Memories of Murder (2005 South Korean film) analysis: eye themes

The Shining was not always a highly praised masterpiece, even being nominated for a Golden Raspberry. However, after the abundance of Shining homages post-Room 237 documentary, there seems to be a market for fans who were inspired by those films. Some are not so subtle such as the French avalanche disaster movie, Force Majerure, and Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel. However, there have been others recently with copying of techniques rather than messages, such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Crimson Peak, and Sicario. There were uses of Kubrick techniques before also, including Memories of Murder.

Channel Criswell stated that perspectives were a theme in his cross analysis of the film with Zodiac. Voyeurism is used such as the scene where they look through the peep hole. Eyes are also significant as Detective Park mentions how he can tell if someone is lying by looking at his eyes.

Eyes are used in Stanley Kubrick's films as well. The eye lash over Alex DeLarge's eye opens the film, David Bowman's eye is zoomed in in 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL is one big eye, and the star child's eye is the end of the film.

There were many references to Illuminati figures in Stanley Kubrick's films, the eye in the pyramid like in the dollar bill. Conspiracy is a nickname for corruption.

The policemen in Memories of Murder are brutal. Terrible detectives.

There's only 5 of them. 4 male like Alex's droogs, 3 of which become police officers in A Clockwork Orange.

Going on a lead of wearing red and it was raining, seems like an odd choice of determining a serial killer to me. Could be anyone and coincidental, although they do admit that Korea is small.

They don't let the evidence decide who the murder is and become attached to their work.

There are notably multiple perspectives of the film as noted by Channel Criswell, but it is also to note that the story is made up. It's a film, a form of fiction. The identity of the killer really REALLY isn't important. It's not real and fans shouldn't care. It's virtual. It's fake. It's a deception of ones eye.