The Chaser (film)

The Chaser
	Theatrical poster
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	<templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/> 14 February 2008; ; ; ; ;
Running time	123 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean
Box office	US$35.8 million

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.

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.
2008	61st Cannes Film Festival	Caméra d'Or	Na Hong-jin	Nominated
	44th Baeksang Arts Awards	Grand Prize (Daesang)	The Chaser	Won
		Best Film	The Chaser	Nominated
		Best Director	Na Hong-jin	Nominated
		Best Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Nominated
		Best Actor	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
		Best Actor	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
	9th Busan Film Critics Awards	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
		Best Actor	Ha Jung-woo	Nominated
		Best New Director	Na Hong-jin	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Na Hong-jin	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
		Best Actor	Ha Jung-woo	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Seo Young-hee	Nominated
		Best New Director	Na Hong-jin	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Na Hong-jin	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
		Best Actor	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	Na Hong-jin	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	Best Actor	Ha Jung-woo	Won
	11th Director's Cut Awards	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

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

Template:Na Hong-jin

[bom-1] 1.0 ^1.1 "South Korea Box: Office May 30 – June 1, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.

[2] Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

[3] The Chaser (2008) | Amazon.com | Genre: Foreign Films, Mystery and Thrillers, Action & Adventure

[4] Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

[Koreanfilm.org-5] 5.0 ^5.1 "The Best Selling Films of 2008". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 25 September 2008.

[6] "South Korea Box Office: February 15–17, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.

[7] "South Korea Box Office: February 22–24, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.

[8] "South Korea Box Office: February 29 – March 2, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.

[9] "South Korea Box Office: March 7–9, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.

[rottomatoes-10] Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

[11] Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

[12] Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

[13] "The Chaser - Awards". Cinemasie. Retrieved 25 September 2008.

[14] 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.

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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)
2020s	Parasite (2020) N/A (2021) Decision to Leave (2022)

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) Sol 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)
^* awarded to theatrical play; ^** no winner

The Chaser (film)

Contents

Plot

Cast

Release

Box office

Critical response

Awards and nominations

Remakes and similar productions

References

External links

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