| Language: Korean Director: Moon-su Choi Running time: 123 min Release year: 2008 |
| Cast: Kim Yun-Seok, Ha Jung-Woo, Seo Yeong-Hie, Park Hyo-Ju, Jeong In-Gi, Kim Yu-Jeong, Ko Bon-Woong |
Movie Review:
Upon its theatrical release in Korea (Feb. 14th, 2008), "The Chaser" simply took the box office by storm and packed Korean cinema houses for 3 consecutive months. Currently the movie is the highest grossing film of the year in Korea, yet that highest grossing title doesn't always correspond to a great film or even a decent film. Just think back to 2007 and recall that the two highest grossing films in Korea were "D-War" and "May 18." Two films that were simply aweful. Despite that, in the case of "The Chaser," something tells you that there must be something special about the film. The movie doesn't possess gaudy special effects or actors that would bring many people to theatres by name alone (at least when the movie initially opened). More surprisingly, "The Chaser" centers around a serial killer, a topic that's quite common in Korean films these days (Our Town, Seven Days, Rainbow Eyes, Black House, etc). So why exactly did "The Chaser" attract so many movie goers? The answers (please take note Korean movie execs) are found a few paragraphs below. |
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In "The Chaser," a former cop turned pimp Jung-ho (Yun-seok Kim) is having one of those days. Two of his girls have gone missing (one with his car) and a third girl calls in sick. He's strapped for cash and owes money to unscrupulous characters. Jung-ho then makes the fateful decision to call the sick girl, Min-Jin (Yeong-hie Seo) and demand that she meets another client.
Later that evening, Jung-ho drives off in his recovered Jaguar only to find the missing girl's cell phone in his car. When he gets back to the office he looks through her phone to find out the identity of her last client. The last phone number is 016-9265-4885, the "4885″ ringing a familiar note in Jung-ho's memory. He then checks through his client list notebook. Both of the missing girls' last clients were 016-9265-4885 and further more... Min-jin is now meeting that same person.
What the Chaser brings to the table is a potent combination of a "you gotta grab-your-armchair" like intense script and performances from the entire cast that is worthy of "encore!" chants. The movie is directed by newcomer Hong-jin Na, a name that will likely become much better known in the coming months. The beauty of Na's "The Chaser" is that the movie leaves out all the gimmicky parts of recent Korean thrillers (the hokey plots twists and CSI like over visuals) to focus on nothing but the core of the film: an intense chase to uncover bodies before the killer is released. Yes you heard that right. The killer is actually apprehended in the first quarter of the film! When have you seen a movie where the killer is found, chased, and then apprehended in the early portions of the movie? The real drama, certainly unique for its genre, begins once the killer is captured. |
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