Paradise Murdered DVD

$ 18.50
Sales: $ 15.73

$ 18.50 + $ 3.50 (shipping fee)
Sales: $ 15.73 + $ 3.50 (shipping fee)

Korean

English / Chinese / off

DVD Box Set (NTSC - All Region)

Park Hae Il & sung Ju Ru

2007 Release

Geukrakdo, a small island off the southern coast of South Korea, is home to 17 villagers, scratching out a motley, but tight-knit existence. One morning the villagers wake up to find a neighbor has been murdered, and in very bloody fashion. With communication and transportation from the island cut off, a group of villagers led by doctor Woo Seong (Park Hae Il) spearhead the search for the most likely culprit, an odd island resident who has conveniently disappeared. As the investigation continues, more victims are claimed and fingers begin to point as the increasingly desperate villagers turn against each other, letting loose inner and outer demons.

The debut feature from Kim Han Min, Paradise Murdered initially invites comparison to Bong Joon Ho's Memories of Murder as both films are set in the 1980s, center around a serial murder mystery, and feature actor Park Hae Il (The Host). Paradise Murdered, however, is not based on a real-life incident and posits a completely different environment and scenario. Though the film starts in retrospect, the mystery very much plays out as it happens, throwing the viewer into a tight, tense, and threatening narrative. Unpredictable and uncontrolled, Paradise Murdered gauges the way an isolated group of people react and interact when they realize there is a murderer within their ranks, and the film gradually brings out the characters' most resilient and most reprehensible qualities. As an ensemble effort, the film gathers a fine cast of experienced character actors like Park Wong Sang, Seong Ji Roo, Choi Joo Bong, and Kim In Moon, and leads Park Hae Il and Park Sol Mi (Dance with the Wind) deliver poignantly restrained performances. The film topped the Korean box office for three consecutive weeks.