The Chaser (2008 film)

The Chaser
The Chaser
	Theatrical release poster
Hangul	추격자
Hanja	追擊者
RR	Chugyeokja
MR	Ch'ugyŏkcha
Directed by	Na Hong-jin
Written by	Na Hong-jin; Shinho Lee; Hong Won-chan;
Produced by	Kim Su-jin; Yun In-beom;
Starring	Kim Yoon-seok; Ha Jung-woo;
Cinematography	Lee Sung-jae
Edited by	Kim Sun-min
Music by	Kim Joon-seok; Choi Yong-rak;
Production; companies	Big House; Finecut
Distributed by	Showbox
Release date	14 February 2008;
Running time	124 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean
Box office	US$35.8 million

The Chaser (Korean: 추격자) is a 2008 South Korean action thriller film^[2]^[3] starring Kim Yoon-seok and Ha Jung-woo. It was directed by Na Hong-jin in his directorial debut.^[4] Inspired by real-life Korean serial killer Yoo Young-chul, certain scenes were shot on location around Mangwon-dong in the Mapo District, Seoul.

Labeling it a "thrilling and inventive action movie", American entertainment publication Collider has considered it one of the most disturbing South Korean films of all time.^[5]

Plot

Joong-ho is a dishonest pimp and former police detective who is in financial trouble because two of his prostitutes have gone missing. One night, he commands Mi-jin to service a customer, despite her protests over her sickness. Joong-ho then realizes this customer was the last to see his missing girls. Believing that this customer is trafficking his women, Joong-ho nevertheless sends Mi-jin in so that she can forward the customer's address to him. Joong-ho contacts his old police task force for help, but they cannot assist because the mayor of Seoul, whom they were guarding, has been attacked with feces; this results in the police suffering a media firestorm.

The customer, Yeong-min, takes Mi-jin back to the house but Mi-jin fails to contact Joong-ho due to the bathroom having no cell service. Yeong-min binds Mi-jin, but her struggles prevent her murderer with a chisel, so Yeong-min hits her with a hammer, knocking her out. Just then, an elderly couple from the local church arrives, inquiring about the real house owner, Mr. Park; they recognize his dog. Yeong-min then invites the elderly couple in and murders them.

Joong-ho, only aware of the customer's district, searches. Yeong-min tries to ditch the couple's car, but collides with Joong-ho's car. Joong-ho's suspicions are aroused as Yeong-min has blood on his shirt and refuses to give his phone number. Joong-ho calls the customer's number and Yeong-min's phone rings. Yeong-min flees but is caught and beaten by Joong-ho. Both men are arrested by a local cop. At the station, Yeong-min casually admits that he committed nine murders. Competing police divisions argue over who will investigate the high-profile unsolved murders in the area.

Despite the confession, the police have no physical evidence so they cannot detain Yeong-min for long. Yeong-min reveals Mi-jin is alive, but the police doubt it. Joong-ho goes to Mi-jin's apartment to collect DNA samples, and from there he takes Mi-jin's daughter Eun-ji with him while he follows up a lead in Yeong-min's hometown. Joong-ho learns that Yeong-min was jailed for three years for lobotomizing his nephew. Another prostitute informs Joong-ho that Yeong-min is impotent. When Yeong-min is questioned about his impotency being part of his motive, he attacks the interrogator. Joong-ho's assistant finds a room where Yeong-min had once lived; Joong-ho discovers religious drawings on the room's walls. Eun-ji wanders off while following a woman who looks like her mother, then meets with an accident and is brought to a hospital by Joong-ho.

Yeong-min provides a false lead after being beaten again by Joong-ho. The prosecutor discovers Yeong-min's injuries and demands Yeong-min's release, refusing to wait for DNA test results. Saying that Yeong-min's arrest will be seen as the police's attempt to save face, the prosecutor demands Joong-ho's arrest for injuring Yeong-min. Joong-ho is handcuffed and attacks his former teammates to escape; one of them frees him.

