I doubt very much whether this film will be released in the UK in the near future as we sadly have a very high profile child abduction case in the news at the moment. However, this film is extraordinary. Based on a true-life (unsolved)case from 1991, Han Kyung Bae (Sol Kyung Gu) plays a successful, yet ruthless news anchor with a beautiful wife (Kim Nam Joo) and a nine-year-old son. But suddenly his successful life comes crashing down when his son gets kidnapped. In the next 44 days, the parents continuously receive calls from the kidnapper with instructions and requests for ransom. The police are determined to find the kidnapper, but he effortlessly eludes capture; not only is he a step ahead at every turn, he seems to enjoy toying with the police in this cat-and-mouse chase. As the kidnapper keeps walking free, Kyung Bae becomes increasingly desperate and frustrated with the police, as he knows time is running out for his child. This is an uncomfortable subject but the acting from the two leads is quite astonishing. And given the title of the movie, we know the outcome of the case from the start. But that doesn't detract from the grip the film has on the viewer. Not surprisingly, this film has been the highest grossing Korean film of 2007 to date. And wait for the end credits to hear the actual voice of the murderer. That's really chilling.
Review of Voice of a Murderer
