The Chaser, 2008

Killer tagline: “In 40 minutes he had found the killer – He now has 12 hours to find the next victim”

Every slight faux pas, either within the screenplay or the pace of the film is easily forgiven by the powerhouse performances and an almost hypnotic direction, which is interrupted every quite often with vicious on-screen brawls and fights that are so well choreographed that they seem to not be staged at all. Every time a character raises a hand or a folding chair at someone it always results in a full gratification of the viewer familiar with this breed of films and filmmakers. Those not familiar with it will be left with the mouth hanging open. I don’t suppose the performers restrained for shit when it came to investigating and beating the tar out of each other, “muscle and verve”.

They smoke relentlessly, the older man runs after the younger person for a satisfyingly appropriate screen time and when the foot-chase is over the old man can’t keep himself from belching (out of exhaustion) and kicking the young man simultaneously, although after running for so long, both men are completely spent and end up throwing weak punches in the air. On the other hand, there are ways to get relief from the repeated onslaught of violence being dished out if you pay close attention to the genuinely amusing scenes in the film.

The thoroughly gripping alley-way direction gives the viewer something to focus on in this well lit film, with a compound curve whose central coil is convex and violent and wholly redemptive but not without blood sacrifices.

The Chaser or Chugyeogja is a masterful film from Hong-jin Na, the director of The Yellow Sea, 2010, a film that once again deals with the dilemma of people going missing and men trying to find them and rising above themselves and acquiring absolution in the process.

Stuck in traffi… a maelstrom of bloodletting

Plus this film has one of the best darn wretched endings I have ever watched on film.

There is a scene in the film that reminded this viewer of a sequence from Deadpool, 2016, except without the cheese.

Do not miss!