Asian cinema isn't all kung-fu shtick and schlock horror. For instance Korean helmer Bong Joon-ho's Memories Of Murder is "a refreshingly mature thriller" based on a real-life series of murders committed in the Gyeonggi Province from 1986-1991. Song Kang-ho, Kim Rwe-ha and Kim Sang-kyung star in this acclaimed film as the three detectives assigned to investigate.

Cuts And Bruises

14 minutes of deleted scenes are the centrepiece of this package and offer more than the usual cutting room pap. Each scene trades on the dynamics between the main characters and offers a glimpse into their secret lives. An alternative ending is also included, featuring Kim Sang-kyung as he bids a mournful farewell to the Violent Crimes Unit. In an optional commentary, director Bong Joon-ho reveals that Sang-kyung "prepared for months" to shoot this scene by simply not eating and not sleeping to achieve a "haggard" look. "I cried when I deleted it," he confesses, but that's probably nothing compared to the way Sang-kyung felt about it. (Note: disappointingly, Joon-ho does not deliver a feature commentary.)

Sang-kyung wasn't the only one who endured a difficult physical transformation. In a series of separate interviews the leads explain their individual experiences of making the film with Song Kang-ho revealing that he put on 10kg and Kim Rwe-ha admitting that his macho guy role left him feeling sore and inadequate. "I'm not really good at it," he admits, and behind-the-scenes footage proves this. In an improvised brawl, Rwe-ha is knocked for six when Sang-kyung punches him. "It was surprise," he says, "and it hurt."

CGI To CSI

There are more behind-the-scenes snippets in an unusually detailed featurette exploring the use of CGI. It's hosted by visual effects supervisor Kang Jong-Ik who guides you through major effects work, like a scene in which a man gets hit by a speeding train. But even the smallest details, like bugs crawling over a dead body, or ethereal fog, were also achieved using computer wizardry.

Joon-ho discusses his research into the "Hwaseong murders" in the intriguing but frustratingly brief Real Life Memories Of Murder. With news coverage and police case files (including gruesome crime scene photographs) he outlines each of the ten killings, but you're left with more questions than answers. Admittedly, that's partly because the case remains unsolved. Still, interviews with the journalists and detectives who investigated the murders would have been beneficial here. In all though, this DVD is guaranteed to linger long in the memory.

EXTRA FEATURES