The Chaser (Chugyeogja) (2008)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Thriller	Featurette-Making Of-Bringing The Chaser to Life Featurette-Behind The Scenes-On the Street with The Chaser Theatrical Trailer Gallery-Photo Trailer-Eastern Eye Trailers
Rating
Year Of Production	2008
Running Time	119:49
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (38:36)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Na Hong-jin
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Kim Yoon-suk Ha Jung-woo Seo Yeong-hie
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$29.95	Music	Kim Jun-seok

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Korean Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Ex-detective turned pimp Um Jong-ho (Kim Yoon-suk) is having a bad week. A number of his girls have disappeared after taking his money and he is running out of both money, and girls. In checking back on telephone numbers he discovers that the missing girls had been requested by one mobile telephone number and he comes to believe that that caller is abducting and selling his girls. When that telephone number rings again, he sends Kim Mi-jin (Seo Yeong-hie) to the assignment and asks her to text him the address of the house to which she is taken. However, the reality is far worse than Jong-ho realises: for the telephone number belongs to Ji Yung-min (Ha Jung-woo) a serial killer who has already murdered 12 women and who intends Mi-jin to be his next victim. She is bound and gagged before she is able to text the address to Jong-ho but Yung-min is disturbed before he can murder Mi-jin. Then, in a bizarre set of accidents, Yung-min is captured by Jong-ho and they both end up at the Mangwon Police Station.

     At the station Yung-min admits to being a serial killer but refuses to disclose his address. The Police are initially sceptical, and while some come to believe Yung-min, others do not. Some think that the problem is in fact Jong-ho! Worse, without evidence they can only hold a suspect for 12 hours before letting him go. With no-one seemingly interested, Jong-ho believes Mi-jin is still alive but he has only 12 hours to find the house before Yung-min is released. On the dark streets and alleyways of Seoul, Jong-ho follows up leads, often brutally, in a desperate struggle to locate the killer’s house and Mi-jin before Yung-min is released from custody to complete the job.

     The Chaser aka Chugyeogja is a terrific film, another dark, gritty and violent thriller from Korea. Like Se7en, it is a compelling and disturbing film to watch as the depravity of the human mind, and the suffering one person can inflict upon another, remains with you long after the film is over. However, unlike Se7en, this film is not about the hunt for the killer; we know within 20 minutes who the killer is and he is taken into custody, and admits his guilt, within 30 minutes! But with the “good guy” a violent character, and the police in the main incompetent, uninterested or worse, one is never too sure that The Chaser is heading towards any happy resolution.

     The Chaser is certainly not light viewing but it must be said that, again like Se7en, nearly all of the violence takes place off camera and we see only the results. But what sets the film apart from others is that it also has poignancy, as the scenes involving Jong-ho and Mi-jin’s seven year old daughter (who Jong-ho is forced to take onto the streets with him during his hunt for the killer’s lair) help to ground the film and provide some heart amid the brutality. Indeed, the acting from all the leads is exceptional, and believable. The bottom line is that The Chaser is a tense, compelling and disturbing film. It is exceedingly well made, very well acted, the action intense and with its subdued, moody score it grabs and holds your attention from start to finish as one is never too sure just where it is going. Believe me, the 2 hour running time passes very quickly indeed. Highly recommended.

Video

     The Chaser is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the original theatrical ratio, and is 16x9 enhanced.

     This is a very dark film set on the night time rainy streets and alleys of Seoul, dingy rooms and basements or ill-lit police stations. Within this scheme, lighting is minimal and the entire colour palate one of muted dark colours that look very natural. It is therefore just as well that the film is sharp, blacks are rock solid and shadow detail exceptional so that at all times we can see what is happening. Skin tones look accurate, brightness and contrast consistent.

     I did not notice any film or film to video artefacts.

     The English subtitles are in a yellow font. There were no obvious spelling or grammatical errors.

     The layer change at 38:36 created only a miniscule pause.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Audio is a choice between Korean Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps and Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 224 Kbps. The 5.1 audio track will not rock the furniture but it does a good job. Dialogue was clear and the Foley effects have separation and good clarity. The surrounds are constantly in use for music, ambient sound such as rain and there are some panning effects, such as traffic. The sub woofer did support the music but was otherwise not very aggressive. The 2.0 track is surround encoded but not surprisingly lacked the depth of the 5.1.

     The music by Kim Jun-seok is subdued and moody, making use especially of guitar and a range of percussion effects to support the film. It is nicely rendered in the sound mix.

     Lip synchronisation is fine.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

     Both of the “making Of” featurettes are in Korean; there are English subtitles but they are not automatically enabled and so have to be selected from the remote.

Making of The Chaser Pt 1: Bringing The Chaser to Life (12:39)

     Primarily an extended interview with writer / director Na Hong-jin about the genesis of the project in the real serial killing case, his interest and the locations. Also includes behind the scenes footage and short interview segments with cast Kim Yoon-suk and Ha Jung-woo, and crew Kim Jun-seok (sound) and Lee Sung-je (cinematography).

Making of The Chaser Pt 2: On the Street with The Chaser (28:10)

     An examination of a number of scenes, including music, lighting, plot points. Consists of behind the scenes footage plus interviews with crew Na Hong-jin (writer / director), Lee Sung-je (cinematography), Lee Chol-o (lighting), Kim Jun-seok (music) and cast Kim Yoon-suk and Ha Jung-woo. Interesting and informative. The film sequences covered are Title Sequence, Chase Sequence, Mangwon Station, Mi-jin’s House, The Man’s Room, Interrogation Room, Ant’s Store and Yung-min’s House.

International Trailer (1:11)

Stills Gallery

     15 movie stills.

Eastern Eye Trailers

     Trailers for other films from Madman: 13 Chocolate (2:02), Grandmaster Ip Man (1:25), Crows Zero (1:42), Ichi (1:55) and A Bittersweet Life (2:10).

     The Region 0 US release is NTSC and comes with only the trailer and a few other preview trailers. The Region 2 UK version is identical to our Region 4. There is a Region 3 Korean 2 disc edition that is NTSC, includes a DTS audio track and has a second disc of featurettes, including deleted scenes, TV spots and more extensive featurettes. It is reported to have English subtitles but I cannot confirm this or the details of the featurettes. In any case it is now out of print. The Region 4 package is perfectly acceptable.

     The Chaser is a terrific film, a dark, gritty and violent thriller from Korea, based on a real 2004 serial killer. The Chaser may not be for everyone but it is a tense, compelling and disturbing film, exceedingly well made, very well acted and the action intense. With its subdued, moody score it grabs and holds your attention from start to finish.

     The DVD has good video and audio and includes some genuine, interesting extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall