The Chaser (2008)

A disgraced ex-policeman who runs a small ring of prostitutes finds himself in a race against time when one of his women goes missing.

Director:

Hong-jin Na

Writers:

Won-Chan Hong, Shinho Lee

Stars:

Kim Yoon-seok, Jung-woo Ha, Yeong-hie Seo

27 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kim Yoon-seok	...	Joong-ho Eom (as Yoon-suk Kim)
Jung-woo Ha	...	Young-min Jee
Yeong-hie Seo	...	Mi-jin Kim
Kim Yoo-Jeong	...	Eun-ji
In-gi Jeong	...	Detective Lee
Jung-woo Choi	...	Chief of Police
Kyung Jin Min	...	Team Chief
Hyo-ju Park	...	Detective Oh
Bon-woong Ko	...	Oh-jot
Yeon-ah Oh	...	Sung Hee
Ji-Yeon Yoo	...	Hee-jung
Sun-Young Kim	...	Ji-young
Jong-goo Lee	...	Profiler
Yo-sep Song	...	Detective Kang
Seong-kwang Ha	...	Detective Park

Storyline

Joong-ho is a dirty detective turned pimp in financial trouble as several of his girls have recently disappeared without clearing their debts. While trying to track them down, he finds a clue that the vanished girls were all called up by a same client whom one of his girls is meeting with right now.

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Plot Keywords:

police detective | pursuit | anti hero | social commentary | anger | 

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Taglines:

The hunter and the hunted, the ultimate chase begins

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hong-jin Na's directorial film debut.

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Connections

Referenced in Anukshanam (2014)

User Reviews

Korean thriller on the chase to stop a violent serial killer

Korean cinema does it again. "The Chaser" is another great movie from the Korean film stable. The plot stems around an amoral ex-cop turned pimp who after losing some of his "working girls" decides to track down and find the client behind this. He ends up finding himself involved in more than he bargained for, with the client being a serial killer, and its then a chase to find his last girl sent to him whilst the police also try to pin him down but are hampered by legal red tape and politics.

As you'd expect from a Korean film from the cop thriller genre it can be very violent, and there's no denying that for this film, however thankfully it doesn't overshadow the rest of the movie. The chase is on, and the roller coaster of emotions following the pimp and the cops trying to stop the serial killer is nothing less than gripping, watching them go from one success to despair in short spaces of time. The tension is high and will tug on you right to the end.

Importantly there is a lot of humour. The main character (Joong-ho Eom) is incredibly dry-witted, and is a release valve for the tension in the film. As he carries the film, the acting is important, and both he and the serial killer are exceptionally good. Can't argue with either or even the general ensemble.

There is possibly an American re-make in the offing. Fair enough I guess as that's become the norm now, but I hope it doesn't dilute the central story or the action. This film is a great gem, and follows on from some of the other greats in the genre such as "Memories of a Murder" which is a classic. It will unsettle but for an intelligent thriller, it really is up there with the best in the past few years.

Details

Official Sites:

Haut et Court [France] Official site [Japan]

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

14 February 2008 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

The Chaser

Filming Locations:

Seoul, South Korea

Box Office

Budget:

$2,650,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$36,495,748

Company Credits

Production Co:

Big House, Vantage Holdings, Showbox Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1