[History through films] ‘The Man Standing Next’: President’s assassination revisited

Lee Byung-hun in “The Man Standing Next.” (Showbox)

The 2020 suspenseful history flick “The Man Standing Next” revisits one of the most pivotal incidents in Korea’s modern history: the 1979 presidential assassination.

The late President Park Chung-hee, who ruled South Korea with an iron fist for 18 years, is a highly debated figure in the country’s history. So is his right-hand man Kim Jae-gyu, the then director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency who pulled the trigger against Park.

More than 40 years have passed and Kim’s motive for the assassination and what he sought after Park’s death remains unclear. Kim was sentenced to death and executed by hanging seven months after the assassination.

“The Man Standing Next” is based on an imaginative depiction of the 40 days leading up to Park’s death by director Woo Min-ho who helmed “Inside Men” (2015), and “Drug King” (2018).

Woo’s previous works are polished film noir and with “The Man Standing Next,” although based on a true story, the director does not forget to add tension and improvisation.

Using different names, the film serves up the narratives of various characters, including Kim Jae-gyu, who appears as Kim Gyu-pyeong (Lee Byung-hun) and his predecessor Kim Hyong-uk, who appears as Park Yong-gak (Kwan Do-won). The story unfolds as Park Yong-gak, after losing power, travels to the US and testifies before the US Congress, dishing the dirt on the Park Chung-hee administration.

Lee Byung-hun (left) and Kwak Do-won in “The Man Standing Next.” (Showbox)

Needless to say, the superb acting by top veteran actors such as Lee Byung-hun, Lee Sung-min and Kwak Do-won has the audience not knowing which side to take.

The actors’ tone and manner, appearance and even their way of walking mimic the historical figures who come to life on the screen – whose ambitions snowball as the story runs toward the end of its 104-minute runtime.

“The Man Standing Next” opened in theaters on Jan. 22, 2020 -- targeting families over the Lunar New Year holiday -- and attracted 4.7 million moviegoers. A winner of several awards, such as Baeksang and Blue Dragon Film Festival awards, “The Man Standing Next” was submitted to the Best International Feature Film category of the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021 but failed to be shortlisted.

The movie is now available on Netflix and Apple TV+.

The article is the fourth installment of the eight-part series that looks into Korea’s modern and contemporary history through films released between 2000 and 2020. -- Ed.

By Kim Da-sol(ddd@heraldcorp.com)