| That THE CHASER, a clear masterpiece, so often gets the short end of the stick is infuriating. I tend to think that it's those film reviewers who are most lazy that get this film wrong. Instead of researching the background and really paying attention to the film, they watch it haphazardly and then so quickly dismiss the film for being ultra-violent, manipulative, and relying on coincidences to push the story forward.
This is so far from the truth. The worst offenders are the reviews for THE GUARDIAN and TIME OUT LONDON. I know film reviewers are often rushed for time, but some publications really ought to institute a policy of requiring reviewers to watch a movie at least twice before writing about them.
This film, which runs two hours, is about the chase to stop a serial killer by the least likely protagonist, a former detective who was kicked out of the force for taking bribes and is now a despicable pimp. This pimp is moved to act after some of his call girls go missing. At first he thinks some lowlife out there is abducting his girls and selling them to another human trafficker. Gradually, it dawns on him that a serial killer is killing them. Meanwhile, in the background, the police are also conducting an investigation to try to catch this killer.
Of course, this description doesn't do the film justice. THE CHASER is the best kind of thriller. In addition to social commentary about various aspects of modern life, it is masterfully-crafted and executed.
What do I mean by this? As is usually the case with the best storytelling, the film places the viewer in the exact place and viewpoint of the protagonist, whose single-minded pursuit of the villain is hampered by the bungling of the very police who banished him from their midst. The film puts the viewer through all the emotions that the protagonist goes through. If you watch this film and do not find it emotionally draining, then it's time to go get a check-up because something is kaputt.
This film has its share of violence and blood, but it is not your conventional whodunnit. The killer, one of the most chilling serial killers in film histroy, is revealed very early on (in the first 20 minutes) to the audience, and soon afterwards, to the police. What follows is what grips the audience. Simply put, THE CHASER is a film that sinks its teeth into the viewer from the start and doesn't let go. It's packed with tension. Were it a book, it'd be the best page-turner. Its depiction of the serial killer is truly chilling.
Depicting the journey of a fallen man who comes to grips with pure evil, it is an intelligent film for adults but also wholly accessible and entertaining.
| YP59752
12/12/2008 1:19 AM |
