22-nenme no kokuhaku: Watashi ga satsujinhan desu

Yu Irie's remake of Jung Byoung-Gil's mindlessly entertaining Korean thriller blockbuster Confession of Murder tones down some of the original's more over-the-top action stunt sequences and in its place gives the film a Japanese context where it feels very much at home. Irie adopts a manga-style approach in Memoirs of a Murderer that is not a million miles removed from the conspiracy thrillers of Naoki Urusawa (20th Century Boys, Monster), providing a suitable comic-book like context for the somewhat incredible twists, turns and revelations that literally explode off the screen in this ridiculously entertaining film.

A newly introduced 15 year statute of limitations law has left the Tokyo police force frustrated at their inability to capture the notorious Tokyo Strangler, who in 1995 brutally murdered five victims in front of witnesses from their own family. In 2017 however, now no longer able to be tried for his crimes, the killer reveals his identity when he comes forward to promote a book that describes the killings in detail. The handsome murderer Masato Sonezaki immediately becomes a media sensation and a celebrity , embarking on a series of book signings and TV interviews where he mocks the police for their incompetence and failure to capture him. Detective Makimura is outraged, as are the families of his victims who long for justice, but suspicions start to emerge that the celebrity killer is actually a fraud.

Yu Irie's reworking of the Korean original rightly doesn't forgo the simple pleasures of the thriller by attempting to make it more credible or realistic, but Memoirs of a Murderer does try to place the themes in some kind of meaningful context in regards to Japanese society. 1995, the year of the Strangler's killings, is significant as it is also the year of the Kobe earthquake, and although the connection might be tenuous, references to this event do succeed in tapping into sentiments of trauma and guilt, as well as the idea of forces beyond our control that cause unjust, inexplicable and indiscriminate horror. It also challenges the society's unhealthy worship of the cult of celebrity that is whipped up and exploited with some dynamically staged scenes that take place in the full sensationalised glare of the media.

There's really no need for subtext or justification required however for Memoirs of a Murderer; its intentions are purely to provide entertainment in a non-stop jaw-dropping thriller. Irie's manga and anime -influenced pacing, characterisation, exposition and staging of the drama is dynamic and gripping, never leaving any room for the viewer to start questioning credibility when it's tricky enough to just keep up with the outrageous succession of constantly shifting twists and revelations.

The film is very wonderful and it mainly discusses the circumvention of the law and the exploitation of the loophole of the statute of limitations for charges, even if it is a murder.

It also discusses the thorny relationship between law, ethics, and the media, and how the latter affects the collective consciousness of people, when the press presented the killer as if he was a movie star who was fascinated by the general public and loved him instead of hating him & demand that he be tried for his crimes .

The film may be slow in some places, but it shines again. The hero, Fujiwara Tatsuya, was brilliant in the character of the killer. The direction and music were very good. Overall, the film is a unique experience.

'Memoirs of a Murderer' is a Japanese remake of the 2012 South Korean film 'Confession of Murder'. The editing is very good. The acting is very good. Unfortunately, the film was not as impressive as 'Confession of Murder'. The reveal was not as effective, and I didn't quite enjoy the film's climax as much.

The film illustrates how some people become celebrities due to media coverage. Here we have a cop filled with regret and hatred, family members who wants justice, the media who wants to cash in, and a fraud with a genius plan. If there was nothing to compare it with, it would have been a good watch. Much rather watch 'Confession of Murder', though. There was no need for this remake.

This film tells the story of a series of five unsolved murders in Tokyo back in 1995. All of a sudden, a man claims to be the murderer in a shocking memoir.

It is disturbing to see a murderer publishing an autobiographical book on his murders. This alone makes this story very intriguing. However, things turn out differently as expected, because nothing is as it seems. The twists are unexpected and surprising. The story offers a lot of mystery and thrill throughout. I enjoyed watching it.

So this is a direct remake of a Korean thriller that came out a couple of years ago. Unfortunately it doesn't quite live up to the task. Though if you haven't seen the original you will probably be susprised by a couple of things and may be able to add 1 or 2 points to the 6 I gave this. But only until you see the superior original will that hold up.

The acting is decent and there are small changes to the original, though none improving on what the original did. I know I've stressed that a couple of times, but I just want to make sure, people know it, before they watch this. It's up to you to go back and revisit the other movie or just go for that one to begin with. I'm pointing in that direction, so you can enjoy the twists and turns with a higher quality overall. This one is overall decent ...