Written by Won-Chan Hong, Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee
Directed by Na Hong-Jin

A disgraced ex-policeman who runs a small ring of prostitutes finds himself in a race against time when one of his women goes missing. (IMDB)

So, onto the second of three Korean thrillers I was sent to review and if the trend continues, the third one should be one hell of a ride!

The chaser follows Joong-ho Eom (Kim Yoon-seok) a disgraced ex-policeman who now runs a ring of prostitutes with a distinct lack of compassion or care for his “girls”. When one goes missing, he is clearly more concerned about the money he spent acquiring her for his business than he is for her welfare. When it becomes clear that she has been taken by a suspected serial killer, Joong-ho embarks on a cat and mouse race against time to find out where the killer was keeping her before he was captured. The trail leads him back to Mi-jin Kim’s (Seo Yeong-hie) home and the daughter (Kim Yoo-jung) he never knew she had, heightening his desperation to find the missing woman and finally pushing Joong-ho to develop some compassion.

The Chaser is a downer of a movie. The protagonist and antagonist are not nice people. While Joong-ho was once a copper, we don’t find out the full details of why he was kicked out, but it is clear it wasn’t because he was a nice guy. He is the perfect reflection of Young-min Jee (Ha Jung-woo) the twisted killer seemingly enjoying every minute of giving the cops and Joong-Ho the run around. As the cops prove useless, Joong-ho takes matters into his own hands and things quickly get violent and bloody.

Very violent and bloody.

The Chaser is a brutal film about brutal people, and it is not shy about it. But it is not just the violence and blood, it’s the treatment of the characters, especially the women. This is a world where women are a commodity, treated as property and none of them come off well. Misogyny is rife and, while it is to be expected in a film with such a subject matter, it can be hard to watch, especially when there is very little redemption for anyone.

While Joong-ho starts looking for the wrong reasons, his crusade becomes more “noble” as he realises the predicament Mi-Jin is in and his desperation to reuinite her with her daughter grows. His instincts as an ex-policemen bring him to a violent final showdown with Young-min, but will it be in time?

The two leads are fantastic, playing off against each other well, both angry and both violent. The darkness in the souls of the two leads is reflected in the direction and cinematography with much of the action taking place at night, in the shadows. This is not a film about nice guys winning out, this is a movie about what happens to all the people that surround bad men, the violence experienced just by being in their periphery. Joon-ho is angry about his missing girls and loss of income while Young-min is angry and impotent, taking out his frustration on prostitutes as he doesn’t believe anyone will miss them.

It is definitely worth watching to find out how it all ends, but The Chase is definitely not a “feel-good” movie. It is dark, grimy, violent and disturbing, another amazing piece of Korean cinema that will grab your attention and not let go until the credits roll.

At just over 2 hours, The Chase is a long one and, while it does have some quiet moments, it doesn’t stall and it kept me interested throughout. The bursts of action and violence are often short and sharp and all the more effective for it. Na Hong-jin has delivered another triumph for Korean cinema.

Check out the tailer below, but don’t get put off by the voiceover!