I recently had a week off from work and spent a fair bit of it going into the dark underworld of Korean cinema. I have been a long time fan of Asian cinema as it gives me things that Hollywood can't. There is a level of realism and emotion that mainstream Hollywood either fails to reach or is too scared to. The three films that I am looking at here shared many things in common all had strong lead characters who are seeking revenge and redemption and who will stop at nothing till they get it. First up is...
The Chaser
The Chaser is a film by director Hong-jin Na which centers around form dirty cop Joong-ho played by Yun-seok Kim. Joong-ho is now a pimp who is having money problems as several of his girls are going missing. He is not a pleasant man who is rude to his employees and shows no compassion towards the girls he represents. One of these girls is Mi-jin Kim played by Yeong-hie Seo who when we meet her is sick at home with her daughter Eun-ji played by the outstanding young actress Yoo-Jeong Kim. Joong-ho (known as Filth on Mi-jin's phone) makes her take a job and so Eun-ji is left at home alone as her mum goes to work
Mi-Jin & Eun-ji
It is only after Mi-jin is sent out to the job that Joong-ho realises that the two girls who have gone missing were both last booked by the same client who he has sent Mi-jin to. He heads off to track down the client with only a phone number and area of the city to go on.
What follows is a game of cat and mouse between Joong-ho and the client Young-min Jee who is played by Jung-woo Ha. What becomes apparent to us as a viewer very earlier on is that Young-min is not selling the girls but is in fact killing them, a fact that Joong-ho is not aware of. He just thinks this guy is stealing from him and he can't have that.
So the story is split into several threats. There is Mi-jin's story as she struggles to survive and escape the killer, then you have Joong-ho as he tries to track down Young-min and in the background you have the story that although not directly effecting the other story has a major role. You see the mayor was attacked by a protester while out campaigning which ended in him having shit thrown in his face by an a citizen unhappy with the cities sewage system.
This is a key part of the film as the failure of the police to prevent it has put them in the spotlight and so when they are confronted with a possible serial killer they are under pressure to not make any mistakes and lose more face which greatly effects how they go about it.
That is the basics of the plot and again I don't want to go into any more as it is best to discover it for yourself. But I will go into why I really loved this film. First thing is Joong-ho as a central character, he is a brilliant anti hero who develops before your eyes.
Joong-ho
As I said before he is not a nice person who is selfish and rude to everyone he meets but as the film goes on you see different sides to him and you can't help but come to like him. A key to this is his relationship with Eun-ji as they share some wonderfully touching and emotional scenes together. In particular two scenes between the two in a car stand out the second of which uses an absence of sound and relies solely on the two actors to convey the strong emotions involved. Yoo-Jeong Kim was a revelation in this, she is such a key part of the film that it is to her credit that at the tender age of 9 she doesn't seem out of place.
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So what our antihero needs is a villain to match him and in Young-min he isn't let down. Young-min has a certain air of Kevin Spacey in Seven about him as he cooly and calmly talks about how he kills his innocent victims. One scene in a police station in particular showed how calculating and sick he really is.
Young-min a calm killer
The two leads share some brilliant scenes together including some impressive chase scenes. These feel realistic and tense as the two run through back alleys as you can see the strain and pain on their faces. These are not Hollywood chases they are not vaulting walls with grace and sliding over cars they are stumbling around corners and tripping over. One fall in particular was not planned but the actors were so into the chase they went with it and the film benefits from this realism.
I felt tired at this point!
The Chaser keeps a perfect pace throughout and the intertwining of the different story threads keeps the tension high with us constantly being reminded of the plight of Mi-jin and the fact the film takes place over only one night I felt keeps you on the edge of your seat. You get no rest bite from the tension which is just constantly building. You feel Yoong-ho's frustration as he tries to get to Young-min while it seems everything is against him.
But the thing that really made this film for me was the end. It was one of the most emotional and effecting pieces of cinema I have ever witnessed and something that has stuck with me ever since. Not many films stick in your head and make you think about them days later but The Chaser has done that to me. I want to watch it again even as I write this and I have told anyone who will listen to watch this film.
So The Chaser has stood out to me in a month where I have watched many of Hollywood's Oscar films such as Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln and The Impossible. It is for this reason that I have to say that Oldboy has been overthrown and that...
Today My Favourite Film Is... The Chaser!
Owen while wanting to watch The Chaser again!
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