Meanwhile, Mi-jin frees herself and escapes from the house. Badly injured, she finds help at a nearby corner shop and hides in the back. The police are informed, but the nearest officers are fast asleep. Yeong-min stops at the same shop to buy cigarettes. Not knowing Yeong-min is the attacker himself, the shopkeeper tells him about Mi-jin's story, asking him to stay to protect them from the attacker while they await the police. Yeong-min uses the shopkeeper's hammer to murder both her and Mi-jin. Alerted by police sirens, Joong-ho arrives to find the police have cordoned off the bloody shop. Yeong-min escapes off-camera back to Mr. Park's house, where he stores Mi-jin's severed head and hands in a fish tank. Yeong-min buries the elderly couple and kills Mr. Park's dog.

The humiliated police throw everything into the search for Yeong-min, while the story is leaked to the public. A distraught Joong-ho follows a lead to the local church and then notices that a church statue matches the drawings he had seen in Yeong-min's old room. As Mr. Park was the sculptor and Yeong-min his "assistant", the deacon points Joong-ho to Mr. Park's house.

Joong-ho enters the residence, interrupting Yeong-min's departure. They fight, with Joong-ho ultimately getting the upper hand, but the police arrive and restrain Joong-ho from killing Yeong-min. Yeong-Min is taken away while the police excavate the yard, finding several bodies.

The film ends with Joong-ho sitting silently by Eun-ji in her hospital room, holding her hand.

Cast

Kim Yoon-seok as Eom Joong-ho, a dishonest pimp and former police detective
Ha Jung-woo as Ji Yeong-min, a serial killer
Seo Young-hee as Kim Mi-jin, a prostitute
Park Hyo-joo as Detective Oh Eun-shil
Jung In-gi as Detective Lee Gil-woo
Kim You-jung as Eun-ji, Mi-jin's daughter
Koo Bon-woong as Oh-jot, Eom Joong-ho's assistant
Kim Sun-young as Ji-yeong
Choi Jung-woo as Flag bearer
Min Kyeong-jin as Captain
Oh Yeon-ah as Sung-hee
Jeong Gi-seop as Public prosecutor
Yeo Mu-yeong as Commissioner of police
Jung Doo-kyum as Mayor

Release

The film had special screening in the Korean Horizons section of the 25th New York Asian Film Festival on 26 July 2026 as part of the 25th anniversary of the festival.^[6]

Reception

Box office

The Chaser was released in South Korea on February 14, 2008.^[7] On its opening weekend it grossed US$3,914,847 and was ranked second at the box office, behind American film Jumper.^[8] It then topped the box office for three consecutive weekends,^[9]^[10]^[11] and as of June 1, 2008, had grossed a total of US$35,760,133.^[1] The Chaser received a total of 5,120,630 admissions nationwide, which made it the third most popular film in South Korea in 2008, after The Good, the Bad, the Weird and Scandal Makers.^[7]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The Chaser holds an approval rating of 80%, based on 30 reviews, and an average rating of 6.7/10. Its consensus reads, "A frantic and taut Korean serial killer thriller. One classy, if bloody and messy, gut wrencher of a movie."^[12] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally positive reviews".^[13]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Recipients	Result	Ref.
2008	61st Cannes Film Festival	Caméra d'Or	Na Hong-jin	Nominated
	44th Baeksang Arts Awards	Grand Prize (Daesang)	The Chaser	Won
		Best Film	The Chaser	Nominated
		Best Director	Na Hong-jin	Nominated
		Best Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Nominated
		Best Actor	Ha Jung-woo	Nominated
		Best New Director	Na Hong-jin	Won
		Best Screenplay	Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee	Nominated
	16th Chunsa Film Art Awards	Best Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Won
		Best Actor	Ha Jung-woo	Won
		Best New Director	Na Hong-jin	Won
		Best Screenplay	Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee	Won
		Technical Award	Choi Tae-young	Won
	9th Busan Film Critics Awards	Best Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Won
	9th Busan Film Critics Awards	Best Screenplay	Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee	Won
	17th Buil Film Awards	Best Film	The Chaser	Nominated	^[14]
		Best Director	Na Hong-jin	Won
		Best Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Won
		Best Actor	Ha Jung-woo	Nominated
		Best New Director	Na Hong-jin	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Na Hong-jin	Nominated
		Buil Readers' Jury Award	The Chaser	Won
		Best Editing	Kim Sun-min	Won
		Best Cinematography	Lee Sung-jae	Nominated
		Best Lighting	Lee Cheol-oh	Nominated
	45th Grand Bell Awards	Best Film	The Chaser	Won	^[15]
		Best Director	Na Hong-jin	Won
		Best Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Won
		Best Actor	Ha Jung-woo	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Seo Young-hee	Nominated
		Best New Director	Na Hong-jin	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Na Hong-jin	Nominated
		Best Editing	Kim Sun-min	Nominated
		Best Cinematography	Lee Sung-jae	Won
		Best Planning	Kim Su-jin, Yun In-beom	Won
		Best Sound	Kim Sin-yong	Nominated
	29th Blue Dragon Film Awards	Best Film	The Chaser	Nominated
		Best Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Won
		Best Actor	Ha Jung-woo	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Seo Young-hee	Nominated
		Best New Director	Na Hong-jin	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee	Nominated
		Best Cinematography	Lee Sung-jae	Nominated
		Best Music	Kim Jun-seok, Choi Yong-rak	Nominated
		Technical Award	Kim Sun-min (Editing)	Nominated
	7th Korean Film Awards	Best Film	The Chaser	Won
		Best Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Won
		Best Supporting Actress	Seo Young-hee	Nominated
		Best Director	Na Hong-jin	Won
		Best New Director	Na Hong-jin	Won
		Best Screenplay	Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee	Won
		Best Editing	Kim Sun-min	Won
		Best Cinematography	Lee Sung-jae	Nominated
		Best Music	Kim Jun-seok, Choi Yong-rak	Nominated
	University Film Festival of Korea	Best Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Won
	11th Director's Cut Awards	Best Actor	Ha Jung-woo	Won
	11th Director's Cut Awards	Best New Director	Na Hong-jin	Won
	Cine 21 Awards	Best Actor	Ha Jung-woo	Won
		Best New Director	Na Hong-jin	Won
		Best Screenplay	Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee	Won
	2nd Asia Pacific Screen Awards	Best Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Nominated
	12th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival	Best of Puchon	The Chaser	Won
		Best Actress	Seo Young-hee	Won
		EFFFF Asian Award	The Chaser	Won
2009	3rd Asian Film Awards	Best Actor	Ha Jung-woo	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Na Hong-jin and Shinho Lee	Nominated
		Best Editing	Kim Sun-min	Won

