The Assassination - The Man Standing Next

Movie
German title	The Assassination - The Man Standing Next
Original title	Namsan-ui Bujangdeul ( 남산 의 부장 들 )
Country of production	South Korea
original language	Korean
Publishing year	2020
length	114 minutes
Age rating	FSK 16
Rod
Director	Woo min-ho
script	Woo Min-ho, ; Lee Ji-min
music	Jo Young-wook
camera	Go Nak-seon
cut	Kim Ji-eun
occupation
	Lee Byung-hun : Kim Gyu-pyeong; Lee Sung-min: President Park; Kwak Do-won : Park Yong-gak; Lee Hee-joon: Gwak Sang-cheon; Kim So-jin: Deborah Shim; Seo Hyun-woo: Chun Doo-hyeok; Ji Hyeon-jun: Ham Dae-yong; Park Sung-geun: Gang Chang-su; Park Ji-il: Head of the Presidential Secretariat; Lee Tae-hyeong: Yoo Dong-hun; Kim Hong-pa: Ambassador Yoon;

The attack - The Man Standing Next : (AKA Namsan-ui Bujangdeul , heads of Namsan ') is a South Korean political thriller by Woo Min-ho from the year 2020. The film tells the last 40 days before the assassination of South Korean President Park Chung hee by the secret service chief Kim Jae-gyu on October 26, 1979. The film is based on publications by the heads of the secret service in the Dong-a Ilbo , whereby director Woo also took creative liberties. The names of the characters have also been changed from those of the historical figures.

action

The film begins with a historical outline of how General Park Chung-hee usurped power in South Korea through a military coup on May 16, 1961. South Korea's first secret service, the KCIA (kor. 중앙 정보부 Jungang Jeongbobu , Central Intelligence Service) was founded. The headquarters were below the Seoul Namsan . That is why the heads of the KCIA were also called the heads of the Namsan . The KCIA secured Park's 18-year presidency.

The real action begins 40 days before the attack. The United States is under investigation into the political scandal known as Koreagate . South Korea bribed members of the American Congress through the secret service in order to influence the foreign policy of the United States. The former head of the South Korean secret service, Park Yong-gak, has been invited as a key witness. He blames President Park as the main culprit and calls him a "traitor to the revolution". President Park sends his intelligence chief Kim Gyu-pyeong to the USA. He should get Park's memoirs so that they never get published. When Kim visits Park, Kim says that if he hands him the memoir and keeps a low profile for a few years, he might be able to go back to Korea. He agrees, but tells him that President Park has betrayed them. There is said to be a man named " Iago " who is the real right hand man of the President and about which the KCIA knows nothing. This man takes care of President Park's Swiss bank accounts.

Kim wonders if there is anything in the story and develops doubts about Park. Shortly after his return from the United States, the President's chief security officer, Gwak, finds a CIA bug in Park's office. The US monitored the park and the KCIA was unaware of it. Gwak then sends the military and the US ambassador is summoned. Kim protests against the military operation. The ambassador says he was unaware of the CIA surveillance. On the other hand, he signals to Kim that Park's time is over. Park is not allowed to use the military.

Park's memoirs are published shortly thereafter. The president is angry. Neither he nor Park Yong-gak know how these were published. But the president wants Park Yong-gak dead. Kim conducts an operation in France that kills Park. Kim is sad that Park was his friend, but he needs the president's trust.

There are riots and protests against Park in Busan and Masan . Gwak, supported by the military chief Chun Doo-hyeok, proposes the imposition of martial law and a military operation against the demonstrators. Kim strongly disagrees. This is not what they revolted for 18 years ago. But by doing this he loses his trust. President Park now bans him from some meetings. After the president starts the military operation, Kim acts quickly and plans an assassination attempt. During a ceremony he shoots Park and Gwak.

background

Most of the characters in the film are based on historical people. The role of secret service chief Kim Gyu-pyeong is based on Kim Jae-gyu , that of his predecessor Park Yong-gak is based on Kim Hyung-wook . The President's is based on Park Chung-hee . The president's chief security officer was Cha Ji-cheol and the role of Chun Doo-hyeok is based on General Chun Doo-hwan . Few figures, like that of Deborah Shim, are imagined.

Kim was sentenced to death by hanging by the KCIA, which was carried out a few months later. There was another military coup by General Chun Doo-hwan , which made him the new president.

Kim's motives for the attack are still unclear. After the KCIA he wanted to be president. He himself denied this.

reception

The Man Standing Next opened in South Korean cinemas on January 22, 2020 and reached over 4.7 million viewers. The film was the last major release in South Korean cinemas before some of them had not opened until the end of May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic or before older films and independent productions were played. The film received mostly positive reviews. The film is in 10th place (as of August 8, 2020) among the financially most successful films of 2020 .

After Kim Boram, the film tells the scheming power struggles of the men behind Park, up to the assassination attempt. The focus is on Kim Gyu-pyeong's psyche and how his loyalty changes. The emotional and psychological description made the familiar plot interesting and entertaining. Elaine Lee from The New Paper awards 4 out of 5 stars and describes Lee Byung-hun's performance as excellent by fully portraying the suffering of everyone in such a situation. Likewise, Cary Darling from the Houston Chronicle awards 4 stars and calls the film a "fascinating history lesson". For viewers with no historical background, it may be difficult to fully understand the film, as there are so many people and events in it. Nevertheless, Woo managed to create a lively design with sufficient tension despite the known ending. Darling reminds the film of American thrillers of the 1970s such as " Witness to a Conspiracy " and " The Dialog ". For John DeFore of the Hollywood Reporter , the end is too abrupt; it could have used a better foundation. The film leaves open whether Kim was a patriot who killed the president for the good of Korea, or whether there were personal ambitions behind it. However, the film tends towards the former variant.