GOKSEONG [2016]

aka The Wailing

If creeping you out, tensing your nerves and breaking your heart is what you're looking for then Na Hong-jin's moody supernatural thriller Gokseong is a nod in the right direction.

Set in a tiny South Korean village, a spineless policeman's life is turned upside down when his daughter is infected with a mysterious disease that is spreading throughout the small community.
It's a finely tuned meshing of all sorts of horror and thriller ingredients that gracefully mix with it's tale of human drama and dark, dark humor.  By simultaneously capturing the vast rural forest surroundings with the claustrophobic interiors of the housing, Hong-jin keeps the viewer in constant discomfort that makes it difficult to shake off once all is said and done.

4 life-changing rooster crows out of 5

CHEGYEOGJA [THE CHASER] [2008]

South Korea has a knack for taking the serial killer story and twisting it around on it's head giving it a new life. Na Hong-jin's The Chaser is no different.
It takes enough unpredictable twists and turns as the film rolls along but sadly it's just not the psychologically engaging, until the final hour but by then it's too late to pick up most of the pieces. The two main character performances are beautifully executed and I suspect get better with each viewing but they aren't fleshed out enough in the story itself. The addition of a little girl in the mix is to lighten the mood and played for laughs but is quite frankly annoying.
As realistic as the film tries to be there are too many inane coincidences and silly character actions to ever fully believe it.
In the end it's a so-so film with wonderful acting and camera work, but Korea can do so much better in the thriller department. Oh well.

3 chisels in the head out of 5