Remakes and similar productions

In March 2008, the remake rights to The Chaser were bought by Warner Bros. for US$1 million. William Monahan was in early discussions to write the script, with Leonardo DiCaprio named as a potential star; no deals have been set. Monahan and DiCaprio were both involved in Martin Scorsese's The Departed, a successful remake of the classic Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs.^[16] Murder 2, a 2011 Indian Bollywood psychological thriller film, is an unofficial remake of The Chaser.^[17]

References

1 2 "South Korea Box: Office May 30 – June 1, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
↑ "Realism And The Art Of Violence In The Chaser (2008) | Genre: Action, Thriller". That Moment In. 2008. Archived from the original on 2017-09-06. Retrieved 2017-07-30.
↑ 추격자. Naver.
↑ Lee, Hyo-won (31 January 2008). "Chaser Offers Heart-Thumping Thrills". The Korea Times. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
↑ "17 Disturbing South Korean Films That Will Give You Nightmares". Collider. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
↑ "The 25th New York Asian Film Festival, The Chaser". NYAFF. June 9, 2026. Retrieved July 15, 2026.
1 2 "The Best Selling Films of 2008". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
↑ "South Korea Box Office: February 15–17, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
↑ "South Korea Box Office: February 22–24, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
↑ "South Korea Box Office: February 29 – March 2, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
↑ "South Korea Box Office: March 7–9, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
↑ "The Chaser (Chugyeogja) (2008) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.com. Flixster. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
↑ "The Chaser reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
↑ Yi, Chang-ho (24 October 2008). "The Chaser extends awards lead". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
↑ "The Chaser - Awards". Cinemasie. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
↑ Paquet, Darcy; Fleming, Michael (7 March 2008). "Chaser caught by Warner for remake" Archived 2008-05-08 at the Wayback Machine. Variety. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
↑ "The original Murder 2 director in town!". Hindustan Times. 2011-10-20. Retrieved 2021-04-30.

External links

The Chaser at IMDb
The Chaser at the Korean Movie Database (in Korean)
The Chaser at HanCinema
The Chaser at Rotten Tomatoes

[bom-1] 1 2 "South Korea Box: Office May 30 – June 1, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.

