The Chase

Set in a dense, working-class neighborhood, the story unfolds inside a row of aging apartment flats where tenants share hallways and fear for rent. The building is run-down, with a local church visiting to offer aid and neighbors watching each other’s backs. The textures of the flats—narrow corridors and flickering lights—underscore the social tensions at play.

🕵️ Detective Work

A retired detective pieces together a pattern of murders, challenging the community’s acceptance of suicide. He traces clues from past cases to the present killings and insists on thorough, evidence-based reasoning. The investigation blends cautious deduction with streetwise intuition, revealing how past traumas shape present danger.

💸 Socioeconomic Struggle

The landlord’s rent-collection grip exposes the class tensions simmering beneath the neighborhood’s surface. The film uses Deok-su’s exploitation to highlight poverty and the precarious lives of working-class tenants. As violence erupts, the community’s reliance on informal aid and mutual protection becomes both lifeline and source of tension.

🔎 Secrets and Twists

Appearances conceal danger as a mild-mannered doctor is revealed to be the killer. The twist underscores moral ambiguity, showing respectability can mask danger. The narrative keeps the audience guessing about who to trust until the final revelation.