The Man Standing Next (2020) User Reviews

Betrayal never comes from an Enemy

[rafiqrony31 · 8/10 · 2 May 2020]

This movie is based on an original novel with the same name. It shows the emotions going through Kim Gyu-pyeong (Lee Byung-hun), the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA).

Basically, Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) was founded in 1961. To spy on North Korean conspiracy, prevent communist were as the primary objective but President Park also used KCIA as a shield to continue his long regime.

There was also intense power struggle between Kim and chief presidential bodyguard Kwak Sang-cheon (Lee Hee-joon). It became so serious during the last 40 days of the President's rule before the latter is assassinated by Kim in 1979.

On the other hand, these two were also fighting to prevent a former KCIA director (Kwak Do-won), who was exiled to the US where Koreagate investigations were under way and knew all about the government's operations, from publishing his memoir.

The chief of presidential bodyguard was becoming very close to the president, Kim was feeling left out or feared that he might lose his position. He was also in disagreement with the actions president took when there was riots against his government. With all that going on, Kim was going through a lot. Ultimately, he decided to assassinate the president along with his chief bodyguard. The shield President Park created for his protection became the reason for his death.

This movie tries to show all viewpoints of why the assassination happened. Though I personally think it takes slightly biased side towards Kim. He was the President of the most feared organization in South Korea, he was not innocent at all. But his intention was not throne instead he tried to do good for the country. Lee is an amazing actor, he portrayed Kim perfectly.

A great watch for thriller movie lovers also you get know about a bit of political history of South Korea.

Enjoy.

People are betrayed most by the person they trusted

[Misss25 · 7/10 · 28 April 2021]

The movie is based on a political history and its backstage dark site. It is sad, South Korea had dictators which weren't that long time ago. But,however it is free from its dictators now, however it gained its desirable democracy.

I don't know how the movie portraits Kim as a patriot or as a traitor. But,his acting was amazing and other cast did a great job.

Good

[PedroPires90 · 8/10 · 16 January 2021]

As good as expected. Powerful performances, tense, good pace, very well shot, magnificent use of shadows and dark scenarios in line with the theme.

Koreans know how to tell the stories of their history. I would be so proud if Portugal was capable to do something similar with our rich history...

Gone with the north

[wadeheat-17127 · 6/10 · 2 March 2020]

Incredible history of South Korea with a disaster politics journey.

who was the real hero of these actions?

[ops-52535 · 7/10 · 26 April 2020]

Its another political history drama, this one about the build up towards the assassination of president park in 1979. all this was uncharted teritory to me, knowing extremely little about south korean history, but interesting it was, and something new ive learned.

historical dramas do have frames to follow when the story shall be told, so you cant waver around the bush as in a non fictional drama. but the build up for me knowing less than nothing it was quite intense, the actors good, and as usual the score of south korean film making of high quality.

even though there was a bit too many Parks in the plot, the grumpy old man will recommend a watch, south korean politics and democracy were and maybe still are a wasps nest to rule.

Slow, But Worthwile

[iboso64 · 6/10 · 21 February 2020]

One thing that kept going over and over in my mind was that this was based on a story that was serialized into 60 parts, in some magazine. And yet, with packing each episode into less than two minutes per, very little happens. Until about the last twenty minutes or so. Okay, so plenty happens, but not enough. This is one of those films that could have lost a few seconds, on average, from each and every shot. It would have made a taut 104 minutes, rather than an often tedious 114.

Totally Shocked

[directorgod-2 · 9/10 · 26 January 2020]

It's all about acting and Music and rhythem. Thriller movies are very dangerous to make cause 4/10 will be totally disaster. Well, after I watched this movie first thing came out from my mind is it's only Jan.26 and I've alreay seen the best movie released in 2020 period. You will probably say hey man, there is 11 more months to go. Nope. This is it. The movie is about Kim who assasninate the president Park which really happened in South Korea back in 1970s. Many people thaught the Kim is the bad guy and the President Park is the lendeng who made Korean a rich country now. But you know what? That is not exactly true. Afte being in that seat for 18 years, he was totallt corrupted. Someone had to kill him. He was a dictator which no one can touch like Kim Il Sung.

The last 20 minute was so intensed that I couldn't even lean my back on the chair. I had to watch with my back bent towrd the screen.

