The Chaser (추격자)
Director: Na Hong-jin (나홍진)
Starring: Kim Yoon-seok (김윤석), Ha Jeong-woo (하정우), Seo Yeong-hee (서영희) & Koo Bon-woong (구본웅)
Running Time: 123 min
Korean Release Date: 14/02/2008
Number of Admissions: 5,071,454
UK Release Date: August 23 (Frighfest)
September 19 (Theatrical Release)
UK Distributor: Metrodome
Synopsis
Jung-ho becomes irritated when his girls disappear without clearing their debts. But he senses something is wrong when he sends Mi-Jin to a customer, who has the same number as the customer who called before the other girls disappeared. He then follows his cop instincts and tries to find Mi-jin. When his car bumps into a vehicle, he notices that the driver is splattered with blood and then chases him. He catches him and is soon arrested. However, although the killer admits he has killed the other girls, he says that Mi-jin could still be alive, but fails to disclose where she is - it becomes a race against time to try and find her.
Review
The correlations between this film and Memories of Murder (살인의 추억) are not difficult to see. They are both based on real events and they both follow a serial killer who preys on young women. Though they do differ – The Chaser (추격자) has a more Hollywood feel with its use of editing and of course, the killer in Memories of Murder is never caught. Unfortunately, they also differ in terms of the quality – Memories of Murder is on a different level with its perfect balance of depth and suspense whereas The Chaser struggles to deliver depth it desperately seeks due to its dominant narrative form. This is the same problem with Seven Days (세븐 데이즈), but one gets the impression that in Seven Days there is no intention to really say anything, but The Chaser Na Hong-jin is trying to juggle both with mixed results.
The film for me is split into 3 parts. The first part is relentless as it follows Joong-ho has he chases after Young-min, the serial killer. You are kept at the edge of your seat and times does fly and one wonders how long Na Hong-jin can keep this up for. Act 2 though is more passive as the film tries to get into the mind of Young-min and struggles to deliver some needed character development. Ha Jeong-woo who plays the role of the serial killer fails to deliver the performance that is needed in order to convey a serial killer that is both brutal yet calm as he kills with no real conviction. Kim Yoon-seok, however, is very impressive as Young-min, but had this middle act given him more room to tackle the issues the film is tying to address such as the incompetence of the Korean police force in dealing with sadistic crimes and of course, the issue of prostitution and the role Young-min plays in this, the middle act could have been far more meaningful.
Without disclosing too much information, this film will please those who like reading films from a psychoanalytical point of view as the motive behind the killer becomes clear, which is quite interesting, but I couldn’t help but feeling that this could have been explored even further.
The final act meets the level of the first level as it becomes as relentless as the opening act as young-min searches for Min-ji played by an excellent Seo Yeong-hee. It in these acts that Na Hong-jin uses innovative camera sweeps to raise the tension, which is highly effective. The tone is also very interesting, as it becomes Memories of Murder like with its very dark look. The music during the chase scenes is also reminiscent of Bong-Joon ho’s masterpiece with the penetrating sound of the big drums resonating far beyond the screen. It is just a great shame that the middle act lacks the depth that the film so desperately in search for. But one has to respect a director who chooses to reveal a serial killer so early on – for the most part this does work as the narrative focuses on the search for his latest victim.
All in all, not a bad film – it will leave you gripped for two-thirds of the film and will almost leave you exhausted, but it fails to really say something as it sacrifices meaning for endless chasing and searching despite trying to balance both.
* * *
Jason Bechervaise
Seven Days (세븐 데이즈)
Director: Won Sin-yeon (원신연)
Starring: Kim Yoon-jin (김윤진), Kim Mi-Sook (김미숙), Park Hee-soon (박희순) & Choi Myeong-su (최명수)
Running Time: 125 min
Korean Release Date: 14/11/2007
Number of Korean Admissions: 2,020,310
UK Distributor: Icon Pictures
UK Release Date:23 August 2008 (Asia House festival of Asian Film)
Synopsis
Ji-yeon is a singer mother to a seven-year old girl and a very successful lawyer. During a race that she races at her daughters field day her girl is kidnapped. When she returns home she receives a phone call from a man who says in order for her to get her daughter back, she will need to prove a man on death row innocent within a week. With no choice but to adhere to the kidnappers demands she is forced to use her experience and expertise to save her only daughter.
Review
With kidnapping a current issue in Korea at present, it is not surprising that these films do well at the box office. Hence the recent spell of films that tackle this issue (Voice of a Murderer (그놈 목소리), Secret Sunshine (밀양) and Seven Days). You could also add The Chaser, though The Chaser is more about a serial killer as opposed to a kidnapper. But this film doesn’t really say anything other than the obvious (don’t leave your child unattended – parents are happy to do this in Korea and then they ask why kidnapping is so prevalent in Korea). But unlike The Chaser, I don’t think there was ever an intention to make this film meaningful – it is quite simply Hollywood style action.
This film is more reminiscent of Hollywood films than other Korean films. It has often been compared with 24, but I like to think there are striking similarities to Man on Fire by Tony Scott in the way it is shot and the way it is edited. The editing is very intense with an average shot lasting barely a couple of seconds and the camera doesn’t stay still – it won’t please those conservative realists! But it is a very accomplished piece of work that has clearly raised the bar in terms of the standard it has set and it will be interesting to see where this takes Korean cinema. This is not necessarily a good thing since Korean cinema is having more in common with Hollywood cinema than Korean cinema at present, which left me with mixed feelings after watching this film.
The plot is also very American with the viewer constantly searching for clues as the narrative is constantly trying to keep its audience thinking until the very end. In fact it wouldn’t hurt to watch this film more than once in order to gain a complete understanding, particularly for those who are not used to subtitles. Unfortunately the downside to its narrative focus is that depth or meaning is pretty much non existent, but at least it doesn’t get caught in trying to balance the needs of a narrative and meaning - director Won Sin-yeon chooses to focus purely on narrative tension and he does this extremely well.
Performances are faultless with a stunning performance from Kim Yun-jin who many will know from her role in Lost. She is exceptional as Yoo Ji-yeon - she is very committed and not in the slightest complacent. She very much deserves the award she was given at the Grand Bell Awards for Best Leading Actress. Kim Mi-Sook as ever is excellent and Park Hee-soon very much impressed me as he clearly works very well with Kim Yun-jin.
In summary, this is certainly a film that will entertain almost anyone, though I imagine it will give a better impression to those who are relatively unfamiliar with Korean cinema, whereas for those who have followed Korean cinema closely in recent times, it will leave you with very mixed feelings indeed. The rating below is reflective of its high standard of filmmaking.
* * * *
Jason Bechervaise