Released in 2015, this South Korean film is based on Yoon Taeho's webtoon "Inside Men". It's a noir film that delves into the betrayal and conspiracy among politicians, the media, conglomerates, and those who manipulate the political sphere.
With its outstanding performances and a gripping storyline, "Inside Men" received rave reviews from audiences. Despite being rated R, it surpassed 7 million viewers, and with the extended director's cut released on December 31st under the title "Inside Men - The Original", it gathered nearly 10 million viewers in total. Thanks to its success, "Inside Men" solidified its position as a representative film exploring the behind-the-scenes stories of politicians, corporations, and the media. Even after its run, whenever similar events depicted in the film occurred in real life, the movie garnered attention once again.
The era of gangsters, prosecutors, and media deals is over!
"Let's go for revenge, fiercely."
An Sang-gu (Lee Byung-hun), a powerful presidential candidate and a chaebol chairman, aided by the political thug Lee Kang-hee (Baek Yoon-sik), who influences public opinion in South Korea. An Sang-gu, desiring even greater success, prepares a transaction using their slush fund file, but is exposed and becomes a pauper as a result.
"You want revenge, and I want justice. The picture's perfect, isn't it?"
Prosecutor Woo Jang-hoon (Jo Seung-woo), lacking in background and always aiming for promotion, finally seizes the opportunity to become the sniper in a large-scale investigation into illegal campaign funds just before the presidential election. However, due to An Sang-gu intercepting the slush fund file, the investigation is terminated, and Woo Jang-hoon is sidelined, bearing the responsibility.
Political thug An Sang-gu plans revenge against those who made him a pauper. Prosecutor Woo Jang-hoon, who wants to succeed using the slush fund file and An Sang-gu's existence. And Lee Kang-hee, the orchestrator behind the scenes, who needs to cover up the slush fund scandal involving the presidential candidate and the chaebol.
Who will survive in this game of power?
The performances of acclaimed actors such as Lee Byung-hun, Cho Seung-woo, and Baek Yoon sik were praised across the board. Especially, Lee Byung-hun's acting received unanimous acclaim, despite ongoing controversies from previous incidents. Not only the lead actors but also supporting and minor roles showcased exceptional acting skills, according to many reviews.
As of November 25th, the audience rating on Naver Movies is 9.08, whereas the critical rating is notably lower at 6.79. Particularly, two reviewers, Park Pyeong-sik and Lee Dong-jin, gave scores in the 5-point range. Lee Dong-jin, in particular, gave a score of 2.5 out of 5, sparking some controversy with his review.
Among critics, the prevailing opinion is that any shortcomings in the story, coherence, or direction were compensated by the actors' performances.
After the film's release, the director and actors mentioned that the initial edit was 3 hours and 40 minutes long, and they felt regretful about having to cut out a significant amount of content. They even promised to release a director's cut if the film surpassed 5 million viewers. However, even after the director's cut was released, there was not a significant change in the critics' evaluation of the movie.
The film's OST, composed by Cho Young-wook, who previously worked on the music for "New World", received considerable praise as well. In particular, the 7-minute track titled "Woo Prosecutor", played during the climax where all truths are revealed, garnered positive reviews.
At the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards in 2016, the film won the Best Film award and Lee Byung-hun received the Best Actor award. Despite intense competition in the Best Actor category that year, there was little disagreement regarding Lee Byung-hun's win. However, many saw the Best Film award as a reflection of the public's anger towards political corruption, epitomized by the Park Geun-hye-Choi Soon-sil scandal. The judges themselves commented that the film accurately captured the collective stress and subconscious of Korean society that year, and praised it for being ahead of its time. They indirectly acknowledged that the film's theme and subject matter were more highly regarded than its overall execution.