[2] "Realism And The Art Of Violence In The Chaser (2008) | Genre: Action, Thriller". That Moment In. 2008. Archived from the original on 2017-09-06. Retrieved 2017-07-30.

[3] 추격자. Naver.

[4] Lee, Hyo-won (31 January 2008). "Chaser Offers Heart-Thumping Thrills". The Korea Times. Retrieved 10 August 2013.

[5] "17 Disturbing South Korean Films That Will Give You Nightmares". Collider. Retrieved 30 June 2024.

[pr1:nyaff-6] "The 25th New York Asian Film Festival, The Chaser". NYAFF. June 9, 2026. Retrieved July 15, 2026.

[Koreanfilm.org-7] 1 2 "The Best Selling Films of 2008". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 25 September 2008.

[8] "South Korea Box Office: February 15–17, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.

[9] "South Korea Box Office: February 22–24, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.

[10] "South Korea Box Office: February 29 – March 2, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.

[11] "South Korea Box Office: March 7–9, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 September 2008.

[rottomatoes-12] "The Chaser (Chugyeogja) (2008) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.com. Flixster. Retrieved December 24, 2018.

[13] "The Chaser reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 24, 2018.

[14] Yi, Chang-ho (24 October 2008). "The Chaser extends awards lead". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

[15] "The Chaser - Awards". Cinemasie. Retrieved 25 September 2008.

[16] Paquet, Darcy; Fleming, Michael (7 March 2008). "Chaser caught by Warner for remake" Archived 2008-05-08 at the Wayback Machine. Variety. Retrieved 6 October 2008.

[17] "The original Murder 2 director in town!". Hindustan Times. 2011-10-20. Retrieved 2021-04-30.

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Baeksang Arts Award Grand Prize – Film
1960s	Kim Jin-kyu (Deaf Sam-yong) (1965) - (1966)^* Late Autumn (1967) Choi Nam-hyun (Legend of Ssarigol) (1968) - (1969)^*
1970s	- (1970)^* - (1971)^* - (1972)^* Gate of Women (1973) - (1974)^* - (1975)^* - (1976)^* Concentration Of Attention (1977) A Splendid Outing (1978) The Last Words from a Comrade in Arms (1979)
1980s	Man-suk, Run! (1980) A Fine, Windy Day (1981) - (1982)^** Village of Haze (1983) Whale Hunting (1984) Deep Blue Night (1985) Gilsotteum (1986) Moonlight Hunter (1987) Adada (1988) Seoul Rainbow (1989)
1990s	The Lovers of Woomook-baemi (1990) - (1991)^** Stairways of Heaven (1992) Our Twisted Hero (1993) Ahn Sung-ki (Two Cops) (1994) Life and Death of the Hollywood Kid (1995) Park Chul-soo (Farewell my darling) (1996) - (1997)^ - (1998)^ Kang Je-gyu (Shiri) (1999)
2000s	Chunhyang (2000) Libera Me (2001) Sul Kyung-gu (Public Enemy) (2002) The Way Home (2003) Kang Woo-suk (Silmido) (2004) Marathon (2005) King and the Clown (2006) Tazza: The High Rollers (2007) The Chaser (2008) Kang Woo-suk(Public Enemy Returns) (2009)
2010s	Yoon Je-kyoon (Tidal Wave) (2010) Lee Byung-hun (I Saw the Devil) (2011) Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time (2012) Ryu Seung-ryong (Miracle in Cell No. 7) (2013) Song Kang-ho (The Attorney) (2014) Choi Min-sik (The Admiral: Roaring Currents) (2015) Lee Joon-ik (The Throne and Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet) (2016) Park Chan-wook (The Handmaiden) (2017) 1987: When the Day Comes (2018) Jung Woo-sung (Innocent Witness) (2019)
2020s	Bong Joon-ho (Parasite) (2020) Lee Joon-ik (The Book of Fish) (2021) Ryoo Seung-wan (Escape from Mogadishu) (2022) Decision to Leave (2023) Kim Sung-su (12.12: The Day) (2024) Hong Kyung-pyo (Harbin) (2025) Yoo Hae-jin (The King's Warden) (2026)
^* awarded to theatrical play; ^** no winner