The Chaser (2008 film)

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The Chaser
The Chaser film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Hangul추격
Hanja追擊
Revised RomanizationChugyeokja
McCune–ReischauerCh‘ugyŏkja
Directed byNa Hong-jin
Written byNa Hong-jin
Shinho Lee
Hong Won-chan
Produced byKim Su-jin
Yun In-beom
StarringKim Yoon-seok
Ha Jung-woo
Seo Young-hee
CinematographyLee Sung-jae
Edited byKim Sun-min
Music byKim Jun-seok
Choi Yong-rak
Distributed byShowbox
Release date
  • 14 February 2008 (2008-02-14)
Running time
123 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Budget$2.6 million
Box officeUS$35.8 million[1]

The Chaser (Korean추격자; RRChugyeokja) is a 2008 South Korean action thriller film[2][3] starring Kim Yoon-seok and Ha Jung-woo. It was directed by Na Hong-jin in his directorial debut.[4] Inspired by real-life Korean serial killer Yoo Young-chul, the film was shot on location around Mangwon-dong in the Mapo District, Seoul.

Plot[]

Joong-ho is a dishonest ex-detective turned pimp who is in financial trouble because two of his prostitutes have gone missing. One night, he commands Mi-jin to service a customer, despite her protests over her sickness. Joong-ho then realizes this customer was the last to see his missing girls. Believing that this customer is trafficking his women, Joong-ho nevertheless sends Mi-jin in so that she can forward the customer's address to him. Joong-ho contacts his old police task force for help, but they cannot assist because the mayor of Seoul, whom they were guarding, has been attacked with feces; this results in the police suffering a media firestorm.

The customer, Yeong-min, takes Mi-jin back to a house but Mi-jin fails to contact Joong-ho due to the bathroom having no cell service. Yeong-min binds Mi-jin, but her struggles prevent her murder with a chisel, so Yeong-min hits her with a hammer, knocking her out. Just then, an elderly couple from the local church arrive, inquiring about the real house owner, Mr. Park; they recognize his dog. Yeong-min then invites the elderly couple in and murders them.

Joong-ho, only aware of the customer's district, conducts a search. Yeong-min tries to ditch the couple's car, but collides with Joong-ho's car. Joong-ho's suspicions are aroused as Yeong-min has blood on his shirt and refuses to give his phone number. Joong-ho calls the customer's number and Yeong-min's phone rings. Yeong-min flees but is caught and beaten by Joong-ho. Both men are arrested by a local cop. At the station, Yeong-min casually admits that he committed nine murders. Competing police divisions argue over who will investigate the high-profile unsolved murders in the area.

Despite the confession, the police have no physical evidence so they cannot detain Yeong-min for long. Yeong-min reveals Mi-jin is alive, but the police doubt it. Joong-ho goes to Mi-jin's apartment to collect DNA samples, and from there he takes Mi-jin's daughter Eun-ji with him while he follows up a lead in Yeong-min's hometown. Joong-ho learns that Yeong-min was jailed for three years for lobotomizing his own nephew. Another prostitute informs Joong-ho that Yeong-min is impotent. When Yeong-min is questioned about his impotency being part of his motive, he attacks the interrogator. Joong-ho's assistant finds a room where Yeong-min had once lived; Joong-ho discovers religious drawings on the room's walls. Eun-ji wanders off while following a woman who looks like her mother, then meets with an accident and is brought to hospital by Joong-ho.

Yeong-min provides a false lead after being again beaten by Joong-ho. The prosecutor discovers Yeong-min's injuries and demands Yeong-min's release, refusing to wait for DNA test results. Saying that Yeong-min's arrest will be seen as the police's attempt to save face, the prosecutor demands for Joong-ho's arrest for injuring Yeong-min. Joong-ho is handcuffed and attacks his former teammates to escape; one of them frees him.

Meanwhile, Mi-jin freed herself and escaped from the house. Badly injured, she finds help at a nearby corner shop, and hides in the back. The police are informed, but the nearest officers are fast asleep. Yeong-min stops at the same shop to buy cigarettes. Not knowing Yeong-min is the attacker himself, the shopkeeper tells him about Mi-jin's story, asking him to stay to protect them from the attacker (which is himself) while they await the police. Yeong-min uses the shopkeeper's hammer to murder both her and Mi-jin. Alerted by police sirens, Joong-ho arrives finding the police have cordoned off the bloody shop. Yeong-min escapes off-camera back to Mr. Park's house, where he stores Mi-jin's severed head and hands in a fish tank. Yeong-min buries the elderly couple and kills Mr. Park's dog.

The humiliated police throw everything into the search for Yeong-min, while the story is leaked to the public. A distraught Joong-ho follows a lead to the local church, then notices that a church statue matches the drawings he had seen in Yeong-min's old room. As Mr. Park was the sculptor and Yeong-min his "assistant", the deacon points Joong-ho to Mr. Park's house.

Joong-ho enters the residence, interrupting Yeong-min's departure. They fight, with Joong-ho ultimately getting the upper hand, but the police arrive and restrain Joong-ho from killing Yeong-min. Yeong-Min is taken away while the police excavate the yard, finding several bodies.

The film ends with Joong-ho sitting silently by Eun-ji in her hospital room, holding her hand.

