The chaser

Movie
German title	The chaser
Original title	Chugyeokja ( 추격 자 )
Country of production	South Korea
original language	Korean
Publishing year	2008
length	123 minutes
Age rating	FSK 18
Rod
Director	Well Hong-jin
script	Well Hong-jin ; Lee Shin-ho ; Hong Won-chan
production	Kim Su-jin ; Yun In-beom
music	Kim Joon-seok ; Choe Yong-rak
camera	Lee Seong-jae
cut	Kim Sun-min
occupation
	Kim Yoon-seok : Eom Joong-ho; Ha Jung-woo : Ji Yeong-min; Seo Yeong-hee : Kim Mi-jin; Koo Bon-woong: Oh-jot; Kim Yu-jeong : Eun-ji; Jeong In-gi: Detective Lee; Park Hyo-ju: Detective Oh; Choi Jeong-woo: Police chief; Min Kyeong-jin: Head of Operations;

The Chaser (Original title: Chugyeokja ) is a South Korean thriller from 2008. It is the debut film by director Na Hong-jin . The main roles are played by Ha Jung-woo and Kim Yoon-seok , who received six prestigious awards for his performance. The film is based on the case of the South Korean serial killer Yoo Young-chul .

action

Two of the pimp Joong-ho's prostitutes have disappeared, which is why one night he only has Mi-jin, whom he sends to a customer. Shortly afterwards, however, he notices that the caller was also the one who ordered the two missing whores. Joong-ho believes the suitor is selling his girls and going in pursuit. On his way he also informs the police, with whom he has good contacts, as he was a police officer himself in the past. But they can't help him because the mayor of Seoul has just been pelted with feces .

The Free Ji Yeong-min captivated currently Mi-jin, who wakes up in a large bathroom. Yeong-min then enters the bathroom with some tools. He tells her that he had to cut the tongue out of his previous victim because she was screaming too much. With a hammer he tries to hit her head with a chisel. However, since she kept moving, the chisel slipped and he injured his hand. However, Mi-jin is now passed out. However, since an old couple rings the doorbell and asks for the owner of the house, he first takes care of it and kills the couple.

When Yeong-min tries to get rid of the couple's car, he meets Joong-ho because they both have an accident. Since Yeong-min behaves suspiciously, Joong-ho dials the number of the suitor. When Yeong-min's cell phone rings, a chase through Mangwon begins and Joong-ho catches Yeong-min. Shortly thereafter, both are arrested for the accident. At the police station, Yeong-min admits that she killed nine people and that Mi-jin may still be alive.

Yeong-min repeatedly made false and contradicting statements to the police in order to provoke the police. Meanwhile, Joong-ho and the police are looking for the killer's house and Mi-jin. The police find out that he is impotent and therefore chose prostitutes as victims. The police also try to beat the real place out of him, but he lies or fails to testify. Due to his injuries, Yeong-min has to be released from prison for procedural misconduct.

Meanwhile, Mi-jin managed to escape from the house and save herself to a small shop, from which she tries to reach Joong-ho. Yeong-min happens to come into the shop and kill the owner and Mi-jin.

In the end, Joong-ho can find out where Yeong-min lives. In a tough fight between the two of them, the aquarium, in which the individual body parts of different victims are, is shattered. During the fight, the police also show up and arrest Yeong-min.

The film ends with Joong-ho holding the hand of Mi-jin's daughter Eun-ji in the hospital.

reception

The Chaser was released in South Korean theaters on February 14, 2008. With more than 5 million admissions, it was the second best-selling film of the year in South Korea after The Good, the Bad, the Weird . Lukas Foerster from Critic.de rated the film very positively and praised above all the acting, the direction, the rapid chases and the plot. According to Lee Hyo-won of the Korea Times , the film gently leads the viewer from one heartbeat to the next, in addition to the horrific bloodshed. Mike Hale of the New York Times described the film as "unmistakably Korean" ( "unmistakably Korean") . The film shows a nation that is painfully divided by questions about violence, state control and individual freedom. The Chaser is a thought-provoking and adventurous film full of thrills.

“A pimp and former police officer is tracking down the disappearance of some of his call girls. He meets a mysterious suitor who claims to have killed several women, but for which the evidence is lacking. Meanwhile, another prostitute is fighting for her life in the psychopath's domicile. A serial killer film that impresses with its technical brilliance and impresses with its suspense and well-thought-out dramaturgy. He questions traditional schemes and offers exciting entertainment. "

- Lexicon of international film

“Aside from a few unnecessary twists and turns, debut director Hong-jin Na constructed a compelling race against time to the end. The well-played psycho duel alternates harmoniously between black-humored milieu drama and tough shocker. No wonder that the team behind 'Departed' has secured the remake rights to this famous mix of genres. "

- Cinema

“The direction of the extremely talented debutant Na Hong-jin is fast-paced and powerful, the film remains significantly more economical than most of the other Korean blockbusters, despite the slight excess length, whose tendency to clumsy excess is not infrequently doomed. The numerous car chases in the narrow streets of the quiet residential areas of Seoul are particularly effective. "

- Critic.de