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Inside Men (film)

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Inside Men
Theatrical release poster
Hangul
내부자들
Hanja
内部者들
RRNaebujadeul
MRNaebujadŭl
Directed byWoo Min-ho
Written byWoo Min-ho
Based on
The Insiders
by Yoon Tae-ho
Produced byLee Min-su
StarringLee Byung-hun
Cho Seung-woo
Baek Yoon-sik
CinematographyGo Nak-seon
Edited byKim Sang-bum
Kim Jae-bum
Music byJo Yeong-wook
Distributed byShowbox
Release date
  • November 19, 2015 (2015-11-19)
Running time
130 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Box officeUS$63 million[1]

Inside Men (Korean: 내부자들; RR: Naebujadeul) is a 2015 South Korean political action thriller film written and directed by Woo Min-ho based on Yoon Tae-ho's webtoon The Insiders that dissects the corruption within Korean society.[2][3] Starring Lee Byung-hun, Cho Seung-woo and Baek Yoon-sik, it began filming in July 2014[4][5] and was released in theaters on November 19, 2015.[6][7][8]

Inside Men and the director's cut Inside Men: The Original have sold a total of 9.1 million admissions at the box office, thus becoming the top grossing R-rated movie of all-time at the South Korean box office.

Plot

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Two years before the 2012 presidential election, ambitious prosecutor Woo Jang-hoon is assigned to investigate leading presidential candidate Jang Pil-woo's secret slush fund. A former accounting manager agrees to hand over incriminating files, but he is kidnapped by gangster Ahn Sang-goo, who steals the evidence for influential newspaper editor Lee Kang-hee. Trusting Lee completely, Sang-goo gives him a copy of the original files. Soon afterward, however, Sang-goo discovers he has been betrayed. Lee secretly exposes his actions to Pil-woo's associates, and Sang-goo is brutally tortured by Managing Director Jo, who severs his right hand before having him locked away in a psychiatric hospital to disappear.

Two years later, Sang-goo has escaped the institution and lives in obscurity while secretly plotting revenge against the men who ruined him. Meanwhile, Jang-hoon suffers a professional setback after a bank executive under investigation commits suicide, leaving behind a note blaming the prosecution. Suspended from active duty, Jang-hoon begins investigating Sang-goo independently. Sang-goo attempts to expose the conspirators by secretly recording their sex parties with hidden cameras, but the plan fails as Lee stays one step ahead, leading to the capture and torture of Sang-goo's associate, Park Jong-pal.

After Jo's men track Sang-goo down, Jang-hoon rescues him during a violent confrontation and hides him in his father's old bookstore. The pair form an alliance when Sang-goo reveals that he has secretly kept the original slush fund files hidden inside his cross necklace all along. To make the evidence public, Sang-goo holds a press conference exposing the corruption and willingly goes to prison. However, Pil-woo denies everything and Lee uses his newspaper to destroy Sang-goo's reputation with fabricated stories. Key witnesses are silenced, including actress Joo Eun-hye, who is murdered by Jo after helping Sang-goo.

Consumed by rage after learning Lee willingly betrayed him from the beginning, Sang-goo escapes custody and confronts the editor. He forces Lee to confess that Pil-woo orchestrated everything, including Eun-hye's murder and the smear campaign against Sang-goo, before cutting off Lee's right hand in revenge. Although Sang-goo records the confession, Jang-hoon realizes it is legally inadmissible because it was obtained under duress. Instead, he manipulates Lee into believing he has switched sides and gains the trust of Pil-woo's inner circle, earning a prestigious position in the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

At a gathering hosted by Pil-woo and his allies, Jang-hoon secretly records the politicians and businessmen openly discussing their crimes using a hidden camera concealed in a liquor bottle cap. After Pil-woo secures his party's presidential nomination, the recordings are anonymously released to the public alongside the original financial documents. Jang-hoon then steps forward at a press conference, revealing himself as the whistleblower and admitting his own role in infiltrating the conspiracy. His testimony, combined with the leaked footage, triggers nationwide outrage. Lee comes under investigation, while Pil-woo goes into hiding before becoming the subject of a nationwide manhunt.