Not even one minute to feel boring. Great movie.

Icy realism

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 28 May 2022]

A slow-burning political drama from South Korea, this one tells the true story of a military dictatorship of the 1970s and how it ended in an abrupt and bloody fashion. It's anchored by a wonderfully underplayed and sensitive turn from Lee Byung-hun, aided by a strong cast. It's a really slow moving piece that nonetheless captures you with its icy realism and attention to detail, the political backdrop carefully depicted. The last half an hour is as tense as they come.

Odd Man Out.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 10/10 · 13 March 2021]

Out of the lucky 13 titles I watched (and reviewed) that were screened/streamed at the 2021 Glasgow Film Festival, this film (which was also my last viewing at the event) was one of my most anticipated, which led to me standing next to a man.

View on the film:

Book-ended by an announcement of the assassination having taken place,and real archive footage of the political fallout from President Park's death, co-writer/(with Ji-min Lee,who debuted as co-writer of the great The Age of Shadows (2016-also reviewed)) directing auteur Woo Min-ho reunites with cinematographer Nak-seon Go in unleashing a brittle, paranoid atmosphere.

Going to the heart of the KCIA over Park's final 18 days in power, Min-ho maps out the tectonic plates of power shifting with wonderful tracking shots down the corridors of Seoul and Washington, where sharp suits offer the lone dash of colour in a murky world.

Hovering over the ongoing rioting in wide-shots, Min-ho brings everything back down to Earth with brittle push-in shots closing in on Park's realisation that power is slipping out of his fingers.

Despite the ending being known, the writers uncoil razor-sharp tension,as Min-ho continues to build on his major theme of exploring corrupt systems in a thrilling script co-written by Ji-min, which spies on all of the characters with striking shades of grey that increasingly turn blood red,as deadly power-play games take place, for who will be the man standing next.

When everyone's just operating under the shelter of power for their actions, there's no genuine care for the people

[noshouse · 7/10 · 21 August 2023]

The possession of power often leads people to lose their way and forget their initial intentions. In the movie, through Lee Byung-hun's internal struggle, it highlights how those in power can become wrapped up in their position, eventually feeling that they are the most important. They start expecting others not to betray them, displaying a certain level of selfishness. While there are quite a few movies about political maneuvering, this film also gives us insights into Korea's historical background. It really reminds me of China's ancient emperor system and the ongoing military conflicts in many countries. The truth is, people often don't ask for much, but someone always climbs up and becomes a leader, managing the masses. It's a reflection of both human nature and animalistic tendencies.

Very insightful historical film and political drama

[Dr_Mark_ODoherty · 10/10 · 4 September 2020]

Very insightful historical film about the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA); during the presidency of Park Chung-hee 40 days before his assassination in 1979. I think this political drama portrayed very well the political crisis during that time in South Korea; rule of law and civil rights being gravely threatened in the country; the whole political situation escalating dramatically and ending with the assassination of South Korean President Park Chung-hee - by the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, Kim Jae-gyu. A controversial figure, Kim Jae-gyu is portrayed by the actor Lee Byung-hun as a very dignified gentleman with high moral values who feels compelled to kill his long-time benefactor, President Park, to end Park's 18-year military dictatorship; so as to uphold democratic values in the country. According to this historical film, the CIA and the U.S. Ambassador to Korea during that time could have done perhaps a bit more to support the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, Kim Jae-gyu; instead of pressuring him to do something drastic - Kim Jae-gyu ultimately being pushed into resolving this extremely difficult political situation by himself. In the wake of the "Koreagate" scandal - where political relations between the United States and South Korea were very shaky - this must have been indeed a very difficult time for all parties concerned. But perhaps the US government and the CIA could have shown a bit more empathy and understanding towards the Korean leaders during that time; also in view that Korea was still a young democratic nation during that time.

A bit slow, but top notch for South Korean cinema

[JurijFedorov · 7/10 · 13 December 2023]

Historical accuracy: 7

Acting: 9 Camera work: 8 Editing: 8 Budget: 7 Story: 7 Theme: 8 Pure entertainment factor: 7 Video quality: 7 Special effects: NA Pacing: 7 Suspension of disbelief: 7 Non-cringe factor: 9 Lack of flashbacks: 7

Good movie. A recommended watch for sure for history fans and just people seeking a slow-pace drama. The acting is good, the sets quite decent, the story historically good and important.

