The Chaser (2008 film)

2008 South Korean action thriller film

The Chaser

Theatrical release poster

Hangul|

추격자

Hanja|

追擊者

RR| Chugyeokja
MR| Ch'ugyŏkcha
Directed by| Na Hong-jin
Written by|

* Na Hong-jin
* Shinho Lee
* Hong Won-chan

Produced by|

* Kim Su-jin
* Yun In-beom

Starring|

* Kim Yoon-seok
* Ha Jung-woo

Cinematography| Lee Sung-jae
Edited by| Kim Sun-min
Music by|

* Kim Joon-seok
* Choi Yong-rak

Production
companies

Big House
Finecut

Distributed by| Showbox

Release date

* 14 February 2008 (2008-02-14)

Running time

| 124 minutes
Country| South Korea
Language| Korean
Budget| $2.6 million
Box office| US$35.8 million[1]

The Chaser (Korean: 추격자) 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, certain scenes were shot on location around Mangwon-dong in the Mapo District, Seoul.

Labeling it a "thrilling and inventive action movie", American entertainment publication Collider has considered it one of the most disturbing South Korean films of all time.[5]

## Plot

[edit]

Joong-ho is a dishonest pimp and former police detective who is in financial trouble because two of his prostitutes have gone missing. One night, he commands Mi-jin to service a customer, despite her protests over her sickness. Joong-ho then realizes this customer was the last to see his missing girls. Believing that this customer is trafficking his women, Joong-ho nevertheless sends Mi-jin in so that she can forward the customer's address to him. Joong-ho contacts his old police task force for help, but they cannot assist because the mayor of Seoul, whom they were guarding, has been attacked with feces; this results in the police suffering a media firestorm.

The customer, Yeong-min, takes Mi-jin back to the house but Mi-jin fails to contact Joong-ho due to the bathroom having no cell service. Yeong-min binds Mi-jin, but her struggles prevent her murderer with a chisel, so Yeong-min hits her with a hammer, knocking her out. Just then, an elderly couple from the local church arrives, inquiring about the real house owner, Mr. Park; they recognize his dog. Yeong-min then invites the elderly couple in and murders them.

Joong-ho, only aware of the customer's district, searches. Yeong-min tries to ditch the couple's car, but collides with Joong-ho's car. Joong-ho's suspicions are aroused as Yeong-min has blood on his shirt and refuses to give his phone number. Joong-ho calls the customer's number and Yeong-min's phone rings. Yeong-min flees but is caught and beaten by Joong-ho. Both men are arrested by a local cop. At the station, Yeong-min casually admits that he committed nine murders. Competing police divisions argue over who will investigate the high-profile unsolved murders in the area.

Despite the confession, the police have no physical evidence so they cannot detain Yeong-min for long. Yeong-min reveals Mi-jin is alive, but the police doubt it. Joong-ho goes to Mi-jin's apartment to collect DNA samples, and from there he takes Mi-jin's daughter Eun-ji with him while he follows up a lead in Yeong-min's hometown. Joong-ho learns that Yeong-min was jailed for three years for lobotomizing his nephew. Another prostitute informs Joong-ho that Yeong-min is impotent. When Yeong-min is questioned about his impotency being part of his motive, he attacks the interrogator. Joong-ho's assistant finds a room where Yeong-min had once lived; Joong-ho discovers religious drawings on the room's walls. Eun-ji wanders off while following a woman who looks like her mother, then meets with an accident and is brought to a hospital by Joong-ho.

Yeong-min provides a false lead after being beaten again by Joong-ho. The prosecutor discovers Yeong-min's injuries and demands Yeong-min's release, refusing to wait for DNA test results. Saying that Yeong-min's arrest will be seen as the police's attempt to save face, the prosecutor demands Joong-ho's arrest for injuring Yeong-min. Joong-ho is handcuffed and attacks his former teammates to escape; one of them frees him.

Meanwhile, Mi-jin frees herself and escapes from the house. Badly injured, she finds help at a nearby corner shop and hides in the back. The police are informed, but the nearest officers are fast asleep. Yeong-min stops at the same shop to buy cigarettes. Not knowing Yeong-min is the attacker himself, the shopkeeper tells him about Mi-jin's story, asking him to stay to protect them from the attacker while they await the police. Yeong-min uses the shopkeeper's hammer to murder both her and Mi-jin. Alerted by police sirens, Joong-ho arrives to find the police have cordoned off the bloody shop. Yeong-min escapes off-camera back to Mr. Park's house, where he stores Mi-jin's severed head and hands in a fish tank. Yeong-min buries the elderly couple and kills Mr. Park's dog.

