

   A cruel teenage murder case that evolves into a thrilling brain game but remains a cold case to date, the Itaewon homicide has several factors appealing enough to be made into a movie. But without the spice and side dishes, a true story remains just that -- good enough for a news program, but somewhat lacking for a film.

   The movie, with a running time of 99 minutes, will hit the local cinemas beginning Sept. 10.

   hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)