The Chaser
IFC Films | Release Date: December 30, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The Chaser is an expert serial-killer film from South Korea and a poster child for what a well-made thriller looked like in the classic days. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineJoseph Jon Lanthier
The opaque ethics of The Chaser elide the reductive nature of binary pairs, focusing instead on the far more piquant complexity of human behavior. Read full review
80
Time OutAaron Hillis
Na keeps pulling the rug out from under us, and his brawny genre exercise doubles nicely as a scream of social anguish, since most of the twisted screwups occur at the hands of bumbling or corrupt cops. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
The film is distinguished by the grubby velocity of his foot chases, and the effectiveness of its craft. Read full review
70
VarietyJustin Chang
Pulse-pounding third act expertly pushes the audience’s buttons, to excruciatingly ironic and ultimately devastating effect. Pic does turn overwrought in the final stretch and would have been wise to end on an earlier note, though action fans won’t mind. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterMaggie Lee
The tight time-frame gives the excellent cast a chance to play with intensity, making even old genre hands hold their breath and feel their minds sufficiently shaken up. Read full review
70
The New York TimesMike Hale
While it could stand to lose 20 minutes and several plot twists, Mr. Na’s debut manages to be thought-provoking and adventurous while providing solid thrills. Read full review
60
EmpireNick de Semlyen
Some of the tension drains from a slow middle act, but it remains a gripping tale of sleuth-work and moral awakening. Read full review
40
Village VoiceNick Schager
A late-act tragedy drenched in bloodlust slow-mo epitomizes the film's poseur bleakness, with its treatise on individual and institutional amorality sabotaged by broad-stroke characterizations and a knotty narrative too reliant on twin modern-day horror tropes: preposterous decision-making and lousy cell phone service. Read full review
40
The GuardianPeter Bradshaw
It's atmospheric but derivative, and I didn't find the denouement's Christian imagery convincing. Read full review
40
Time Out LondonDavid Jenkins
The best moments come with two bravura and ultra-realistic chase sequences through grotty, dimly lit back allies, and director Na Hong-Jin also does his best to toy with expectations whenever possible. This playfulness, however, backfires massively in the second half when coincidence and unforeseen consequence conspire uneasily with bloody, messy results. Read full review
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