The Chaser

It’s a hard life for your regular pimp. Especially when somebody begins stealing his floozies. This initial situation gives rise to a very unusual picture that, as we are used to in South Korean movies, stands on the dividing line between many genres. It certainly doesn’t slip into and remain in the initial rut of tedious “chase" thriller. The filmmaker gradually calls to mind absolutely different movies. For instance, with its sharp criticism of the work of the police, this reminds of Memories of Murder, while getting closer with the cheated daughter reminds of “relationship creation" movies. But most it reminds me of Public Enemies. Maybe too much. Just the humor is missing. Thank god. And it’s framed inside one single day and lots of storylines. A very big bite for a debut. But it works excellently, even so. It may lack memorable moments, but due to that it all holds together in one perfect whole. Which is almost incredible when you consider how it keeps jumping around. It is above average in acting terms too, and so just the unnecessary length is detrimental. (28/06/2008)

One of the best crafted thrillers I've ever seen. For the fact that filmmakers revealed the killer at the beginning, they still perfectly managed to keep the viewer's attention until the end. They wouldn't be Korean if they didn't make fun of cops, so their methods come across as rather comical as always, but that's just part of it. The biggest gem, however, is the killer himself. The horrible things he did and the calmness he did them with gave me chills. This is a must-see. 5 stars. (05/02/2014)

The detective line, where an ex-cop investigates the disappearance of a prostitute on his own, is great. It’s atmospheric, plot-driven, formally unrelenting and visually dirty in a proper way, while deftly rewriting established genre rules to deliver an unvarnished alternative to the surgically precise thrillers of the Western cinematic world. The hero is a unscrupulous bastard, the dumb cops do nothing out of the ordinary, and the villain laughs in everyone's face, even though he's basically on the run from the start. But with this approach, the filmmakers manage to create an interesting narrative structure, unbound by the rules of "cinematic reality" and aptly criticizing an inconsistent legal system that would set even the biggest outlaws free despite being charged. However, the film is brought down by an inconsistent script, which at times leaves too much room for coincidence (although this is one of the deliberate ways of deviating from reality), the protagonist is always one step ahead of the police despite minimal resources, and the ending reeks of cheapness more than it should. That said, after my experience with the mediocre I Saw the Devil, I was very pleasantly surprised by this depressing ride. 80% (22/03/2016)

The South Koreans really know how to make dark thrillers. Americans have a certain limit that they don’t cross in their filmography. South Korean creators might have lower self-reflection, but don’t take that as a criticism; quite the opposite. The Chaser may not have the most innovative idea, as I’ve seen many similar plots in films, but the film benefits from its harsh atmosphere that doesn’t pull any punches. The first half moves at a slow pace, mainly serving as an introduction to all the characters involved. The protagonist initially seemed quite unsympathetic to me, but over time I got used to his character and, by the end, was rooting for him to take down the main antagonist. What surprises me is the incompetent behavior of the Seoul police officers. I’m not sure if this is a deliberate choice in films from this peninsula, but if it works this way in reality, it’s quite alarming... Is one murderer really outsmarting all of them? Sad. The ending is crushing; it was not expected to be positive, but this... Wow. I give it 76%. (10/10/2020)