Six months later, Jang-hoon has left the prosecution and opened a small law office, where he reunites with Sang-goo after his release from prison. Rather than pursuing political power himself, Jang-hoon rejects becoming another man like Pil-woo. The two men leave together, finally free from the corruption that consumed their lives.[9]

Cast

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Release

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The film was released theatrically in South Korea in November 19, 2015. Following its commercial success, an extended director's cut, titled Inside Men: The Original, was released theatrically on December 31. Running approximately 180 minutes, the extended version incorporated additional footage not included in the original theatrical release.[10][11][12][13][14]

Reception

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On its first four days at the South Korean box office, the film grossed ₩13.2 billion.[15] Inside Men drew more than 2 million viewers in just six days, a record for an R-rated film; it has also set the record for the most-viewed R-rated movie in a single day—489,503 viewers.[16]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Recipient Result
2016 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards Best Film Inside Men Nominated
Best Director Woo Min-ho Nominated
Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Won
Baek Yoon-sik Nominated
Best Screenplay Woo Min-ho Nominated
25th Buil Film Awards Best Film Inside Men Nominated
Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Won
Best Screenplay Woo Min-ho Nominated
37th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Film Inside Men Won
Best Director Woo Min-ho Nominated
Best Screenplay Woo Min-ho Nominated
Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Won
Best New Actor Joo Woo-jin Nominated
Best Editing Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum Nominated
53rd Grand Bell Awards Best Film Inside Men Won
Best Director Woo Min-ho Won
Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Won
Best Supporting Actor Lee Geung-young Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Lee El Nominated
Best Screenplay Woo Min-ho Won
Best Planning Kim Won-kook Won
11th Max Movie Awards Best Film Inside Men Nominated
Best Director Woo Min-ho Nominated
Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Baek Yoon-sik Nominated
Best Trailer Inside Men Nominated
10th Asian Film Awards Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Won
Best Production Designer Cho Hwa-sung Nominated
21st Chunsa Film Art Awards Best Director Woo Min-ho Nominated
Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Nominated
Best Screenplay Woo Min-ho Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Baek Yoon-sik Nominated
16th Director's Cut Awards Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Won
36th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Won
Ten Best Films of the Year Inside Men Won
3rd Korean Film Producers Association Awards Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Won
5th Marie Claire Film Festival Pioneer Award Won
15th New York Asian Film Festival Star Asia Award Won
4th Marie Claire Asia Star Awards Actor of the Year Won

References

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  1. ↑ "INSIDE MEN to Infiltrate Hong Kong".
  2. ↑ Baek, Byung-yeul (14 October 2015). "Film completes cartoon Inside Men". The Korea Times. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  3. ↑ Baek, Byung-yeul (4 November 2015). "Inside Men depicts world controlled by corrupt power elite". The Korea Times. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  4. ↑ Tae, Sang-joon (11 June 2014). "THE INSIDERS Confirm LEE Byung-hun and CHO Seung-woo". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  5. ↑ Conran, Pierce (22 July 2014). "INSIDERS with LEE Byung-hun Begins Shooting". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "Inside Men demand prompts early release". The Korea Times. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  7. ↑ Won, Ho-jung (19 November 2015). "Herald Review: Inside Men sees darkness everywhere". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  8. ↑ "Actor Lee Byung-hun Takes on Corruption in 'Inside Men'". NBC News. 8 July 2016.
  9. ↑ Kim, Hyun-jung (23 November 2015). "Inside Men". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  10. ↑ "Is the Era of 10-million-admissions Opening for R-rated Movies?".
  11. ↑ "Inside Men (2015)". www.koreanfilm.or.kr. Archived from the original on 2015-05-19.
  12. ↑ "Inside Men: The Original (2015)". www.koreanfilm.or.kr. Archived from the original on 2016-01-07.
  13. ↑ 미주중앙일보 - 미주 최대 한인 뉴스 미디어. Archived from the original on 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  14. ↑ '내부자들', 역대 청불영화 흥행 경신…'친구' 넘었다. 8 January 2016.
  15. ↑ Ma, Kevin (23 November 2015). "Inside Men wins South Korea box office". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  16. ↑ "Inside Men draws record 2 million in 6 days". The Korea Times. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
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