The Man Standing Next () is a 2020 South Korean political drama film directed by Woo Min-ho. Based on an original novel of the same title, the film stars Lee Byung-hun, Lee Sung-min, Kwak Do-won, and Lee Hee-joon as the high-ranking officials of the Korean government and the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) during the presidency of Park Chung Hee 40 days before his assassination in 1979.

The film premiered in South Korea on 22 January 2020, where it topped the box office until 4 February 2020. It was released in the United States on 24 January 2020. It was selected as the South Korean entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. The film was released in Japan on 22 January 2021, under the name KCIA.

Synopsis
In the 1970s, Korea is under the absolute control of President Park who controls the KCIA, the organization with an edge over any branch of government. The director of the KCIA, Kim Gyu-pyeong, is nearly the second-in-command, but faces rivalry from the president's security chief. In the midst of a reign of fear, a former KCIA director, Park Yong-gak, who knows all about the government's obscure and illegal operations, goes into exile, and testifies in front of the U.S. Congress, opening the floodgates to the investigation of Koreagate. As tension escalates, stifling political maneuvers by those desiring power collide explosively.

Plot
Park Yong-gak, a former KCIA director, testifies against the South Korean President, Park, in a United States Senate Committee investigation. With the threat of Park publishing his manuscript on the regime, President Park of South Korea sends Kim Gyu-pyeong, the current KCIA Director to stop Park Yong-gak from publishing his manuscript. Kim goes to Washington, where the two meet and Kim demands the manuscript from Park. Park Yong-gak hands it over but implies the president's corruption by suggesting that President Park is being financially backed by offshore Swiss accounts.

With his mission accomplished, Kim returns to South Korea and consequently, faces conflict with Kwak Sang-cheo, President Park's bodyguard. A wiretapping plot on the president is discovered and Kim becomes suspicious of a professor who is present at the search in the President's office. Through interrogation, Kim finds out that a KCIA agent has acted without orders from him. He sends an agent, Ham Dae-yong, to Paris to further investigate the situation.

In Paris, through means of wiretapping, Ham discovers that the KCIA agent was not acting on his own, but rather under orders from Kwak. Through this, it is discovered that Kwak has ordered the assassination of ex-Director Park, who will be visiting Paris. It is during this time that President Park gives Director Kim the freedom to do what he wishes with the ex-Director. Kim, not to be outdone by Kwak, resolves to have Park Yong-gak killed.

In Paris, two different teams both with the aim of assassinating ex-Director Park prepare to kill him. Kwak's team seeks to lure Park into his room, while Kim's team seeks to kidnap him and then kill him. With the help of Park Yong-gak's aide, Deborah Shim, who is used as bait, Director Kim's team is able to nab ex-Director Park first, driving him out of Paris. However, Park is able to momentarily escape to a nearby town but is tracked down by Ham, who promptly kills him and disposes of his body.

Park is displeased with Kim's handling, however, noting that Kim didn't solve the problem of apparently stolen finances that were procured by Park Yong-gak. Kim's friendship with President Park deteriorates further as a result and Park begins distrusting Kim. Kim, who is deeply torn by the killing, as the ex-Director was his friend, begins to break down under stress.

Sometime after the killing of ex-Director Park, President Park and his administration are faced with a new issue in the form of pro-democracy protests in Busan and Masan, as well as fears that these protests could spread to Seoul. Kwak takes a hardline stance, advising harsh and swift military intervention, and declaration of martial law. Kim suggests a more levelhanded approach and urges Park to avoid declaring martial law. Park, favoring Kwak, proceeds with a declaration of martial law.

Following this, Kim is told that Park is holding a banquet but has not invited him, but rather Kwak. Kim goes anyway to eavesdrop on Park and Kwak and learns that Park is considering replacing Kim. Yet again, Park gives a subordinate clearance to do what they wish, the subordinate this time being Kwak.

