While some serial killer movies would rather focus on just a single perspective, be that of the detective, the culprit, or the victim, 2008’s The Chaser (a.k.a. Chugyeokja) goes after several. In Na Hong-jin’s first movie, an exemplar of the cat-and-mouse genre, the story sees all sides of a heinous crime. In particular are those two facing edges in this dark thriller.
Admittedly, The Chaser doesn’t harbor a lot of mystery on its surface; the killer’s identity is known from the start. That detail, however, doesn’t ever cease our fascination with Na’s exploration of humanity and its extremities. In this instance, it’s a murderer whose misogynistic butchery is beyond awful. Never for a second does Na hold back whenever he’s depicting such ugliness on the screen.
Immediately setting The Chaser apart from similar movies is Kim Yoon-seok’s role of Joong-ho. The ostensible hero here is as hardened as the next cop, except for the fact that he’s not a cop, at least not in the official capacity. Having since turned in his badge, Joong-ho now works as a procurer. In plain English, he’s a pimp—and not a very good one, either. That’s because several of his employees have now gone missing, and he hasn’t a clue why.
Descriptions of Mangwon paint it as a peaceful spot to both live and visit, and not the sort of place you’d expect to find a serial killer. So, The Chaser being set in Mangwon leads to some shock value for Koreans. Especially anyone who picks up on the movie’s real-life inspiration for its villain: the notorious Yoo Young-chul. Mangwon is also a believable locale for Joong-ho and the cops’ disorientation; the narrow, undulating streets become an obstacle as the characters go searching for the killer’s hideout, not to mention his latest victim.
The Chaser somewhat lives up to its title, but keep in mind, the one or two chase sequences here never reach the highs and speeds of those found in Na’s subsequent movies. They are also carried out on foot, rather than by car; the ever-rising, convoluted design of Mangwon would make vehicular pursuits virtually impossible. This leaves Joong-ho to run after the perpetrator, Yeong-min (Ha Jung-woo), and then nearly lose him in that clumsy manhunt.
Na is not above behaving like other contemporary Korean filmmakers who inject random humor into their otherwise serious stories. So if you’re used to gritty cop thrillers without an ounce of comedy in their DNA, then you may be caught off guard by The Chaser. Yet if you’ve seen Na’s The Wailing, you’re way better equipped to handle this movie and its erratic bits of levity (like when Joong-ho slams a chair onto a surprisingly tall man). In Na’s defense, though, he knows when to keep a straight face. And in those times when the comedy is nonexistent, and the dread is rising, you might find yourself wishing to laugh again.
With the government’s restrictions on cinema a thing of the past, 2000s Korean movies had the chance to get extreme. This one instance is not on the same level as 2010’s I Saw the Devil, a top-tier K-thriller that movies like The Chaser helped pave the way for, but it’s also not a totally painless viewing experience. The killer’s barbaric treatment of his prey, which includes using a chisel and hammer, is guaranteed to make viewers dig into their seats. Then there’s that final slaughter scene where, despite Na keeping all the violence off-screen, you still see plenty of gory spatter in the air.
It’s enough to know that the victim isn’t gonna make it out alive.
As far as procedural thrillers go, The Chaser seems to do everything too prematurely. The most obvious is the killer being apprehended in the first act; there’s not even a big plot twist that would justify such a quick capture. Rest assured, the movie is far from over just because the bad guy has been arrested. What soon follows is a demonstration of how frustratingly bureaucratic and unfair the law can be, and why we have no choice but to champion characters like Joong-ho.
Movie cops are characterized by their sense of morality, whether that be black-or-white, or one with shades of gray. Joong-ho himself falls into the latter, although he’s not without company. As the movie plays out, just about every cop and official we see is either not playing by the rules, or they’re struggling to maintain a semblance of ethics in a tricky situation.
There’s a sort of ethical strain pushing down on Joong-ho’s soul that makes rooting for him neither easy nor immediate. He operates on a money-versus-no-money mindset, hence his awfully bad plan to catch whoever is behind the sex workers’ disappearances. First you see that cop-turned-pimp pull a sick mother out of bed, then he pressures her into getting involved. As to be expected, the sacrificial lamb is sacrificed, and you’re left wondering how the hell you can ever care about, or forgive, Joong-ho.
How you feel toward Joong-ho ultimately doesn’t matter. Yes, he’s a rash and deeply unpleasant person who, on occasion, does a right thing or two. His methods are also messy and work out only a little over half of the time, but when he does get something right, it makes for great entertainment. Plus, without Joong-ho, there would be no resolution here. The pitiable Mi-jin (Seo Young-hee) would have likely never gotten the justice she deserved if the pimp didn’t suddenly start caring. God knows hardly anyone else in this movie did.
Other thrillers would be fine with leaving things on a truly bleak note. Meanwhile, The Chaser continues to be unpredictable; simply giving the audience what they want helps reduce that utter grimness. After we witnessed a series of failures on the law’s part, it’s all up to Joong-ho to make things right. Not only for the victims, but for those of us who thought this sort of story would somehow end happily.
Na’s talent for kinetic action scenes was born here, and it’s only improved with each new movie of his. Even still, that feral brawl between the most opposing forces in The Chaser is nothing to scoff at; what that living room scuffle lacks in technicality and form, it makes up for in rawness and fury. It’s a bit of a challenge to shake off such a primal moment, too, yet the sight of Joong-ho checking in on Mi-jin’s sleeping, blissfully unaware daughter (Kim You-jung) is a perfectly bittersweet comedown.
As a debut feature, The Chaser is impressive. As a crime thriller with shades of horror, it’s tremendous and in desperate need of more attention outside of Korea. The movie doesn’t get brought up nearly enough, and it’s high time that changed.
