The Chaser Korean Movie Review

Ex-detective-turned-pimp Jung-ho’s night is getting messy. Convinced his girls are running out on him, he sends one of his last remaining girls, Mi-jin, on a desperate last minute job. Too late, however, he makes a bone chilling discovery: this customer’s home is where all his missing girls were last sent.

Fearing the worst, Jung-ho’s relentless pursuit of Mi-jin ends in a terrifying chase through the city streets after a car crash throws a blood spattered suspect into his path. Calling in old favours, Jung-ho is certain he has caught this ruthless killer. But despite a disturbing confession, the lack of evidence means this cold-hearted psychopath might soon be freed by the bureaucratic police force. If he is to find Mi-jin is still alive, Jung–ho, armed with few clues but filled with street-smart and savage determination, has just 12 hours to find the killer’s lair, before he is set free to end her life and continue his reign of terror.

In the press release that came with my copy of The Chaser it said that it is being remade by the same team that brought us The Departed – the actually not-that-bad remake of Infernal Affairs. This made me start to think about what this film was going to be like in style, rather than content. I expected a rather flash looking film, with the sort of imagery that would appeal to Western audiences in the first place, much like Infernal Affairs. In that regard I wasn’t that wrong. The film is very well shot and despite the rather gruesome story within the film, restraint is shown more often than not, leaving a lot of the effect to your own imagination. The violence in particular is often implied and not actually seen. Blood will spatter on screen with the action that is causing it takes place off screen. In one particularly disturbing scene where the killer is planning on using a hammer and chisel to open someone’s head, the implications of this alone are incredibly disturbing and violent, yet we don’t actually see anything happen. Less is most definitely more in The Chaser, but I highly doubt the same will be said for the remake, where I imagine blood, guts and gratuitous violence will be seen in detail, much like with The Departed.

While some elements are very much material that Hollywood will thrive on, the overall tone of the film is something that surprised me. This is not a happy film. There is no feel good factor, no silver lining, and no morals to be bestowed upon us. It is simply a disturbing story based on real life events that will leave you horrified; horrified both at what some people in the world are capable of, and at the bureaucracy that can impede the police and other people from stopping terrible acts such as these from taking place. I was quite depressed and on a downer once the film was over, such is the power of what you see. I’ve seen so many films where once they were over I’ve been able to switch off from it and get on with my day without any mental burdens hanging over me, but after watching The Chaser this was not the case. If I remember correctly I sat slumped on my couch for a while afterwards, feeling sapped of the motivation to go and make the most of the rest of my day. I did get over it, but despite the negative feeling I felt inside, looking back I am glad I felt that way. It showed me not only that I have feeling and a conscience, so should be happy that I’m not an uncaring, unsympathetic sod, but that the people behind the film have succeeded on a level that so many other filmmakers don’t. They’ve made a powerful film that leaves an impression. For this I have to congratulate them.

It isn’t just the story that is strong, but the performances in the story. With Jung-ho being the main character, he is the film’s “hero” of sorts, but he is not a typical hero. He left the police force and became a pimp and is quite happy to use violence and threatening behaviour where and when he chooses – not exactly hero characteristics. When his girls start disappearing he makes wrong assertions about what is happening to them, and even when the truth is being told, he thinks it is lies, being self-absorbed in his own problems. He is out to protect his own interests, but slowly gets caught up in the events and then tries to do what he can and what is right. Maybe that does give him some hero credentials. It is the emotions portrayed by Kim Yun-Seok that despite the negative first impressions he makes, keep him being liked and rooted for as the film progresses.

Where The Chaser differs from a lot of other murder-thrillers is that generally when the killer is known by the audience, there is a cat and mouse style chase as the good guys try to catch the killer, but not here. The killer is caught early on, and the race against time is the police trying to break him to find out where his latest victim has been kept and to get solid evidence to charge him with before bureaucracy wins and he has to be released. The tension and suspense are still there but in a different form, making The Chaser a very refreshing and welcome twist to the genre.

Several years ago Korean cinema was a huge industry, with many amazing films being made each year, but the last few years has seen the quality decrease. Being a victim of their own success, films have become more expensive to make and therefore the rights for distribution abroad have also increased, making them less attractive investments for companies. While obviously being an appealing film for certain people in Hollywood, The Chaser also shows that potential for excellent cinema still exists in Korea and can be distributed to the world. While maybe not a film you’ll want to see again in a hurry The Chaser is an excellent, powerfully disturbing film that won’t leave you with any smiles, but it will leave an impact.

Reposted from Dark Dragon Style.

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