I hated it. Here's why.
Before we all jump to the "technical brilliance" of this and the "that's how Korea was back then" that, allow me to say why this film irked me to no end. First off, it was LONG! And for that long, I wanted something real good out of it.
The main characters had no discernable depth. Park: irascible, stupid even in his pompus belief of his clairvoyance in picking out the guilty, was constantly wrong through most of the film. His methods were coercive, brutal, unintelligent and at time, down-right superstitious. OK. So I don't care for this character.
Next, Jo. The high-kick side-kick. First, from a realistic film standpoint, his kicks are a bit over the top. It looks more like a fantasy Matrix kick than how cops actually beat people up. But I'll put that aside. He is at least consistent. He is hot-tempered, do as Park tells him, and a single-dimensioned side-kick. He's fine. But I don't care for him either, that's the point.
Next, Suh, the cop from Seoul. From the special feature, I learned that he had a personal vendetta to gripe with, which would have made his character a lot more interesting had that aspect been made clear in the film. The film, as presented, did not mention it. OK, so again, I hoped he was the voice of reason. And for a long time, he was. I was happy with that, all the way till the end, he suddenly flips a switch, and decides to ignore DNA lab test result and shoot the guy. Now, if the film had made it clear that this last suspect was indeed the killer, then fine, Suh is in the right. But the Film NEVER made that clear, which I could only draw the conclusion that Suh is acting immorally. Despite pressure, right is right, and you can't kill someone before you are sure they are indeed a murderer. So again, I don't care for Suh.
Chief police. He knew very well the operation of Park and Jo. I mean, that was pretty much implied when he talked about how the reporters are always crowding around and why so many protesters come around. So, the chief is just as backwards as Park and Jo. While I give him credit for reprimanding Jo in a later juncture of the film, he is by no means a character with the credibilitiy to be a voice of reason.
So, you see the problem here? There's no one character for you to hang onto. Perhaps this is the American in me talking, but when I watch a film, especially a long one, I want to empathize, sympathize and like at least one of the protagonists. Here, I've got nothing. This leads to the point, what the heck is the point of the film? To tell me how corrupt that society was and that's why they couldn't catch the serial killer? Or, is the film attempting to be a Mockumentary? No is the answer to both.
I've learned in the 2nd grade to not write something unless you've got a point. Not just a bunch of facts. Even documentaries have points. Here, i've got nothing, except 3 hours lost. This film was utterly unenjoyable, dissatisfying for me. I will say this much, I know I am able to be this brutal and harsh in my review of the film because I am not a Korean, so I do not have all these nostalgic links to the subtler points to the film. But what is a film? It's a story with a point. That's the basis. Here we are just presented with a bunch of facts, some awkwardly acted, and overall, dissatisfying.