NA HONG-JIN
South Korea,
2008, 123 minutes, Color, film website
Viewers will be hard-pressed to believe that The Chaser is the feature debut of director Na Hong-jin because this gritty thriller moves so quickly and assuredly, offering plenty of twists and surprises as the plot and actors continually confound our expectations. Former policeman Eom Joong-ho has been reduced to working at a massage parlor. When his girls start to go missing, he becomes suspicious and discovers that one customer is the link—unfortunately, after sending his last girl, Min-ji, out on a call. Catching the perpetrator, but not finding Min-ji, Eom is stunned that even after the suspect confesses to police, he is released for lack of evidence. Desperate, Eom must race against the clock to save the one girl who may still be alive. Warner Bros. has already bought the rights for an American remake, but you'll want to see the original.—Dave Nuttycombe
Viewers will be hard-pressed to believe that The Chaser is the feature debut of director Na Hong-jin because this gritty thriller moves so quickly and assuredly, offering plenty of twists and surprises as the plot and actors continually confound our expectations. Former policeman Eom Joong-ho has been reduced to working at a massage parlor. When his girls start to go missing, he becomes suspicious and discovers that one customer is the link—unfortunately, after sending his last girl, Min-ji, out on a call. Catching the perpetrator, but not finding Min-ji, Eom is stunned that even after the suspect confesses to police, he is released for lack of evidence. Desperate, Eom must race against the clock to save the one girl who may still be alive. Warner Bros. has already bought the rights for an American remake, but you'll want to see the original.—Dave Nuttycombe