On October 26, Park is doing a day of ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Kim attempts to join him and Kwak at the helicopter, but Kwak bars him from joining. Riled, Kim calls his subordinates with the intent of planning something. That night, Park invites Kim to dinner. It's intended to be an apology of sorts, but Kim is unmoved.
 
During the dinner, Kim leaves to get a pistol and meets with his subordinates, and tells them that he will kill Park. Upon returning to the room, the conversation becomes heated. It culminates in Kim shooting and wounding Kwak in the arm. He then turns on Park and shoots him too. As this happens, Kim's subordinates organize a coordinated attack on the compound where the dinner is being held and kill the remaining bodyguards. Kim attempts to finish Kwak, but the pistol jams and he is forced to leave the room in order to get another gun from an agent. He returns to the room, shooting and killing Kwak and killing Park with a shot to the head.

Kim quickly leaves with his subordinates and the notables present at the compound during the attack. He is given the choice between going to Namsan or the Army Headquarters. The Chief Presidential Secretary, bearing witness to the assassination, suggests that he go to the Army Headquarters. Kim considers this as the screen fades to black. The movie ends with a text saying that Kim chose to drive to the Army Headquarters, where he was caught.

Cast
 Lee Sung-min as President Park: based on Park Chung Hee, the 3rd President of South Korea and father to Park Geun-hye, the 11th President of South Korea
 Lee Byung-hun as Kim Gyu-pyeong: the fictional lead character based on Kim Jae-gyu, who served as the 8th KCIA director from 1976 to 1979
 Kwak Do-won as Park Yong-gak: the character based on Kim Hyong-uk, who served as the 4th KCIA director from 1963 to 1969 
 Lee Hee-joon as Kwak Sang-cheon: the character based on , who served as the 3rd director of the Presidential Security Service
 Kim So-jin as Debora Shim, a lobbyist 
 Seo Hyun-woo as Chun Doo-hyuk: the character based on Chun Doo-hwan, the 10th KCIA director and the chief of the Defence Security Command, who later became the 5th President of South Korea
 Park Ji-il as Kim Gye-hoon : the character based on , the 5th KCIA director, who served as the 18th Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Army
 Kim Min-Sang as Jang Seung-ho : the character based on Jeong Seung-hwa, who served as the 22nd Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Army
 Park Seong-geun as Kang Chang-soo : the character based on , a KCIA officer and Army colonel 
 Ji Hyun-jun as Ham Dae-yong, a KCIA agent 
 Eric Bernard as the French Henchman

Reception

Critical reception
The Man Standing Next holds  approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on  reviews, with an average of .

Awards and nominations

See also
 List of submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
 List of South Korean submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

References

External links 
 
 

2020 films
2020s political thriller films
2020s Korean-language films
South Korean political films
South Korean films based on actual events
Films set in 1979
Films set in the 1970s
Films set in Seoul
Films set in Paris
Films set in Washington, D.C.
Films shot in Seoul
Films about coups d'état
Films about intelligence agencies
《남산의 부장들》은 10·26 사건을 모티브로 2020년 1월 22일에 개봉한 대한민국의 영화이다.

기타 
영화에서 군복입은 전두환이 청와대 금고의 돈을 다루는 장면이 나오는데, 합동수사 본부장이 재임시에 청와대에서 발견된 돈을 자기 마음대로 집행하였다는 지적과 관련된 사한이다.

