The Chaser (2008)

Can anyone please explain me why those Koreans always come up with this style of movies??? Why??? The same disturbing, disgusting violence in almost every movie they made? Maybe some of you can say that they have other beautiful drama movies, but in fact only disgusting movies I see from them...

I knew nothing about Na Hong-jin's "Chugyeokja" ("The Chaser" in English) when I started watching it, and that made it even more intense. This story of a detective-turned-pimp who decides to look into the disappearance of his prostitutes makes Seoul look like one gritty polity. All manner of nasty things take place throughout the movie, but none of it is gratuitous. Quite the opposite, everything is there to show the unpleasant existence that the characters lead. And boy are there some unpleasant things here! This movie has no place for subtlety.The movie reminded me of another South Korean crime drama that I saw recently: "A Hard Day". What I conclude is that the bottom half of the Korean peninsula turns out some of the most intense movies in the world (I suspect that the upper half only makes propaganda movies). There are lots of intense movies made throughout the world, but South Korea's crime dramas are possibly the most extreme. I doubt that you've seen anything like "The Chaser". I recommend it.

Korean cinema represents some of the most technically perfect film-making in the world and director Hong-jin Na stands out even among his peers for his specific ability to engage and hook viewers into some of the most bizarre stories ever put on film.Chaser, based on a real series of events, might be one of the most backward police procedurals ever told. Everything happens out of sequence.Off the top of the film a young mother is savagely attacked by a demented serial killer. This of course "hooks" the viewer. Is she still alive? Can anyone rescue her? But the only one coming to her rescue is an ex-cop who is now a pimp and does not even believe the serial killer -- even when he confesses.Confused? You are supposed to be. These seeming paradoxes are the essence of Hong-jin Na's world, a world where (if you check out the rest of his work) the adults act like children and the children are invariably smarter than the adults.I have commented in my review of The Wailing that the art and majesty of Hong-jin Na's work as a director and story-teller is the humanistic slant, his ability to make the viewer care about the people on screen, no matter how strange the story gets.American directors could learn from such a master.

The path "The Chaser" takes is not the one usually taken or in the light for that matter. There's menacing atmosphere to its from dawn to dusk struggle, which is strangely inviting in its occasional humorous tone. The premise of serial killer is straightforward, but it has subtle details, the eerily real life feel in the streets and closed doors.It focuses on a retired officer now branching to the other side of the law as a pimp. He loses girls on frequent basis recently, and while this man is the crude anti-hero, he's still protective of his girls, for many reasons. He decides to investigate it and soon finds out that a client might be involved, and so the night turns into a figurative and literal chase before the client gets another victim.Acting is really well done throughout, the former detective looks very brash and unkempt, although he is completely driven to solve this case. The antagonist appears to be a man without empathy, he might look dazed or startled when faced against adversities, yet there's a hint that he would snap at a moment notice without even realizing the gravity of his actions.Another good thing is the use of locations. The movie never seems far fetch, the situations are well designed and they do resemble the quiet time or bustling area. There's a slight tone of humor as well, the occasional banters give more respites even though the case gradually becomes more sinister."The Chaser" is a compellingly dark story, unapologetic for its bold moments and entirely riveting for one night stand.