With a record more than four million moviegoers since its release on Feb. 14 release in South Korea, “The Chaser” is a major hit film and has become the year highest grossing Korean movie to date. Following the filmmaking traditions of well-made thrillers, "The Chaser" exhibits a tight plot, impressive acting and relentless speed. In his brilliant directorial and screenwriting debut, helmer Na Hong Jin presents a crime thriller loosely based on a real-life infamous serial killer who murdered more than twenty victims - mostly prostitutes. Few years ago Korean society was shocked by horrible serial killer mayhem. Dozen of call-girls are disappeared and never returned when they visited unknown customer. The serial killer also murdered innocent old men and women on his loose. After caught of serial killer the revealed fact was beyond one's imagination. He killed girls with hammer, chisels and amputated the victims. Some of them were cannibalized. He mashed victim's liver with food processors and drank it. Now the serial killer is sentenced to death and his existence throw serious questions about execution of death sentenced prisoner to the Korean society. For ten years Korean government never executed prisoners and now UN approved Korea as a No Execution country. Took the crime as the main plot, make the story full of twist and turns and showcases the acting ability of the actors. What that you’ll really like about this film is that it shows the insignificance and the inefficiency of the Korean Police and how the public and the people who depend of the police to protect them are being short changed.
Kim Yoon-seok, the award-winning supporting actor from "Tazza: The High Rollers" ("The War of Flower") and the familiar face from "The Happy Life", nails down his first lead role as Jung-ho, an antihero who gives a bad first impression. He's a former cop who got fired for bribery, and now runs a so-called door-to-door masseuse service, which is really a sordid call girl business. Jung-ho is in a sour mood as one call girl vanishes after another. When Mi-jin (Seo Yeong-hee) disappears he notices that they've gone missing after getting a call from the same client, or cell phone number. He suspects human trafficking and sets out to catch the culprit, grumbling how much money he had paid for the girls. "4885? That’s you, right? If I catch you, you're dead", he says. Jung-ho does track him down, but it's far from heroic. He accidentally crashes into the guy while driving recklessly.” I didn't traffic them… I killed them. But that woman (Mi-jin) is probably alive", killer Ji Myeong-min (Ha Jeong-woo) "casually" mentions to the police. What's more, he can't seem to remember the exact number of his victims, was it 10 or 12?
The police have hit the jackpot, as Myeong-min claims to be responsible for a bunch of unsolved serial murders. They try to put a case together in a desperate attempt to save face after a notorious incident that had literally dung-slapped the Seoul mayor. While the cops are busy poking around in all the wrong places to retrieve evidence, Jung-ho, convinced that Mi-jin is still alive, embarks on his own investigation. It's because she is a valuable asset for business, not a sense of social responsibility. But corrupt politics among the police and prosecutors, media play and other mishaps set the killer free. A breathtaking chase ensues.
Providing a completely unusual approach to a crime thriller genre film. What's remarkable about this movie is that it lets us know who’s the bad guy right from the beginning of the film. It shows what its cards are, but still controlling the game completely from the beginning to the very end, without ever giving out any dull moment in its two hours duration which will fly by in no time.
Score: 4,5 stars out of 5
The Chaser (Korea Version Limited Edition DVD)
Release Date: July 24, 2008
Region: 3
Number of Discs: 2
Subtitles: Korean, English
Special Features:
- Pre-Production
- Production Notes
- Scene Story
- The Chaser and the Chased
- Deleted Scenes
- Poster Shooting Scenes
- Teaser
- Trailer
- TV Spot
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