The Chaser (film)

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The Chaser

Theatrical poster

Hangul 추격자

Hanja 追擊者

Revised Romanization Chugyeokja

McCune–Reischauer Ch‘ugyŏkja

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 date  14 February 2008

Running time 123 minutes

Country South Korea

Language Korean

Box office US$35.8 million[1]

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.

Contents
[hide]

 1Plot
 2Cast
 3Box office
 4Remakes and similar productions
 5Awards and nominations
 6References
 7External links

Plot[edit]
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[edit]
 Kim Yoon-seok ... Eom Joong-ho, former police officer
 Ha Jung-woo ... Je Yeong-min, serial killer
 Seo Young-hee ... Kim Mi-jin, prostitute
 Koo Bon-woong ... Oh-jot, Eom Joong-ho's assistant
 Kim Yoo-jung ... Eun-ji, Mi-jin's daughter
 Jung In-gi ... Detective Lee
 Park Hyo-joo ... Detective Oh
 Choi Jung-woo ... Chief of Police
 Min Kyeong-jin ... Team chief
 Oh Yeon-ah ... Sung-hee

Box office[edit]
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]

Remakes and similar productions[edit]

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
DiCaprionamed 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
Kongthriller Infernal Affairs .[10]
Murder 2, an Indian film with a similar plot, was released in 2011.

Awards and nominations[edit]

2008 Baeksang Arts Awards

 Grand Prize (Daesang) for Film

 Best New Director – Na Hong-jin
 Nomination – Best Film
 Nomination – Best Director – Na Hong-jin
 Nomination – Best Actor – Kim Yoon-seok
 Nomination – Best Actor – Ha Jung-woo
 Nomination – Best Screenplay – Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee
2008 Chunsa Film Art Awards

 Best Actor – Kim Yoon-seok, Ha Jung-woo

 Best New Director – Na Hong-jin
 Best Screenplay – Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee
 Technical Award – Choi Tae-young
2008 Busan Film Critics Awards

 Best Actor – Kim Yoon-seok

 Best Screenplay – Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee
2008 Buil Film Awards[11]

 Best Director – Na Hong-jin

 Best Actor – Kim Yoon-seok
 Best Editing – Kim Sun-min
 Buil Readers' Jury Award
 Nomination – Best Film
 Nomination – Best Actor – Ha Jung-woo
 Nomination – Best New Director – Na Hong-jin
 Nomination – Best Screenplay – Na Hong-jin
 Nomination – Best Cinematography – Lee Sung-jae
 Nomination – Best Lighting – Lee Cheol-oh
2008 Grand Bell Awards[12]

 Best Film
 Best Director – Na Hong-jin
 Best Actor – Kim Yoon-seok
 Best Cinematography – Lee Sung-jae
 Best Planning – Kim Su-jin, Yun In-beom
 Nomination – Best Actor – Ha Jung-woo
 Nomination – Best Supporting Actress – Seo Young-hee
 Nomination – Best New Director – Na Hong-jin
 Nomination – Best Screenplay – Na Hong-jin
 Nomination – Best Editing – Kim Sun-min
 Nomination – Best Sound – Kim Sin-yong
2008 Blue Dragon Film Awards

 Best Actor – Kim Yoon-seok

 Nomination – Best Film
 Nomination – Best Actor – Ha Jung-woo
 Nomination – Best Supporting Actress – Seo Young-hee
 Nomination – Best New Director – Na Hong-jin
 Nomination – Best Screenplay – Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee
 Nomination – Best Cinematography – Lee Sung-jae
 Nomination – Best Music – Kim Jun-seok, Choi Yong-rak
 Nomination – Technical Award – Kim Sun-min (Editing)
2008 Korean Film Awards

 Best Film
 Best Actor – Kim Yoon-seok
 Best Director – Na Hong-jin
 Best New Director – Na Hong-jin
 Best Screenplay – Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee
 Best Editing – Kim Sun-min
 Nomination – Best Supporting Actress – Seo Young-hee
 Nomination – Best Cinematography – Lee Sung-jae
 Nomination – Best Music – Kim Jun-seok
2008 University Film Festival of Korea

 Best Actor – Kim Yoon-seok

2008 Director's Cut Awards

 Best Actor – Ha Jung-woo

 Best New Director – Na Hong-jin
2008 Asia Pacific Screen Awards

 * Nomination – Best Actor – Kim Yoon-seok

2009 Asian Film Awards

 Best Editing – Kim Sun-min

 Nomination – Best Actor – Ha Jung-woo
 Nomination – Best Screenplay – Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b "South Korea Box: Office May 30 – June 1, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25
September 2008.
2. Jump up^ "Realism And The Art Of Violence In The Chaser (2008) | Genre: Action, Thriller". That
Moment In. 2008.
3. Jump up^ The Chaser (2008) | Amazon.com | Genre: Foreign Films, Mystery and Thrillers, Action
& Adventure
4. Jump up^ Lee, Hyo-won (31 January 2008). "Chaser Offers Heart-Thumping Thrills". The Korea
Times. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
5. ^ Jump up to:a b "The Best Selling Films of 2008". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
6. Jump up^ "South Korea Box Office: February 15–17, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25
September 2008.
7. Jump up^ "South Korea Box Office: February 22–24, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25
September 2008.
8. Jump up^ "South Korea Box Office: February 29 – March 2, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved
25 September 2008.
9. Jump up^ "South Korea Box Office: March 7–9, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September
2008.
10. Jump up^ Paquet, Darcy; Fleming, Michael (7 March 2008). "Chaser caught by Warner for
remake". Variety. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
11. Jump up^ Yi, Chang-ho (24 October 2008). "The Chaser extends awards lead". Korean Film Biz
Zone. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
12. Jump up^ "The Chaser - Awards". Cinemasie. Retrieved 25 September 2008.

External links[edit]
 The Chaser on IMDb
 The Chaser at the Korean Movie Database
 The Chaser at HanCinema
 The Chaser at AllMovie
 The Chaser at Rotten Tomatoes

[show]

Films directed by Na Hong-jin

[show]
 Grand Bell Award for Best Film

[show]

Baeksang Arts Award Grand Prize – Film

Categories:

 2008 films
 Korean-language films
 2000s action films
 2000s crime films
 2000s thriller films
 South Korean action thriller films
 South Korean crime thriller films
 South Korean action films
 South Korean films
 Serial killer films
 Police detective films
 Chase films
 Films set in Seoul
 Films shot in Seoul
 Films shot in Busan
 Films directed by Na Hong-jin
 Directorial debut films
 Best Picture Grand Bell Award winners
 Showbox films
 Films about psychopaths
 2000s psychological horror films
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