Now, what makes and breaks the movie is everything that is a creative license or weird. And much is too dull and dry. Firstly the movie has the South Korean blackness to it where black is used and overused for everything. South Korean movies are often black, brown, and gray and not much else with a brooding unserious atmosphere where everything is a tad weird and unrealistic and emotional outbursts comedic. It's actually what makes South Korean movies quite bad compared to the best of Hollywood. But they always are a tad deeper and more emotional too and the average quality is quite decent. It does add dullness to it.

The acting is very subdued with the lead/assassin never revealing his feelings or ideas. He is the director of KCIA. The main intelligence agency in South Korea. He kills and tortures people for the dictator as he is his lifelong friend and follows everything he says. The dictator is still young even after 18 years in power and at this point felt more brave. He found a new best friend in the director of his security service. Cha was more brutal and constantly told the dictator that his brutal ideas should be implemented. In 1979 the dictator started talking about killing protestors and his old friend assassinated him. But instead of going to his own office he went to the army offices where people didn't know or trust him and hence he was arrested. Because why would they put him in power? Many months later a new military coup occurred with a new dictator arriving.

Here they do what The Damned United (2009) did. They follow the historical scenes and events, but create a story via motivation. In The Damned United it was extreme jealousy in every single scene. Not a single scene was about anything else. Here we know that the KCIA director did fear for his position. He was more democratically minded and was pushed to the side. He at last felt he needed to kill the dictator to remain in power yet was executed the next year. Here it's the driving force with him even at one point spying on the president/dictator by sneaking into his house and listening in on a meeting. Clearly something that would never happen. He overall does most of the stuff himself so when we finally see him work with KCIA agents to kill the dictator it feels weird. He never seemed to have anyone on his side and now at the very end we see him command his own agents. Bad movie making.

There are also some fictional scenes like the murder of the former KCIA director ordered by the current one. It was done in France a few months prior to the dictator assassination. In reality we don't know how he died or where, but this is assumed to be true. He had released his own book on the dictator that KCIA wanted to cancel. While here they seemingly allude to the new KCIA director having leaked it by having a scene where the former KCIA director directly says he never released it. And when they kill him they show how KCIA agents are out tricking the Presidential Security Service agents to kidnap him before they grab him. Just utter nonsense, but a creative license you can take when the real history is unknown I guess. Still, bad idea.

Overall the brooding atmosphere makes it feel unreal and too slow to be a true story. But we get an idea of what happened. The changed names and various weird creative licenses both add and subtract from the movie. Some events are of course unrealistic others just too slow and drab, but true. Overall I liked the movie and history even though they often mention things without explaining them like talking about a South Korean corruption scandal in USA, Koreagate. A giant deal yet they only mention it one time without going over how many congressmen could be imprisoned for it later on. There are a lot of debates about things and unless you know Korean history this may feel extra boring or complex. But it also makes you want to read up on it.

A bit boring

[mister_bateman · 5/10 · 17 May 2020]

Maybe it's partially because I am not familiar with Korean history, but I found the movie rather boring. I was however interested in the background of the events taking place on screen, so I began googling president Park while watching, only to find reading about him and his policies more intriguing than looking at the film.

For those who want to watch it perhaps it's good to know that he was quite a controversial figure. On one hand he is called an evil authoritarian and said to have become horribly corrupt at the end of his reign, but on the other hand even liberals can not deny that he laid much of the groundwork for today's prosperity in Korea.

Not friendly to non Korean watchers

[madbird-61243 · 7/10 · 7 November 2021]

I remember seeing another historical Korean movie on people's riot. Same as this time, some story lines are hard to understand. Luckily as long as there is LBH, I have nothing to lose.

This movie's pacing won't let you take your eyes of the screen

[soulofakuma · 9/10 · 23 December 2020]

It is most unfortunate that Korean movies such as this one do not get as much international attention as they deserve. The Man Standing Next is a brilliant political drama about the assassination of Park Chung-hee, who got to power through a coup d'état, in 1970. The movie tells the set of events that took place beforehand and ultimately made the protagonist Kim Jae-gyu kill one of his long time friends. The cast and the make-up are perfect to a degree in which the actors look almost the same than their historical counterparts (just have a look at the images after you've watched the movie). But by far the best thing about this movie is musical accompaniment combined with the quick pacing of events. While similar movies might suffer from boring and uneventful parts the chain of action is so fast paced in this movie that you keep your attention up at all time. Summarized one can say that everyone who worked on this movie has done a great job that should be appreciated by as many people as possible. So if you're looking for some intriguing entertainment, go ahead and give this one a watch.

