One of my all time favorites.

Just perfect...

Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

I actually cant vote this story because its really sad and true story.Don't want to rate something that has happened in reality in a sad way.I see some reviews that says that this is a great movie like better than :man on fire,ransom,etc".. This is not just a movie ,this is a story of a life of parents that suffered during times like these.These things happen around the world on a daily basis to some people or the other.My review is all about the harsh reality of life that is shown in this film.The end of the movie defines the tittle "voice of a murderer".Here goes the storyline- Director Park Jin-pyo crafts this emotionally pointed docudrama based on the 1991 kidnapping of a young South Korean boy whose abductor sadistically taunted the child's parents over the course of a grueling, month-long period. Television news anchorman Han Kyung- bae and his devoutly religious, stay-at-home wife Oh Ji-sun both love their timid, nine year old son Hwang-sun as much as any devoted mother and father would. Though the rigorous exercise regiment and strict diet they subject the reticent child to may seem harsh to the casual observer, all they want is for him to shed some extra weight so he'll live a long and happy life. The doting parents find their lives turned upside down in an instant however when one day, Hwang- sun vanishes without a trace. Their worst fears are confirmed when, shortly thereafter, Hwang-sun's abductor calls to demand a seizable ransom. Though Han Kyung-bae and his wife are willing to pay any amount of money to ensure their child's safe return, the exchange proves unexpectedly complicated as a parent's worst nightmare slowly snowballs into tragedy. Over the course of the next forty-four days, the frighteningly calm and confident kidnapper taunts the grieving parents with a series of relentlessly cruel telephone calls, gradually drawing Han Kyung-bae and Oh Ji-sun's failures, mistakes, and regrets out into the open while forcing them to endure a slow- burning hell of misery and despair.

I know how difficult it is to lose a loved one, but the most painful thing is to lose your own son or daughter. This is actually a good kidnap movie with some good thrills and heartbreaking moments. I also found it interesting how the police in this is so inferior in just about every way possible that it gets very freaking annoying, in fact I hated the police in this especially that fat women police person than the kidnapper himself. Although I am sure a lot of the stuff that happens in this movie is made up to keep the audience entertained, it's based on a kidnapping that took place in Korea. Where they never caught the kidnapper and the only trace they have is a recorded message left on the phone. There is a lot of what if moments in this movie, where you think what if things went differently a lot of times or if the characters made a slight different decision. Sol Kyung-gu also proves why he is one of the top actors in Korea, his performance made the final act even more heartbreaking and sad. The negative aspect is that this becomes a linear cat and mouse game, and the cat and mouse game aspect of it wasn't intriguing enough.7.8/10

This film was very intense. Although it was not violent or graphic, it had many psychologically intense and stressful scenes. And it offers a real glimpse of life in Seoul; the relentless traffic, endless high rise apartments and the fast-paced life of the urban sprawl. As a parent, I could really empathize with the characters. Because it was based on a true story, the whole event takes on more gravity. Unlike many other recent child-kidnapping movies, i.e. with Denzil Washington, or Mel Gibson's Ransom, this "The Voice of a Murderer" is not a Hollywood movie. There are no heroes. It has a fresh take on a familiar plot, with very believable characters.

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.