In a run-down hilltop village, the elderly people start disappearing one by one. Ex-detective PARK Pyung-dal (SUNG Dong-il) can instinctively tell it’s the continuation of a serial murder case from 30 years ago. Shim Deok-su (BAEK Yoon-sik) who knows the ins and outs of the area is dragged on by Pyung-dal to get to the bottom of the case. The two elderly characters get into action in The Chase, the third film from KIM Hong-sun who previously made Traffickers and The Con Artists. Based on the popular web comic Aridong Last Cowboy (translated title), this film will be one of the first to be released out of the many films based on web comics. We met with director KIM Hong-sun to hear about the background story and what he thinks about web comics being adapted into films.

The genre aspect of the web comic was strong. It felt like an R-rated thriller film. I liked the fact that the protagonists were the elderly. I was able to cast who I had in mind including SUNG Dong-il and BAEK Yoon-sik, along with CHUN Ho-jin and BAE Jong-ok. 

Unless it’s films like The Usual Suspects or The Sixth Sense, I think it’s okay to watch films while knowing the plot. Having a twist is an extra element. Compared to the web comic, the story and the episodes might change, but I cannot change the character. That’s why I wasn’t so pressured about the plot twist and decided to make it more cinematic. The scene with the lightning, or the scene where the antagonist stares were shot purposefully to make the film more entertaining. 

To make the web comic’s imagination to turn into reality. I focused on making the characters and the situations as realistic as possible. I changed anything that wouldn’t be as interesting in a movie format, and also focused on the mise-en-scène.

We shot the film from November to early February. Since it was winter, the trees turned grey and the color tones weren’t very nice. That’s why we tried to find a place down south where the leaves would fall slower. While shooting a drama called Big Thing, we went to areas around Mokpo a lot. I remembered this and went down to Mokpo and found a good location. No matter how good a place can be, an outdoor set has its limits. The art team and the prop team worked to rebuild that space.

I’m interested in giving a hopeful message about a social issue. I tend to read a lot of newspaper. With Traffickers, I started off with the idea that there could be a side effect caused by the coming together of developed medicine and corrupted society. While dealing with the problems of the elderly, I thought I shouldn’t handle it too lightly. Before films, I worked in dramas. When making films, I think about things that are hard to express in dramas. If it’s a human drama or a romantic comedy, those genres are better suited in dramas. It’s different for every director, but I’m interested in unraveling social problems.

I have written about five scripts so far. I usually take notes while watching the news or when I’m meeting my friends. Those ideas are then expanded. A long time ago, I would search for crime-related texts like “All Crimes Leave a Trace”. However, there is much more to turning something like that into a film. Things that we might not think are realistic in films actually happen a lot in reality. I tell myself to refer to these incidents, but it’s hard to connect them into a film. These days, I try to look up related information when I’m set with a theme. I write down the plot first and then research if it makes realistic sense.

I learned a lot from my mentor, director OH Jong-rok (Big Thing, Piano, Happy Together). It’s my dream to make a drama with him before he retires. He’s especially strong and capable in melodramas. I learned a lot from him, but I can’t use much of what I learned in the kind of films I make. That’s why I want to try and use them in a drama.

Web comics were made into films before, but aside from The Neighbors, they didn’t perform so well at the box office. Then there was a period of calm until recently more works were cinematized. This is because the number of web comic sites increased and the genres they deal with became more diverse. There has been an increase of web comic artists and many capable people are in the industry now. A friend of mine runs a web comic website, and he told me that debuting as a web comic artist doesn’t require an exceptional amount of funding anymore. With the growing market and growing talents, good works will be produced and that’s how they get used in films. It’s a virtuous circle. Web comics are attractive because you can create and express just about anything without bounds.

I had some free time until the release of The Chase. That’s why I think the next project will likely start early next year. I have a few scripts and am trying to decide if I should go with a period piece or a crime piece.