The Chaser (2008) [Film Review]

The Chaser; or, You Cannot Tell a Soul

     Hey, 4885. It's you, huh? Oh, brother. Son of a bitch. Answer it, asshole. You're dead meat.

The Chaser is a 2008 action thriller starring Kim Yoon Seok and Ha Jung Woo in the leading roles. The directorial debut of Na Hong Jin was inspired by the real-life serial killer case of Yoo Young Chul. Praised by the critics and the viewers as well as becoming a box-office hit in the year of its release, The Chaser is hailed as one of the best South Korean thrillers out there. Does the movie live up to its name? Let’s find out in this review:

Release Info

Directed by: Na Hong Jin Starring: Kim Yoon Seok, Ha Jung Woo, Seo Young Hee

Language: Korean Original Title: 추격자 Runtime: 120 min

 

Synopsis

Joong Ho (Kim Yoon Seok) is an ex-policeman turned pimp who is in charge of a small call-girl business. Two of his prostitutes have recently gone missing and Joong Ho suspects that they might have been sold. One night, Joong Ho orders Mi Jin (Seo Young Hee) to service a weird customer who called from the cell phone number 4885. Soon after, Joong Ho discovers that this client was the last person who saw the missing girls alive. He calls Mi Jin and tells her to text the client’s address. When the girl’s cell becomes unresponsive, Joon Ho finds himself in a race against time in order to find her.

 

Catch Me if You Can

I was quite moody and in need of an engaging story the other night, so I was hoping that The Chaser would grab my attention. Indeed it did. It is a very suspenseful, inverted detective story (we get to know who is the bad guy like 15 minutes in the story) sprinkled with very gut-wrenching, almost horror-like elements.

 

The extremely dark tone and fast-pacing are the movie’s main advantages. However, shoehorned play with expectations in order to forcefully make a viewer cry is what I disliked about this movie the most. On the one hand, it feels like an R-rated episode of Monk (which is a great thing: Getting to know the murderer’s modus operandi). On the other, there is so much blood gushing out and bodies rolling over in this picture that I felt as I was watching an 80s exploitation flick.

 

Perhaps this is why The Chaser became so memorable. The movie keeps you on the edge of your seat and does not let you go for a single moment. The tension reaches such a degree in the film’s climax that I actually related to the exhaustion of the main character as soon as the end credits rolled in.

 

With regard to performances, Kim Yoon Seok is awesome as a morally questionable ex-cop/pimp on the run after the psychotic murder played by Ha Jung Woo. Seo Young Hee is also great in the supporting role as Min Jin, but her role has a limited screen time. Kim Yoo Jung makes up for her absence in the second act as Eun Ji, Mi Jin’s daughter. Additionally, a fact should be noted that the film was shot entirely on location around Mangwon-dong in the Mapo district of Seoul, which is where the storyline is set.

 

Recommendations

All things considered, The Chaser is not a movie for the faint-hearted. However, if you’re into hardcore crime stories, then this film is a perfect choice for you. I would not call it a masterpiece of the thriller genre, but it is very interesting and engrossing nonetheless, despite the huge amount of violence. I do not regret checking it out, yet I won’t be coming back to it anytime soon. Other South Korean thrillers like Memories of Murder (2003) or Montage (2013) may not be so action-packed, but they have a higher re-watch value, in my opinion.

Overall score: 7/10