Pięć Smaków w Domu

The Chaser

Chugyeokja
dir. Na Hong-jin
South Korea 2008, 125’
subtitles: Polish and English

Press Play to start

buy a ticket or vod access from 23 pln
or pass for all films
Theatrical Screenings
Fr 13 Nov, 21:00
Kinoteka 1
Kinoteka 1
Su 15 Nov, 21:00
Kinoteka 4
Kinoteka 4
Film also presented during the festival showcase in Poznań (19–22.11)
Online Availability
10 Nov, 10:00 – 6 Dec
Awards and festivals
International premiere: Cannes Film Festival 2008 (Midnight Screenings) Baeksang Arts Awards 2008 - Grand Prize (Film), Best New Director Grand Bell Awards 2008 - Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Kim Yoon-seok), Best Cinematography Blue Dragon Film Awards 2008 - Best Actor (Kim Yoon-seok) Korean Film Awards 2008 - Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Screenplay PiFan (Bucheon) 2008 - Best of Puchon, Best Actress (Seo Young-hee) Sitges IFF 2008 - Orient Express – Casa Asia Award
Credits
South Korea 2008
Duration: 125’
director: Na Hong-jin
screenplay: Na Hong-jin, Lee Shin-ho, Hong Won-chan
cinematography: Lee Sung-jae
editing: Kim Sun-min
music: Kim Joon-seok, Choi Yong-rak
sound: Kim Shin-yong
cast: Kim Yoon-seok, Ha Jung-woo, Seo Young-hee, Park Hyo-joo, Jung In-gi, Kim You-jung
producer: Kim Su-jin, Yun In-beom
production: Bidangil Pictures, Vantage Holdings
language: Korean
colouration: colour
Media partner
Section partner

Film description

Jung-ho isn’t a pleasant sort – a former cop turned pimp, he makes a living from a group of women working for him. He’s in a foul mood because two of them haven’t returned from their latest assignments, and he suspects one of their clients has sold them on. Now he pressures the ailing Mi-jin into going out, hoping she will lead him to the alleged trafficker. He has no idea that he is sending her straight into the hands of a monster in human form.

Na Hong-jin’s debut, however, is no ordinary thriller about a psychopathic killer – the likes of which flooded Korean cinema following the success of Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of Murder. The director masterfully plays with genre conventions, taking viewers on a nerve-shredding journey to the very depths of hell. He does so with remarkable ingenuity: replacing high-speed car chases with frantic foot pursuits through the winding, nocturnal alleyways of Seoul, while weaving a satirical critique of the Korean security apparatus into the harrowing narrative. Inspired by real-life events, this devastatingly pessimistic feature debut became the third highest-grossing film of 2008 in South Korea and an international sensation among genre enthusiasts. Roger Ebert notably wrote that American filmmakers could learn a thing or two about their craft from him.

Warning: Contains scenes of graphic violence.

text:
Marcin Krasnowolski

Na Hong-jin

Born in 1974, the South Korean director and screenwriter made his feature debut in 2008 with the thriller The Chaser, which became a box-office hit in South Korea and gained international acclaim for its bold vision and masterful direction. His second film, The Yellow Sea, co-produced by 20th Century Fox, was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011. Audiences had to wait six years for his next effort: the horror feature The Wailing, funded by Fox International Productions, which also premiered at Cannes and remains the biggest box-office triumph of his career to date. His latest project, Hope, laden with groundbreaking special effects, stands as the most expensive film production in South Korean cinematic history.

Filmography:

2008 W pogoni / Chaser / Chugyeokja

2010 Morze Żółte / Yellow Sea / Hwang hae

2016 Lament / The Wailing / Gokseong

2026 Witajcie w Hope / Hope / Hopeu

Be up to date!

© Fundacja Sztuki Arteria
Our website uses cookies, i.e. small text files that a website saves on your computer or mobile device when you browse the site. Click here to change your cookie settings.