Setting a pimp to catch a killer - Film - Arts - Evening Standard
       

Setting a pimp to catch a killer

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This stylish debut from South Korean director Na Hong-Jin, a huge success in its country of origin, never quite reaches the level of Memories of Murder, the best thriller from there in recent years.

But it is still distinctive, atmospheric and watchable as Kim Yun-Seok’s tough but not entirely unsentimental pimp chases the serial killer who is murdering some of his most profitable whores.

There are already plans for an American remake — but it is unlikely to be as good as this taut effort, which has the ex-detective pimp catching the killer, taking him to the police station and
finding himself accused of assault instead.

Be warned that there are some truly gruesome bits, such as when the killer takes a hammer and chisel to the head of one of his victims. But The Chaser delivers as a piece of cinema rather like Seven did — it doesn’t let up for a moment.

The Chaser

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