The Chase (2017)
Phew, after reviewing one non-Korean movie (Time Share, a not so good Spanish film) I think I need to renew my avid, perhaps slightly unhealthy obsession with strange Korean movies no one else DARES to review. That's right, I'm a bit of a daredevil when it comes to reviewing films, only three critics reviews on IMDB, let me at 'em. Today's flick is The Chase, not to be mistaken with the British game show of the same name (which is pretty awesome by the way), a Korean action/comedy/thriller/mystery hybrid that's pretty good and offers some fresh insights into an overdone genre.
The Chase, written and directed by Hong-seon Kim (The Con Artists), is a film about a landlord who's tenants are being murdered and he's having none of it. He teams up with an ex detective, and together the two gramps go for a romp around their town to find the killer. Me and my sister watched this one together, and before watching it we had a quick peek at the trailer. Oh boy is this film nothing like the trailer. The trailer is all about the thrills, action and a little horror, which is in the film (it didn't lie) it's just about 10% of it. The other 90% is as my sister referred to it as, half way through the film, "A Gay Granddad Adventure". This is a comedy with some pretty unpleasant scenes sprinkled within and an enjoyable narrative, but it's not perfect.
I think, by far, the worst thing about this film is that it's a little tired. The main character, Sim Deok-soo (played by Yun-shik Baek, Inside Men) is a little boring to watch on screen. I don't think Yun-shik Baek was giving it his all, but then again acting is hard to judge when it's performed in a foreign language. However, whenever he's on screen with his counterpart, Park Pyeong-dal (played by the talented Dong-il Sung, Live) there's some chuckles to be had. They work really well together and their chemistry as a buddy cop duo (or gay granddads if you wanna see it that way) is really good. But, like I said, the movie is a little tired. The plot is fairly formulaic, and it falls under the usual tropes of these sorts of mystery movies we've seen a hundred times before. I think their relationship helps, plus one other element I'll praise later, but the story and villain just aren't that interesting. I was never captivated by the mystery, and honestly I don't think the film was either. The shots are bland, the progression is neither here nor there, and most of the time they come to conclusions by chance, or find clues out of the blue. It's not lazy by any means, I just think they didn't bother trying with the mystery part.
But there's praises to be handed out; the first is that this is a film about old people. I know that sounds odd, but hear me out. The freshest thing this film has to offer is its cast; they're all (for the most part) old granddads/grandmothers. It's pretty refreshing to see, even the murderer is old! I don't know why it's nice, I guess it adds a new dimension this genre hasn't particularly seen before, but it's fun, and more interesting to watch than the hot boy detectives we usually get. The other praise is that this film doesn't shy away from violence or unpleasantness when it calls for it. Sure, this film is mainly a comedy, and that's fine, but as always it's Korean spice so to speak is perfect when required. It has some shocking and emotional moments, and a scene involving Alzheimer's is particularly impressive.
I guess if I had one more complaint, and I love complaining, it would be this film has a damsel in distress narrative and it's a little uncomfortable. This film revolves around the murderer having kidnapped a woman from our main character's block of flats, and the landlord himself going to find her. The only problem is he refers to her as Ms 205 (her flat number) and continues to do so when he finds her; on top of that she is tied up and paralysed at the tongue and limbs for most of the movie meaning she can't speak, and the first thing she does upon being rescued is thanking him. I don't know, see for yourselves. It wasn't so awful that I cringed or felt as if the film was being misogynistic, I guess it's just another trope in this tired genre.
Overall The Chase isn't awful, but it's not a stand out movie. It does some interesting things, and the dynamic, when it fully forms, between the two main protagonists is genuinely funny and interesting. There are some interesting plot points to do with them being old, and I like that they're old and not young, able-bodied superheros like they normally are. It's a fun watch, it doesn't feel too long, and there's laughs to be had. If you're looking for a Korean thriller, there are better ones, namely Forgotten and Jo-Pil Ho: The Dawning Rage, but this isn't awful if you've already seen those. Another obscure Korean movie out of the way, only one billion left to go.
5/10
The Chase, written and directed by Hong-seon Kim (The Con Artists), is a film about a landlord who's tenants are being murdered and he's having none of it. He teams up with an ex detective, and together the two gramps go for a romp around their town to find the killer. Me and my sister watched this one together, and before watching it we had a quick peek at the trailer. Oh boy is this film nothing like the trailer. The trailer is all about the thrills, action and a little horror, which is in the film (it didn't lie) it's just about 10% of it. The other 90% is as my sister referred to it as, half way through the film, "A Gay Granddad Adventure". This is a comedy with some pretty unpleasant scenes sprinkled within and an enjoyable narrative, but it's not perfect.
I think, by far, the worst thing about this film is that it's a little tired. The main character, Sim Deok-soo (played by Yun-shik Baek, Inside Men) is a little boring to watch on screen. I don't think Yun-shik Baek was giving it his all, but then again acting is hard to judge when it's performed in a foreign language. However, whenever he's on screen with his counterpart, Park Pyeong-dal (played by the talented Dong-il Sung, Live) there's some chuckles to be had. They work really well together and their chemistry as a buddy cop duo (or gay granddads if you wanna see it that way) is really good. But, like I said, the movie is a little tired. The plot is fairly formulaic, and it falls under the usual tropes of these sorts of mystery movies we've seen a hundred times before. I think their relationship helps, plus one other element I'll praise later, but the story and villain just aren't that interesting. I was never captivated by the mystery, and honestly I don't think the film was either. The shots are bland, the progression is neither here nor there, and most of the time they come to conclusions by chance, or find clues out of the blue. It's not lazy by any means, I just think they didn't bother trying with the mystery part.
But there's praises to be handed out; the first is that this is a film about old people. I know that sounds odd, but hear me out. The freshest thing this film has to offer is its cast; they're all (for the most part) old granddads/grandmothers. It's pretty refreshing to see, even the murderer is old! I don't know why it's nice, I guess it adds a new dimension this genre hasn't particularly seen before, but it's fun, and more interesting to watch than the hot boy detectives we usually get. The other praise is that this film doesn't shy away from violence or unpleasantness when it calls for it. Sure, this film is mainly a comedy, and that's fine, but as always it's Korean spice so to speak is perfect when required. It has some shocking and emotional moments, and a scene involving Alzheimer's is particularly impressive.
I guess if I had one more complaint, and I love complaining, it would be this film has a damsel in distress narrative and it's a little uncomfortable. This film revolves around the murderer having kidnapped a woman from our main character's block of flats, and the landlord himself going to find her. The only problem is he refers to her as Ms 205 (her flat number) and continues to do so when he finds her; on top of that she is tied up and paralysed at the tongue and limbs for most of the movie meaning she can't speak, and the first thing she does upon being rescued is thanking him. I don't know, see for yourselves. It wasn't so awful that I cringed or felt as if the film was being misogynistic, I guess it's just another trope in this tired genre.
Overall The Chase isn't awful, but it's not a stand out movie. It does some interesting things, and the dynamic, when it fully forms, between the two main protagonists is genuinely funny and interesting. There are some interesting plot points to do with them being old, and I like that they're old and not young, able-bodied superheros like they normally are. It's a fun watch, it doesn't feel too long, and there's laughs to be had. If you're looking for a Korean thriller, there are better ones, namely Forgotten and Jo-Pil Ho: The Dawning Rage, but this isn't awful if you've already seen those. Another obscure Korean movie out of the way, only one billion left to go.
5/10
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