This film wouldn’t exist if a South Korean pimp wasn’t protective of his ho’s.
Now I’m not saying for a second that he cares for them in any special way that isn’t directly related to either their lady-bits or the income generated by same – in fact he drags one off her sickbed demanding she get back to work (I guess his argument may have been “Well you’re already on your back, might as well be gettin’ paid!”) – but if Jung-Ho didn’t order a search for the missing Mi-Jin a dangerous serial killer might just have gone about his merry depraved way.
Yep The Chaser is a serial killer movie, but not in the standard sense. We meet the killer early and he never makes much attempt to hide his identity or true nature once it becomes clear he is in trouble. The film becomes more about whether the gruff and disagreeable pimp Jung-Ho will find his ‘staff’, if the afore-mentioned ‘staff member’ Mi-Jin will survive or if the bad guy Ji Young-Min will get away… or get his just desserts.
It is here that there is little doubt, Ji Young-Min deserves everything coming to him. He finds his targets in various brothels and parlours around the city, then casually has them drive him back to his residence. Once inside he cares little if they realise he isn’t your standard client (the bloodied tufts of hair and scalp in the bathroom are a bit of a giveaway). The house is locked tight and soundproof enough that struggle is irrelevant and merely energy wastage. 25ish Ji Young-Min has no special trick or trait that makes him especially original or memorable, nor does he standout due to his appearance, he is average height build and looks.
But Ji Young-Min is a straight up nasty guy. His tools of the trade are quite literally tools, he tells the girls what will happen and gets to it. Later on he calmly explains the ins and outs to the police force in graphic detail, so calmly that they aren’t positive he isn’t just having them on.
After a (little too) coincidental meeting that lands both the killer and pimp in the police station for questioning the fun really starts. Jung-Ho is an ex-cop who didn’t exactly leave the force in a blaze of glory, so his ex colleagues are loathe to believe that Ji Young-Min is really the man responsible for three of his women going missing. Ji on the other hand initially and persistently claims that he was randomly assaulted for no reason, eventually though his web of lies and evidence start catching up with him, at which time he becomes far more truthful and co-operative, opening up about a series of unsolved murders from previous years.
Many further complications arise when the several bodies that are alleged to exist aren’t found. Is Ji really a mass murderer or merely a wannabe that claims to be one as Jung-Ho believes? The political side of the police force also raises its head when lawyer’s ponder if the whole thing hasn’t been trumped up to distract the media from a recent – and very public – embarassment to the force.
To top all this off Mi-Jin’s young daughter gets involved, and despite his better judgment Jung-Ho finds himself ferrying her around as he continues his search. (Whether the rest of his ho’s got the day off is never mentioned, they must be a trustworthy bunch.) This isn’t a case of the gruff guy learning to love and care, Jung-Ho is not the sensitive parenting type and doesn’t convert along the way.
Phew. It really is that complicated but it is all held together pretty well by strong performances and some effective chase sequences.
I found the 2 major coincidences that occur near the end and the start just a little too much to bear – even though this is purported to be based on a true story. Whatever that means these days – and the continued inability of the police force to make logical decisions was frustrating to me as a viewer, it would obviously be even worse if this was the ‘true’ part!
The action holds it all together though, some foot chases through the streets and alleys of the city are especially exciting and will leave you breathless, and that’s before the finale; a blood-soaked no holds barred doozy of a contest between two men with absolutely everything to lose.
Also don’t expect a Hollywood style happy ending, as in real life the good guy doesn’t always win, the innocents aren’t always saved and the bad guy sometimes gets his way. This is South Korean after all, the land of Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and The Host.
Final Rating – 7.5 / 10. An amazing looking, well acted serial killer film that is actually more a 2 hour adrenalin-fuelled chase flick through the back alleys of a South Korean city.