The humiliated police throw everything into the search for Yeong-min, while the story is leaked to the public. A distraught Joong-ho follows a lead to the local church and then notices that a church statue matches the drawings he had seen in Yeong-min's old room. As Mr. Park was the sculptor and Yeong-min his "assistant", the deacon points Joong-ho to Mr. Park's house.

Joong-ho enters the residence, interrupting Yeong-min's departure. They fight, with Joong-ho ultimately getting the upper hand, but the police arrive and restrain Joong-ho from killing Yeong-min. Yeong-Min is taken away while the police excavate the yard, finding several bodies.

The film ends with Joong-ho sitting silently by Eun-ji in her hospital room, holding her hand.

## Cast

[edit]

* Kim Yoon-seok as Eom Joong-ho, a dishonest pimp and former police detective
* Ha Jung-woo as Ji Yeong-min, a serial killer
* Seo Young-hee as Kim Mi-jin, a prostitute
* Park Hyo-joo as Detective Oh Eun-shil
* Jung In-gi as Detective Lee Gil-woo
* Kim Yoo-jung as Eun-ji, Mi-jin's daughter
* Koo Bon-woong as Oh-jot, Eom Joong-ho's assistant
* Kim Sun-young as Ji-yeong
* Choi Jung-woo as Flag bearer
* Min Kyeong-jin as Captain
* Oh Yeon-ah as Sung-hee
* Jeong Gi-seop as Public prosecutor
* Yeo Mu-yeong as Commissioner of police
* Jung Doo-kyum as Mayor

## Release

[edit]

### Box office

[edit]

The Chaser was released in South Korea on February 14, 2008.[6] On its opening weekend it grossed US$3,914,847 and was ranked second at the box office, behind American film Jumper.[7] It then topped the box office for three consecutive weekends,[8][9][10] 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.[6]

### Critical response

[edit]

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. Its consensus reads, "A frantic and taut Korean serial killer thriller. One classy, if bloody and messy, gut wrencher of a movie."[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally positive reviews".[12]

### Awards and nominations

[edit]

Year  | Award  | Category  | Recipients  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

2008  | 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  | [13]
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  | [14]
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  |
2009  | 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

[edit]

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 .[15] Murder 2, a 2011 Indian Bollywood psychological thriller film, is an unofficial remake of The Chaser.[16]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "South Korea Box: Office May 30 – June 1, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
2. ^ "Realism And The Art Of Violence In The Chaser (2008) | Genre: Action, Thriller". That Moment In. 2008.
3. ^ 추격자. Naver.
4. ^ Lee, Hyo-won (31 January 2008). "Chaser Offers Heart-Thumping Thrills". The Korea Times. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
5. ^ "17 Disturbing South Korean Films That Will Give You Nightmares". Collider. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
6. ^ a b "The Best Selling Films of 2008". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
7. ^ "South Korea Box Office: February 15–17, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
8. ^ "South Korea Box Office: February 22–24, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
9. ^ "South Korea Box Office: February 29 – March 2, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
10. ^ "South Korea Box Office: March 7–9, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
11. ^ "The Chaser (Chugyeogja) (2008) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.com. Flixster. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
12. ^ "The Chaser reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
13. ^ Yi, Chang-ho (24 October 2008). "The Chaser extends awards lead". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
14. ^ "The Chaser - Awards". Cinemasie. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
15. ^ 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.
16. ^ "The original Murder 2 director in town!". Hindustan Times. 2011-10-20. Retrieved 2021-04-30.

