Chaser, The

aka: Chugyeogja
South Korea 2008, 125 minutes
Dir. Hong-jin Na
In Korean with English subtitles
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Suspense/Crime / Serial Killers

Feat. Yun-seok Kim, Jung-woo Ha, Yeong-hie Seo

Aroview: As much concerned with criticizing the police force as it is deftly juggling plot twists, murders, and other serial killer conventions, this Korean thriller is an exciting, gutsy entry into an oversaturated genre.

Despite a few false notes, dir. Na offers an unsightly view of Korean society and its apparently corrupt law enforcement without ever straying from his film’s primary function as a tense, sensational murder mystery. The story itself is nicely subverted and thrill-seeking in its violence: an ex-cop turned pimp must convince authorities of a killer’s guilt before they release him from custody; meanwhile, his final victim remains undiscovered, and awaiting a grisly fate…

NZ International Film Festival 2009

Member Reviews

Average rating (Very Good). Showing 1-1 of 1 member reviews.

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4 stars (Very Good) Builds tension without the narrative tropes common to an American thriller. Leans toward hammy & one-dimensional (eg, commentary on corrupt police begins & ends with overt "if you can't find any evidence then make it up!"), but a good character piece. ~Truant