The Chaser (film)
The Chaser | |
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Theatrical poster
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Directed by | Na Hong-jin |
Produced by | Kim Su-jin Yun In-beom |
Written by | Na Hong-jin Shinho Lee Hong Won-chan |
Starring | Kim Yoon-seok Ha Jung-woo Seo Young-hee |
Music by | Kim Jun-seok Choi Yong-rak |
Cinematography | Lee Sung-jae |
Edited by | Kim Sun-min |
Distributed by | Showbox |
Release dates
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Running time
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123 minutes |
Country | South Korea |
Language | Korean |
Box office | US$35.8 million[1] |
The Chaser (Hangul: 추격자; RR: Chugyeokja) 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.
Contents
Plot
Eom Joong-ho is a dishonest ex-detective turned pimp who is in financial trouble because two of his girls have gone missing. One night he sends Mi-jin, one of his few remaining girls, to a customer. He then realizes that this is the same person who was the last to see his missing girls. Believing that this man is reselling his women, he goes to look for Mi-jin, contacting his old police task force for help. But they cannot assist because the mayor of Seoul, whom they are guarding, has just been attacked with feces. The police are now preoccupied with a media storm because they have suffered humiliation for failing to protect the mayor.
Mi-jin awakes tied up in a bathroom. Her "customer", Je Yeong-min, calmly informs her that a previous victim had her tongue cut out for screaming too much. He tries to kill her, but she resists and Je Yeong-min hurts his hand. Moments later, callers from the local church arrive, inquiring about its owner, Mr. Park. Yeong-min has no time to finish off Mi-jin so he invites the elderly couple in and butchers them.
While trying to ditch the couple's car, he collides with Joong-ho's vehicle. Joong-ho senses that the man is hiding something, and calls the customer's cellphone, establishing that this is the man he is looking for. Yeong-min tries to run away but is caught and badly beaten by Joong-ho. Both men are arrested by a suspicious local cop. At the station, Yeong-min casually admits that he has killed up to nine people. A fracas starts when competing divisions all want to investigate the high-profile unsolved murders in the area.
Despite his confession, the police have no physical evidence, so they cannot detain Yeong-min for long. To get evidence, Joong-ho goes to Mi-jin's apartment to collect DNA samples. In the apartment, he discovers Eun-ji, Mi-jin's daughter, home alone. Reluctantly he takes her with him while he follows up a lead in Yeong-min's home town. There, he learns the suspect had been sent to prison for three years for lobotomizing his own nephew. Joong-ho finds a shabby room where Yeong-min had once lived. On the walls are a host of religious drawings. Eun-ji wanders off, following a woman who looks like her mother. Off camera, she is apparently knocked down in a hit and run. After a frantic search, Joong-ho finds her and takes her to a hospital. He signs the forms as her father.
Time has run out for the police. The prosecutor's office orders that Yeong-min be released because the police have no evidence. The prosecutor tells the chief that the arrest, the suspect's injuries and rapid confession will be portrayed as the police's attempt to save face. To avoid political fallout, Yeong-min is released without charge. At the same time, the chief orders the arrest of Joong-ho as a scapegoat because he attacked the suspect. The former cop escapes from the police to continue looking for Mi-jin.
Meanwhile, Mi-jin has freed herself and escaped from the house and the garden full of human remains. Badly injured, she finds help at a nearby corner shop. Yeong-min stops at the same shop to buy cigarettes. The shopkeeper innocently tells him what has happened to Mi-jin and that there is a "maniac" loose. He kills the shopowner before killing and decapitating Mi-jin. Arriving shortly thereafter, Joong-ho finds the street cordoned off by the police and the store a bloodbath.
The police, now realizing that they have again been humiliated, throw everything into the search for Yeong-min. Joong-ho, distraught at what has happened, visits the local church, a link between the house callers and the car that Yeong-min had been driving. Joong-ho notices that the statue of the crucified Jesus matches the drawings he had seen in the room. Inquiries with the deacon lead him to the sculpture "assistant" who was staying at Mr Park's house.
On arrival, Joong-ho discovers a now smartly-dressed Yeong-min, carrying his bag of tools, just about to depart. A massive fight ensues in which a fish tank containing Mi-jin's head and body parts is smashed. Eventually Joong-ho prevails but just as he is about to bring a hammer down on Yeong-min's skull the police burst in and restrain the former policeman. As Joong-ho is pushed face down to the ground, he looks into the dead eyes of Mi-jin. The police digs up Yeong-min's many buried victims.
The film ends with Joong-ho sitting silently in the hospital room alongside Eun-ji's bed. He takes her hand in his own.
Cast
- Kim Yoon-seok as Eom Joong-ho, former police officer
- Ha Jung-woo as. Je Yeong-min, serial killer
- Seo Young-hee as Kim Mi-jin, prostitute
- Koo Bon-woong as Oh-jot, Eom Joong-ho's assistant
- Kim Yoo-jung as Eun-ji, Mi-jin's daughter
- Jung In-gi as Detective Lee
- Park Hyo-joo as Detective Oh
- Choi Jung-woo as Chief of Police
- Min Kyeong-jin as Team chief
- Oh Yeon-ah as Sung-hee
- Kim Sun-young as Ji-yeong
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
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 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. It's 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. |
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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 | |||
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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]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "South Korea Box: Office May 30 – June 1, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The Chaser (2008) | Amazon.com | Genre: Foreign Films, Mystery and Thrillers, Action & Adventure
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The Best Selling Films of 2008". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
- ↑ "South Korea Box Office: February 15–17, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
- ↑ "South Korea Box Office: February 22–24, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
- ↑ "South Korea Box Office: February 29 – March 2, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
- ↑ "South Korea Box Office: March 7–9, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ "The Chaser - Awards". Cinemasie. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
- ↑ 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.
External links
- Webarchive template wayback links
- 2008 films
- Korean-language films
- Articles containing Korean-language text
- Articles using small message boxes
- 2000s action films
- 2000s crime films
- 2000s thriller films
- South Korean action thriller films
- South Korean crime thriller films
- Crime action films
- South Korean action films
- South Korean films
- Serial killer films
- Police detective films
- Chase films
- Films set in Seoul
- Films shot in Seoul
- Films shot in Busan
- Films directed by Na Hong-jin
- Directorial debut films
- Best Picture Grand Bell Award winners
- Showbox films
- Films about psychopaths
- 2000s psychological horror films