Chugyeogja (2008)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Hong-jin Na

Writers:

Won-Chan Hong (written by)
Shinho Lee (written by)

Release Date:

14 February 2008 (South Korea)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Joong-ho is a dirty detective turned pimp in financial trouble as several of his girls have recently disappeared without clearing their debts...

Plot Keywords:

Pimp | Serial Killer | Police Protection Failure | Gore | Murder

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Yun-seok Kim	...	Joong-ho Eom
Jung-woo Ha	...	Young-min Jee
Yeong-hie Seo	...	Mi-jin Kim
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
In-gi Jung	...	Detective Lee
Hyo-ju Park	...	Detective Oh

Also Known As:

The Chaser (International: English title) (UK) (USA)

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:18 | UK:18 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Singapore:M18 | Germany:18 | Taiwan:R-18 | Japan:R-15 | France:-12 (with warning) | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-18 | Australia:MA (2009) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud) | New Zealand:R18 | Japan:R-18 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Seoul, South Korea

Company:

Fine Cut

Trivia:

The part where Young-min (Jung-woo Ha) slips as Joong-ho (Yun-seok Kim) chases him in the alley was not scripted. Actor Jung-woo Ha actually did slip on the slippery pavement while shooting, but kept running anyway. Director Hong-jin Na liked that cut so much that he kept it in the final edit.

Movie Connections:

Remade as The Chaser (2010)

Not perfect, but a great inversion of the serial-killer thriller

The Chaser was one of the biggest surprise hits of Corean cinema in the summer of 2008 and after watching it, I can see why it was so popular. This is a tight thriller, surprisingly well directed by a first-time helmer, featuring a solid story. Not to say it's without problems, but when I went into it, I'd read a number of mediocre reviews and my expectations were a little low. Suffice to say, I have to say that it's overall a commendable first effort.

The genius of this film is the inversion of the thriller. These aren't spoilers because it all happens at the start. Near the beginning of the film, an ex-cop turned pimp, Jungho, finds that his girls are going missing. We watch the serial killer villain capture one of the girls, but before he gets to kill her, he gets distracted and then runs into the pimp, who catches him. Here's the problem: after turning him over to the police, the killer confesses to his murder spree, however, doesn't provide any evidence outside of his testimony. Consequently, because of the restraints of the law and the problems the police have been having under the public eye (abuses of power and such) and since he was arrested without a warrant, they only have 12 hours to prove he's actually the killer before they have to let him go. So the police and the pimp both end up racing the clock to find out where girl and the victims' bodies lie before the killer gets to go free and vanish or possibly kill again.

I was pretty impressed with the story and most of the characterizations. The protagonist is hard-to-like but so well played that it's easy to root for him in the end. He's actually a money-grubbing scumbag, but as he encounters the kidnapped girl's daughter, we see more layers to his character as he has to grapple with his conscience regarding his complicity to the events. The cops, while occasionally suffering from incompetence, are mostly portrayed as dedicated folk often constrained by politics at the upper levels of government. They're not loathsome, but certainly not perfect. The killer is probably the weakest characterization, but I think, in general, it's hard to write a serial killer that doesn't fall into one serial killer cliché or another. The story starts a little slow as the events build up, but once you pass the first quarter and the intensity of the clock kicks in, and as the killer toys with and misdirects the police, the film never seems to let up on the tension, except for brief moments of black comedy. I also really like how we see Jungho's perspective change over the course of the film and while he never ends up a saint, he's not a static character.

There are some problems, though. Some gaps in the story doesn't fully explain how certain events occur and we're forced to fill in the gaps or come up with reasons on our own. These aren't entirely glaring, but observant viewers might find themselves a little confused now and then. Also, the final act of the film goes a little long and might've benefited from some trimming.

The acting is all fairly solid, with only the killer falling a little blank, but I don't think it's the fault of the actor, but just the difficulty in writing a strong serial killer. The actor portraying the lead had a lot on his shoulders and he manages to pull it off well, being able to show clearly his developing conscience without overly hamming up the change over the course of the film. The direction generally avoids any serious stylistic statements, by and large sticking to a more straightforward approach, but I like little touches, like using handhelds to help create a sense of immediacy. The film does a great job of portraying Seoul, capturing its dark alleys and neon glowing streets at night. I felt like the score was pretty good throughout, although it might've headed a little into overkill during a dramatic point at the end.

Sometimes when I watch a film, it sticks with me all night, preventing me from sleeping because I was still thinking about it. This was such a film. When the film gets going, it's so tightly paced and the story so thrillingly written that it quickly grabs you and holds you until the final act. While I can't recommend this to everyone, especially the squeamish, due to some graphic scenes of violence as well as some somewhat brutal action sequences, if you like serial-killer thrillers like Se7en and The Silence of the Lambs, The Chaser would be something worth watching (even if it's not entirely on the level of the aforementioned films). 8/10.