Straight Shootin’ with Chad Cruise: Foreign Cinema

I have to admit, my normal procedure for writing any of the articles you read here on bulletproofaction.com is that I start by taking notes while watching a movie; sometimes I write questions that I have, sometimes I just write whatever thought comes into my head at the moment. Later, after I have had time to think about it I will go back and write the post for the website. I had to break that process for this post. I felt compelled to write about a movie that I just finished no more than five minutes ago and while I thoroughly enjoyed the film, I can’t bring myself to write a Bullet Points on it because the movie shouldn’t be labeled as an action film. The movie is called The Chaser. It’s a Korean film that centers on a man who was a former detective but is now a pimp who has lost several of his girls recently. He thinks that his girls are being taken and sold away but what is happening is far more sinister. Watching the film is the most tense movie experience I’ve ever had and while I often find myself watching terrible action movies for the website, sometimes I come along a movie that doesn’t quite fit into our genre but still deserves viewing.

Holy shit…The Chaser is the kind of movie that sticks with you. It’s not the kind that makes you go back and think about whether something makes sense or not. It doesn’t ask questions about controversial topics. I don’t feel the need to discuss the theme specifically with other people. I just want to say that it was more engaging as a movie than any other I’ve seen in recent memory. There are certain films that need multiple viewings to get everything. I know Fight Club, Memento, and the recent Snowpiercer are a few for me, but this film is one that I don’t think would have the same punch if viewed a second time. The power that it has comes from being along for the ride without knowing what might come next. It really is surreal to watch a movie and have no idea what will happen. That is the beauty of watching foreign films to me. I love a good American movie, don’t get me wrong, but sitting through a great Chinese or Korean film is like experiencing something for the first time. Most of the time it’s some sort of heartbreaking experience but man is it good to watch a 2 hour film and be surprised that it ended the way that it did. I take special pride in my taste in movies and I enjoy posting each Friday with a different foreign film that I have seen in the hopes that it might change the mind of anyone who just can’t bring themselves to watch movies that aren’t in English. I can guarantee that for all those fans of television shows like Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones, there are amazing films out there that are taking that feeling of dread, excitement, and tension that we feel from watching those shows week after week and fitting it into a 2 hour film.