Cast[]

Release[]

Box office[]

The Chaser was released in South Korea on February 14, 2008.[5] On its opening weekend it grossed US$3,914,847 and was ranked second at the box office, behind American film Jumper.[6] It then topped the box office for three consecutive weekends,[7][8][9] and as of June 1, 2008, had grossed a total of US$35,760,133.[1] The Chaser received a total of 5,120,630 admissions nationwide, which made it the third most popular film in South Korea in 2008, after The Good, the Bad, the Weird and Scandal Makers.[5]

Critical response[]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The Chaser holds an approval rating of 80%, based on 30 reviews, and an average rating of 6.7/10. Its consensus reads, "A frantic and taut Korean serial killer thriller. One classy, if bloody and messy, gut wrencher of a movie."[10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally positive reviews".[11]

Awards and nominations[]

Year Award Category Recipients Result Ref.
2008 61st Cannes Film Festival Caméra d'Or Na Hong-jin Nominated
44th Baeksang Arts Awards Grand Prize (Daesang) The Chaser Won
Best Film Nominated
Best Director Na Hong-jin Nominated
Best Actor Kim Yoon-seok Nominated
Ha Jung-woo Nominated
Best New Director Na Hong-jin Won
Best Screenplay Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee Nominated
16th Chunsa Film Art Awards Best Actor Kim Yoon-seok Won
Ha Jung-woo Won
Best New Director Na Hong-jin Won
Best Screenplay Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee Won
Technical Award Choi Tae-young Won
9th Busan Film Critics Awards Best Actor Kim Yoon-seok Won
Best Screenplay Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee Won
17th Buil Film Awards Best Film The Chaser Nominated [12]
Best Director Na Hong-jin Won
Best Actor Kim Yoon-seok Won
Ha Jung-woo Nominated
Best New Director Na Hong-jin Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Buil Readers' Jury Award The Chaser Won
Best Editing Kim Sun-min Won
Best Cinematography Lee Sung-jae Nominated
Best Lighting Lee Cheol-oh Nominated
45th Grand Bell Awards Best Film The Chaser Won [13]
Best Director Na Hong-jin Won
Best Actor Kim Yoon-seok Won
Ha Jung-woo Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Seo Young-hee Nominated
Best New Director Na Hong-jin Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Best Editing Kim Sun-min Nominated
Best Cinematography Lee Sung-jae Won
Best Planning Kim Su-jin, Yun In-beom Won
Best Sound Kim Sin-yong Nominated
29th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Film The Chaser Nominated
Best Actor Kim Yoon-seok Won
Ha Jung-woo Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Seo Young-hee Nominated
Best New Director Na Hong-jin Nominated
Best Screenplay Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee Nominated
Best Cinematography Lee Sung-jae Nominated
Best Music Kim Jun-seok, Choi Yong-rak Nominated
Technical Award Kim Sun-min (Editing) Nominated
7th Korean Film Awards Best Film The Chaser Won
Best Actor Kim Yoon-seok Won
Best Supporting Actress Seo Young-hee Nominated
Best Director Na Hong-jin Won
Best New Director Won
Best Screenplay Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee Won
Best Editing Kim Sun-min Won
Best Cinematography Lee Sung-jae Nominated
Best Music Kim Jun-seok, Choi Yong-rak Nominated
University Film Festival of Korea Best Actor Kim Yoon-seok Won
11th Director's Cut Awards Ha Jung-woo Won
Best New Director Na Hong-jin Won
Cine 21 Awards Best Actor Ha Jung-woo Won
Best New Director Na Hong-jin Won
Best Screenplay Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee Won
2nd Asia Pacific Screen Awards Best Actor Kim Yoon-seok Nominated
12th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival Best of Puchon The Chaser Won
Best Actress Seo Young-hee Won
EFFFF Asian Award The Chaser Won
2009 3rd Asian Film Awards Best Actor Ha Jung-woo Nominated
Best Screenplay Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee Nominated
Best Editing Kim Sun-min Won

Remakes and similar productions[]

In March 2008, the remake rights to The Chaser were bought by Warner Bros. for US$1 million. William Monahan was in early discussions to write the script, with Leonardo DiCaprio named as a potential star; no deals have been set. Monahan and DiCaprio were both involved in Martin Scorsese's The Departed, a successful remake of the classic Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs .[14] Murder 2 , a 2011 Indian Bollywood psychological thriller film, is an unofficial remake of The Chaser.[15]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "South Korea Box: Office May 30 – June 1, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
  2. ^ "Realism And The Art Of Violence In The Chaser (2008) | Genre: Action, Thriller". That Moment In. 2008.
  3. ^ "추격자". Naver.
  4. ^ Lee, Hyo-won (31 January 2008). "Chaser Offers Heart-Thumping Thrills". The Korea Times. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Best Selling Films of 2008". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
  6. ^ "South Korea Box Office: February 15–17, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
  7. ^ "South Korea Box Office: February 22–24, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
  8. ^ "South Korea Box Office: February 29 – March 2, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
  9. ^ "South Korea Box Office: March 7–9, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
  10. ^ "The Chaser (Chugyeogja) (2008) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.com. Flixter. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  11. ^ "The Chaser reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  12. ^ Yi, Chang-ho (24 October 2008). "The Chaser extends awards lead". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  13. ^ "The Chaser - Awards". Cinemasie. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
  14. ^ Paquet, Darcy; Fleming, Michael (7 March 2008). "Chaser caught by Warner for remake" Archived 2008-05-08 at the Wayback Machine. Variety. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  15. ^ "The original Murder 2 director in town!". Hindustan Times. 2011-10-20. Retrieved 2021-04-30.

External links[]

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