It's a movie about the reason for assassination rather than assassination.

[beadsmantube · 8/10 · 22 June 2020]

It wasn't boring for Koreans, the director approached the case with a neutral standard, and this film re-evaluated the character Kim Jae-gyu.

A bittersweet political life

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 2 August 2020]

You know when they say that good intentions can go wrong? What if you can't actually tell if they went wrong? Who is to say what right and wrong is anyway? I wouldn't dare say I understood every little bit of history that was presented here (this is one of those cases where it makes sense, at least afterwards) to get into what the movie was about. Yes this is based on real characters and events - and yes it can be confusing to a degree.

Especially because of all the grey areas this covers. And power grabs and jealousy, rivalry and pure horror/fear inside ones mind. To at least a certain degree, things displayed here, would be things you'd attest or expect from North Korea(n goverment), not from the one in South Korea. But when not all is developed yet, when people have to go to the streets to protest for certain things and rights ... well things get and are complicated.

So this is very well made and really amazingly acted. If political thriller/drama is in your "playlist"/something you enjoy watching, this is definitely worth watching. Otherwise you may have issues with it and it's pacing ...

Boring till the end

[phd_travel · 4/10 · 5 June 2020]

The assassination itself is worth watching. Lee Byung Hun looks pretty inscrutable for most of the movie. Not a lot of expression. For people unfamiliar with the events leading to the assassination it may be confusing. It seems sympathies of the film are with the main character. Was it jealousy or to spare the country from more dictatorship? Maybe I need to read up more.

Where can I watch the movie if I don't understand Korean?

[pandaclou · 9/10 · 11 April 2020]

This looks like a superb movie, but Impossible to find any stream nowehere!

The men in power and power within ethical inner voice

[vpashish · 9/10 · 29 November 2022]

Beautifully directed and even more powerfully presented by all the actors, especially the lead. One of the finest political thriller drama I have seen till date. The movie basically revolves around the intelligence chief of South Korea during 1970s and his journey from being the closest associate of the then President ( Dictator ) to killing him. Spine chilling and thought provoking political thriller you can enjoy with your friends and family. Democracy is not the best form of governance we have but it is the best possible alternative we have (to dictatorship) till something more greater is ideolized and implemented. Beautifully crafted movie. Brilliantly directed, written and acted. Highly recommended to anyone reading my review.

Heavily stylised political docudrama

[michaelberanek275 · 8/10 · 21 October 2022]

An impressive modern Noir feel to this pacy and meticulous telling of what one learns to be, for South Koreans, the story of a major historical intrigue set within a miserable succession of military dictatorships in the latter part of the 20th century. I admit to becoming a bit confused during the picture as it's a complex story and it seemed to me that there were a number of individuals called Kim and Park for instance, either first or forname! I've seen a couple of Korean movies like Spy Gone North that I really enjoyed for their raciness and distinctiveness but I have really no background understanding at all of this story, but then I doubt many people do. But from what I have what I gleaned on Wikipedia it looks as if some care and attention was taken to depicting events as the historical facts allow, at the time of making. In the end there is clearly a directorial bias towards motive that in fact remains apparently debatable. Supremely ambiguous, however, is the depiction of the president himself, supported by some very deliberate and professional acting. There is a studied indifference to the portrayal of most of the characters actually which is quite remarkable and obviously intended to leave the viewer some degree of discretion in making their own moral judgement. Above all the movie stands ourt for me in its styling, with expert use of light & shade and another classic cinematic techniques. A trip in some blood at a critical moment is a masterpiece all of his own. There is also an impressive soundscape, which gives the feel of a mainstream cold war-style spy thriller. I guess what's best about it for me is that one doesn't even need to really understand entirely the details of the story as it is possible to pick up the gist of it and enjoy it at face value as just a pulsating and good-looking thriller.