Film Review Murderer Report (2025) – A Killer’s Confession That Feels More Reasonable Than Justice

 

Murderer Report (Original title: Sal-in-ja Ri-po-teu) | 2025 | 1h 47m
Genre: Psychological Drama / Psychological Thriller / Drama / Horror / Thriller
Country: South Korea
Director: Young-Jun Cho
Writer: Young-Jun Cho
Cast: Jung Sung-il, Cho Yeo-jeong, Kim Tae-Han
IMDb: 6.5
My Rating: 8/10

When Baek Seon Ju agrees to an exclusive interview with Lee Yeong Hun—a serial killer—she believes she is in control of the situation. What she does not realize is that the interview is merely the entrance to another game, one that is far more dangerous.

Warning:

Contains scenes of violence and strong language.

 

Synopsis:

Baek Seon Ju receives a request for an exclusive interview from Lee Yeong Hun, a man who claims to have committed eleven serial murders. The claim raises doubts—not only about the truth of his story, but also about her own safety. Yet beneath that fear, Seon Ju’s ambition as a journalist slowly takes over, fueling her adrenaline even as she repeatedly tries to suppress it.

Seon Ju prepares everything carefully, including involving her boyfriend, a police officer, to monitor every movement inside the interview room. Yeong Hun arrives calm, almost polite, yet carries an undeniable aura of dominance. The interview appears to be under control—until, in a single moment, Yeong Hun murders someone right in front of Seon Ju.

Panic becomes inevitable. Seon Ju and her boyfriend want to stop everything and leave as quickly as possible. But for Yeong Hun, the game has only just begun. There is no option to retreat, and leaving the room is no longer a possibility.

So what intention is Yeong Hun truly hiding behind this interview?

 

Review:

Wounds and trauma caused by the actions of others do not simply disappear. Yet, more often than not, victims are forced to make peace and move on, while the perpetrators continue their lives as if free of sin or guilt. This is where the question arises: should everything be allowed to end just like that, or does justice demand an equivalent return? Murderer Report invites the audience to confront this dilemma through a story that is calm, yet gradually presses down and suffocates.

The film opens with narrated dialogue without visuals. A brief conversation about a confession—a serial killer requesting an interview, promising that it could save the next victim’s life. Without explosive scenes, this opening successfully builds a mysterious and tense atmosphere. It becomes a strong foundation for a story that from the very beginning signals a psychological game.

The conflict does not emerge through dramatic outbursts, but through battles of the mind in every dialogue. Each conversation feels like an attempt to justify actions already taken. The stories told by Yeong Hun slowly seep into Seon Ju’s consciousness, forming manipulation that is almost imperceptible—like a subtle hypnosis working without force. When reality finally unfolds before her eyes, what was once a moral question transforms into an urge that is difficult to resist.

The ending can actually be predicted from early on, especially with the fairly clear hints scattered throughout the film. However, this does not necessarily become a weakness. The neat and pressure-filled presentation still manages to maintain the audience’s curiosity until the very end.

One strength worth appreciating is the film’s courage to work within limitations. With a small number of characters, locations mostly confined to indoor spaces, and heavy reliance on dialogue, the film risks becoming monotonous. Yet this risk is skillfully transformed into a strength, delivering consistent intensity without feeling dull.

The characters are built clearly and powerfully, supported by convincing performances. Facial expressions, subtle gestures, and dialogue intonation effectively convey emotional pressure that is not always spoken aloud. Visual details such as changes in the color and form of paintings, the presence of coins, and other symbolic elements enrich the narrative layers. The choice of music also feels precise—not dominating, but deepening the atmosphere.

Ultimately, Murderer Report is not merely a film about murder or confession, but about the thin line between empathy and justification. The film invites viewers to reconsider the meaning of justice, guilt, and the position of victims within a system that often forces them to “make peace.” With a calm yet piercing approach, the film leaves behind an unease that is not easily shaken—a moral question that continues to echo long after the screen fades to black.

 

Memorable Scene:

After recounting one case that pushed him to commit murder—a retaliation for the suffering of one of his patients who was still in high school—Yeong Hun calmly places Seon Ju in the position of the victim’s parent. He forces her to imagine the choices that must be made when justice no longer takes sides. Seon Ju rejects Yeong Hun’s actions, yet at the same time, she cannot fully deny that in a similar situation, she might choose the same path.

This scene shows how an action cannot be judged solely by its final outcome. The background, wounds, and motivations that give birth to it become inseparable parts of moral consideration. Not to justify what is wrong, but to realize that killing for power and killing for self-protection carry different ethical burdens—and it is precisely there that the true horror resides.

 

Memorable Dialogue:

“It’s not easy to wash the blood off your hands.”

Ending:

Bittersweet Ending

Recommendation:

Worth to Watch

(Aluna)