‘Confessions of Murder’ is an absorbing Korean action thriller written and directed by Jung Byung-gil. The movie is set in the 1990s and features a unique and interesting plot, good performances, and some well-choreographed and shot action scenes.

Detective Choi Hyeong-goo (Jung Jae-young) is hot on the trail of a notorious serial killer who has murdered several victims. He manages to hunt down the killer at a restaurant and pursues him across rooftops and alleyways. However, he is overpowered by the culprit who slashes his face and escapes, but Choi manages to shoot the assailant in the shoulder.

Interestingly, as Korea then has a 15-year statute of limitations on murders, the killer can no longer be tried for his crimes. Choi, still a despondent cop, is now an alcoholic and lives with his mother. At this time, Choi receives a call from Jung, a family member of one of the victims of the serial killer. Jung thanks Choi and then proceeds to commit suicide by jumping off a rooftop.

A couple of years later, Choi receives a call asking him to turn on the television. Lee Doo-seok (Park Si-hoo), a handsome young man, is seen on TV, claiming to be the serial killer and is promoting his new book, where he describes all the details of the murders he committed. Lee also apologizes to the families of the victims.

As a result of all the media attention he receives, Lee becomes a local celebrity with a growing fan base. Choi and Lee have multiple confrontations, first when Lee visits the police station and then at a book signing event. Meanwhile, a group of family members of the victims of the crime band together and conceive a plan to kidnap Lee. The group is headed by Han Ji-soo (Kim Young-ae), who wants to know the whereabouts of her daughter, who was the killer’s last victim.

Choi manages to save Lee from the kidnappers in a riveting car chase scene featuring many impressive stunts. Soon after this, Lee and Choi appear on a debate on a local TV station to debate each other and discuss the case publicly.

During the debate, an enigmatic caller, J (Jeong Hae-gyoon), calls the show and claims that he is the real murderer and that Lee is a mere imposter. However, Lee’s book has details about the case that only the killer knew about. What is the truth? Who is telling the truth, Lee or J?

The twists that follow in the plot will answer this question. The truth is revealed almost 20 minutes before the end of the movie. Director Jung Byung-gil deserves a lot of credit for directing and writing the debate scenes in this movie. These were some of the most original scenes, that I have seen in a movie, in recent memory.

The rest of the movie features some high-octane action scenes where the killer is brought to justice.

While I felt that the action scenes were a bit long-drawn-out and that the editing in the movie could be better, ‘Confession of Murder’ is a decent one-time watch.