The Chaser, (Na Hong-Jin, 2008): South Korea

Reviewed by Alessa Valenzuela at the AFI Film Festival, Los Angeles California.

If you have a strong stomach and an appreciation for a less than conventional good vs. evil story you will enjoy The Chaser. As the first film I watched at the 2008 AFI film festival sponsored by Audi, this crime thriller was a belly flopping way to kick things off, literally I felt slightly ill when the film ended. The Chaser is exactly what it promises by its title, however I was surprised that the film seemed so American. It was interesting to watch a South Korean film that was so heavily influenced by American films. What stood out most to me was the fact that I walked away with some key questions about some character decisions. Graphically violent and bloody the most vivid images of mutilated bodies and beaten meat chronicle the story of an ex-detective turned pimp on a hunt to find his missing girls.

Director Na Hong-Jin paints the seedy underbelly of South Korea with rich saturated colors as they follow one man’s journey from filthy pimp to valiant avenger. At first ex-cop Joong-ho’s (Kim Yun-seok)  motivation seems purely monetary and superficial, in his business a missing girl is missing money. Naturally he assumes his missing girls have been stolen and sold or run away, he is in need of money and running low on girls to satisfy his clients so he convinces an ill woman Mi-Jin Kim (See Young-Woong) to do a job. When she doesn’t return he is furious and starts looking for her, he sets out with nothing but a cell number of a suspicious customer to find Min-Jin.

Upon discovering the daughter of the missing girl while on the hunt his tune begins to change. On more than one occasion our hero denies his honest and pure intentions for wanting to find the girl. As his intentions began to vary and suspect narrowly eludes him, his perseverance becomes greater as he gets closer to finding the missing girl not for money but for the child. The turning point in the film comes when the missing girl finds that she can’t escape and the Pimp finds that he can’t get to her. Immediately following this realization by both characters the real action begins. Technically the fill is shot in dark-ominous tones while using a fair amount of handheld camera work. Rain pours throughout the film, which added to the overall aesthetic of the film,

Perhaps the most interesting character in the film is the serial killer Joung min-jee (Ha-Jung Woo) whose motive is never made clear. An average, charming man orders women prostitutes, doesn’t have sex with them but instead ties them like pigs and kills them with metal tools. As the story unfolds it seems inferiority may be the reason for this man’s malicious and less than meticulous actions, unfortunately this venue of incentive is never fully explored.  In my opinion the best thing about a crime thriller is not weather justice is served but instead the exposition of the Psychopathic killers mind. Think of Kevin Space in SEVEN the dynamic ending in which Brad Pitt fulfills the serial killers master plan, without him divulging his motives the film would fail to translate to the viewer. 

Overall I would recommend The Chaser to anyone who is interested in Cinematography making process because it is aesthetically pleasing throughout really capturing the emotions of its characters. However if you are looking for a film that will explore those characters deeply and fully this slasher might not be for you. Just a word of warning, this film has gore galore in a very real way.