캐스팅 

 이병헌 : 김규평 역(한자 : 金規泙)
 이성민 : 박통 역
 곽도원 : 박용각 역(한자 : 朴勈愨)
 이희준 : 곽상천 역
 김소진 : 데보라 심 역
 서현우 : 전두혁 역
 지현준 : 함대용 역
 박성근 : 강창수 역
 박지일 : 김계훈 역
 이태형 : 유동훈 역
 주석태 : 신익치 역
 이도국 : 의전과장 역
 김승훈 : 임 교수 역
 김민상 : 장승호 역
 이양희 : 김 의원 역
 정미형 : 여가수 역
 조혜주 : 여대생 역
 김명선 : 장 마담 역
 이하영 : 작은마담 역
 전우재 : 중정요원 1 /박용각 대역
 손병욱 : 중정요원 2 역
 윤충 : 경호처장 역
 염석무 : 경호부처장 역
 박현우 : 경호원 1 역
 김태훈 : 경호원 2 역
 최재훈 : 경호원 3 역
 조영규 : 경호원 4 역
 이수광 : 궁정동 안가요원 1 역
 박기만 : 궁정동 안가요원 2 역
 엄지만 : 궁정동 안가요원 3 역
 천명재 : 궁정동 안가요원 4 역
 김낙균 : 궁정동 안가요원 5 역
 김용우 : 궁정동 안가요원 6 역
 천재홍 : 청와대 비서관 1 역
 김지나 : 청와대 비서관 2 역
 이태호 : 청문회 통역사 역
 정종우 : 박부장 경호원 1 역
 윤기창 : 박부장 경호원 2 역
 손인용 : 궁정동 집사 역
 박소윤 : 현해탄상사 여직원 역
 이영용 : 침술원 한의사 역
 김성철 : 이발사 역
 장은채 : 화동소녀 역
 유정호 : 어둠속 남자 역
 정문용 : 택시기사 역
 신하준 : 선두경호차 운전수 역
 이승진 : 후미경호차 운전수 역
 제리 렉터 : 주한미국대사 역
 리 레오나드 : 존슨의원 역
 스티브 크라머 : 청문회 위원장 역
 마이클 존 데이비드 : 청문회 위원 1 역
 데이빗 파이프 : 청문회 위원 2 역
 파울 배틀 : 청문회 위원 3 역
 제이미 호런 : 미군부대 의사 역
 카림 벨카드라 : 프랑스 갱스터 1 역
 에릭 베르나드 : 프랑스 갱스터 2 역
 아이멘 데리아치 : 프랑스 갱스터 3 역
 정원석 : 보안사 도청팀 역
 오진석 : 보안사 도청팀 역
 남승화 : 보안사 도청팀 역
 유대식 : 보안사 도청팀 역
 장의돈 : 보안사 도청팀 역
 구윤회 : 보안사 도청팀 역
 양재훈 : 보안사 도청팀 역
 김동환 : 혁명파티 군장성 역
 이광식 : 혁명파티 군장성 역
 김병남 : 혁명파티 군장성 역
 오대환 : 혁명파티 군장성 역
 이충훈 : 혁명파티 군장성 역
 이병관 : 혁명파티 군장성 역
 김지성 : 혁명파티 군장성 역
 박하균 : 혁명파티 군장성 역
 이상철 : 혁명파티 군장성 역
 김홍파 : 윤태호 역 (특별출연)

수상 목록 
 2020년 제56회 백상예술대상 영화부문 남자최우수연기상 (이병헌)
 2020년 제56회 백상예술대상 영화부문 예술상 (김서희)
 2020년 제25회 춘사영화제 남우조연상 (이성민)
 2020년 제25회 춘사영화제 남우주연상 (이병헌)
 2020년 제22회 우디네 극동 영화제 한국영화부문
 2020년 제40회 한국영화평론가협회상 남우주연상 (이병헌)
 2020년 제40회 한국영화평론가협회상 최우수 작품상 ((주) 하이브미디어코프, (주)젬스톤픽처스)
 2020년 제40회 한국영화평론가협회상 영평 10선
 2021년 제41회 청룡영화상 최우수 작품상 ((주) 하이브미디어코프, (주)젬스톤픽처스)

같이 보기 
 2020년 대한민국의 영화 목록

각주

외부 링크 
 
 
 

2020년 영화
한국어 영화 작품
대한민국의 드라마 영화
정보기관을 소재로 한 영화
대한민국 국가정보원을 소재로 한 작품
쿠데타를 소재로 한 영화
우민호 감독 영화
쇼박스 영화