## External links

[edit]

* The Chaser at IMDb
* The Chaser at the Korean Movie Database (in Korean)
* The Chaser at HanCinema
* The Chaser at Rotten Tomatoes

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Na Hong-jin

* The Chaser (2008)
* The Yellow Sea (2010)
* The Wailing (2016)

* v
* t
* e

Grand Bell Award for Best Film

1960s|

* Prince Yeonsan (1962)
* The Memorial Gate for Virtuous Women (1963)
* Bloodline (1964)
* Deaf Sam-yong (1965)
* The Sea Village (1966)
* Coming Back (1967)
* Prince Daewon (1968)

1970s|

* Patriotic Martyr An Jung-gun (1972)
* The General in Red Robes (1973)
* The Land (1974)
* Flame (1975)
* Mother (1976)
* Diary of Korean-Japanese War (1977)
* Police Story (1978)
* The Hidden Hero (1979)

1980s|

* Son of Man (1980)
* Invited People (1981)
* Come Unto Down (1982)
* Mulleya Mulleya (1983)
* Adultery Tree (1984)
* Mother (1985)
* Pillar of Mist (1986)
* Diary of King Yeonsan (1987)
* Come Come Come Upward (1989)

1990s|

* All That Falls Has Wings (1990)
* Passion Portrait (1991)
* Fly High Run Far (1992)
* Seopyeonje (1993)
* The Story of Two Women (1994)
* The Eternal Empire (1995)
* Henequen (1996)
* The Contact (1997)
* Spring in My Hometown (1999)

2000s|

* Peppermint Candy (2000)
* Joint Security Area (2001)
* The Way Home (2002)
* Memories of Murder (2003)
* Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2004)
* Marathon (2005)
* The King and the Clown (2006)
* Family Ties (2007)
* The Chaser (2008)
* The Divine Weapon (2009)

2010s|

* Poetry (2010)
* The Front Line (2011)
* Masquerade (2012)
* The Face Reader (2013)
* The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014)
* Ode to My Father (2015)
* Inside Men (2016)
* A Taxi Driver (2017)
* Burning (2018)
* Parasite (2019)

2020s|

* N/A (2020)
* N/A (2021)
* Decision to Leave (2022)
* Concrete Utopia (2023)

* v
* t
* e

Baeksang Arts Award Grand Prize – Film

1960s|

* Kim Jin-kyu (Deaf Sam-yong) (1965)
* \- (1966)*
* Late Autumn (1967)
* Choi Nam-hyun (Legend of Ssarigol) (1968)
* \- (1969)*

1970s|

* \- (1970)*
* \- (1971)*
* \- (1972)*
* Gate of Women (1973)
* \- (1974)*
* \- (1975)*
* \- (1976)*
* Concentration Of Attention (1977)
* A Splendid Outing (1978)
* The Last Words from a Comrade in Arms (1979)

1980s|

* Man-suk, Run! (1980)
* A Fine, Windy Day (1981)
* \- (1982)**
* Village of Haze (1983)
* Whale Hunting (1984)
* Deep Blue Night (1985)
* Gilsoddeum (1986)
* Moonlight Hunter (1987)
* Adada (1988)
* Seoul Rainbow (1989)

1990s|

* The Lovers of Woomook-baemi (1990)
* \- (1991)**
* Stairways of Heaven (1992)
* Our Twisted Hero (1993)
* Ahn Sung-ki (Two Cops) (1994)
* Life and Death of the Hollywood Kid (1995)
* Park Chul-soo (Farewell my darling) (1996)
* \- (1997)**
* \- (1998)**
* Kang Je-gyu (Shiri) (1999)

2000s|

* Chunhyang (2000)
* Libera Me (2001)
* Sul Kyung-gu (Public Enemy) (2002)
* The Way Home (2003)
* Kang Woo-suk (Silmido) (2004)
* Marathon (2005)
* King and the Clown (2006)
* Tazza: The High Rollers (2007)
* The Chaser (2008)
* Kang Woo-suk(Public Enemy Returns) (2009)

2010s|

* Yoon Je-kyoon (Tidal Wave) (2010)
* Lee Byung-hun (I Saw the Devil) (2011)
* Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time (2012)
* Ryu Seung-ryong (Miracle in Cell No. 7) (2013)
* Song Kang-ho (The Attorney) (2014)
* Choi Min-sik (The Admiral: Roaring Currents) (2015)
* Lee Joon-ik (The Throne and Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet) (2016)
* Park Chan-wook (The Handmaiden) (2017)
* 1987: When the Day Comes (2018)
* Jung Woo-sung (Innocent Witness) (2019)

2020s|

* Bong Joon-ho (Parasite) (2020)
* Lee Joon-ik (The Book of Fish) (2021)
* Ryoo Seung-wan (Escape from Mogadishu) (2022)
* Decision to Leave (2023)
* Kim Sung-su (12.12: The Day) (2024)

* awarded to theatrical play; ** no winner

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