Review of The Chaser (2008) by Clem666 — 09 Jun 2021

There generally is something tricky in the pace of Korean movies and 'The Chaser' does not miss this point. Its rhythm is very jerky because some scenes last far too long without bringing much content to the story while others are rushed and overcut despite their interesting emotional value or their notable contribution to the depth of the story or of a character. The concept of time is particularly strange, as each event seems to follow directly the previous one without letting us believe that it is possible. Despite the ellipses, the story seems to unfold in the space of a maximum of two days, which gives an impression of unreality to the actions. Those ellipses are notably imperfect. In overall I found the story quite confusing: if the main one (the girl to be saved) is too simple, the rest (internal conflicts within the police unit, abuse of power by the leaders and impact of the media on the criminal case to name a few) seems to be mixed up in a really strange order with no clear purpose.

It is interesting to have empathy for the different characters even if the main one can't stop running everywhere and fighting everyone without drinking, sleepin or eating. The acting is amazing if you look at charcters separately but as a whole you will notice the fact that the multiple bonds linking them to each others may be honestly unattractive and meaningless. The chase scenes are as great as the overall aesthetic of the film.

In conclusion 'The Chaser' is great as it brings fresh air in the classic action and thriller movies but where it manages to get brighter it may also get to be sadly predictable and redundant. I disagree with the central tendency of the film that tries so hard to lead us to think that only violence can modulate injustice, and especially the fact that the film pushes us by all means to endorse such behavior.