Chugyeogja (2008)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Hong-jin Na

Writers:

Won-Chan Hong (written by)
Shinho Lee (written by)

Release Date:

14 February 2008 (South Korea)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Joong-ho is a dirty detective turned pimp in financial trouble as several of his girls have recently disappeared without clearing their debts...

Plot Keywords:

Pimp | Serial Killer | Police Protection Failure | Gore | Murder

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Yun-seok Kim	...	Joong-ho Eom
Jung-woo Ha	...	Young-min Jee
Yeong-hie Seo	...	Mi-jin Kim
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
In-gi Jung	...	Detective Lee
Hyo-ju Park	...	Detective Oh

Also Known As:

The Chaser (International: English title) (UK) (USA)

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:18 | UK:18 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Singapore:M18 | Germany:18 | Taiwan:R-18 | Japan:R-15 | France:-12 (with warning) | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-18 | Australia:MA (2009) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud) | New Zealand:R18 | Japan:R-18 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Seoul, South Korea

Company:

Fine Cut

Trivia:

The part where Young-min (Jung-woo Ha) slips as Joong-ho (Yun-seok Kim) chases him in the alley was not scripted. Actor Jung-woo Ha actually did slip on the slippery pavement while shooting, but kept running anyway. Director Hong-jin Na liked that cut so much that he kept it in the final edit.

Movie Connections:

Remade as The Chaser (2010)

Korean thriller on the chase to stop a violent serial killer

Korean cinema does it again. "The Chaser" is another great movie from the Korean film stable. The plot stems around an amoral ex-cop turned pimp who after losing some of his "working girls" decides to track down and find the client behind this. He ends up finding himself involved in more than he bargained for, with the client being a serial killer, and its then a chase to find his last girl sent to him whilst the police also try to pin him down but are hampered by legal red tape and politics.

As you'd expect from a Korean film from the cop thriller genre it can be very violent, and there's no denying that for this film, however thankfully it doesn't overshadow the rest of the movie. The chase is on, and the roller coaster of emotions following the pimp and the cops trying to stop the serial killer is nothing less than gripping, watching them go from one success to despair in short spaces of time. The tension is high and will tug on you right to the end.

Importantly there is a lot of humour. The main character (Joong-ho Eom) is incredibly dry-witted, and is a release valve for the tension in the film. As he carries the film, the acting is important, and both he and the serial killer are exceptionally good. Can't argue with either or even the general ensemble.

There is possibly an American re-make in the offing. Fair enough I guess as that's become the norm now, but I hope it doesn't dilute the central story or the action. This film is a great gem, and follows on from some of the other greats in the genre such as "Memories of a Murder" which is a classic. It will unsettle but for an intelligent thriller, it really is up there with the best in the past few years.