Inside Men - Die Rache der Gerechtigkeit

Political thrillers have gone out of fashion in the US - and even in Europe - but fortunately South Korea and Japan still know how to make them. It's a very specific genre. Modern audiences - and this didn't start with Gen Z, but with my generation, the Millennials - have become disinterested in politics and consequently in the genre. The problem with thinking little about politics and losing interest in the subject is that... politics is the society we live in. Politics is the world we live in, and if we don't want to know what's happening there, there's more room for us to be controlled, dominated, and mocked by those at the top.

Inside Men is a fantastic film that shows this lack of scruples to achieve one's goals. It doesn't do anything particularly new. Cinematically, many would say the genre can only give us what we expect without major innovations possible. In part, I can agree, although it presents excellent cinematography, well-choreographed action scenes, and a very well-achieved sound. Nonetheless, not all good cinema has to be visually disruptive. Personally, I love a good political thriller, well-written, with good characters (played by great actors), with moral dilemmas mixed in, showing us the rot of a corrupt system that is nothing more than a reflection of what we all are. Politics, journalism, and gangsters go hand in hand in a dirty, cruel, and unscrupulous world, and for everything to remain as it is, people only need to look the other way.

As for the magnificent performances, I don't even know where to start. Lee Byung-hun is at his best, with layers I didn't expect from this character. Cho Seung-woo is flawless, and Yun-shik Baek is perfect, leaving us with goosebumps from the repugnant way he moves in these corridors of power without his image being tarnished. If Min-ho Woo continues with this style (he also gave us the excellent The Man Standing Next), he may never have the admiration of the younger generations, but I will always be eager for his next project. The world still needs these films. Perhaps - now that the younger ones care little about them - more than ever.

The sound track of this movie is captivating and the acting deliver and sell the story perfectly. Amazing movie.

The story is simple yet riveting, the acting superb and the overall flow is so smooth you don't feel the hours pass. The balance between thriller ingredients and elements of dark humor makes the experience very pleasant. It's a must watch if you like Korean movies!

Note: Check me out as the "Asian Movie Enthusiast" on YouTube, where I review tons of Asian movies.

A former political henchman seeks out revenge for being dropped by a ruthless politician. Meanwhile, a determined investigator tries to nail the politician himself, and a shady newspaper editor manipulates matters behind the scenes. This has a complex story that shifts back and forth in time, with a lot of maneuvering by a fairly large cast of characters, but the script is so cleanly written and presented that it is easy to follow after a brief period of adjustment by the viewer. It will take a bit of time, early on, to figure out which characters are aligned with whom, and how everyone is related. But that slight sense of confusion eventually dissipates and transforms into a totally immersive, entertaining experience because characters are properly developed, with decisions and motives that are fleshed out nicely.

Most of the players here are quite shady, so it's almost like rooting for the lesser of all evils, but it works really well because a few of these characters become more appealing as the film progresses. And that's one of the big positives that can be found in "Inside Men" – there's some multi-dimensionality to enjoy, which makes it easy to root for the protagonists that emerge from the pool of corrupt characters. On the other hand, you will find some of the others to be very dislikeable. The newspaper editor – in particular – is a real snake, and I was rooting against him the entire time.

This is one of those films that gets more gripping and intense as it moves along. It just gets better and better, with the entire final hour being flat-out awesome. There is a lot of dramatic tension that is earned and I was glued to my television screen to see what would happen next. I have seen a few online movie reviewers criticize the film for being conventional, which is true to a degree. It is a crime drama, after all, and it has some similarities to films that came before it. With that said, however, the nuance and complexity that is presented keeps the viewer off balance. I wasn't entirely sure how things were going to play out during the second half of this movie, which helped to keep things fresh.

There are a few recognizable faces here, but the big-man actor is Byung-hun Lee – who I'm sure you've seen elsewhere. He's been in popular Korean films such as "A Bittersweet Life", "The Good, the Bad, the Weird", "I Saw the Devil", and "Masquerade." His performance in "Inside Men" is one of his better outings, in my opinion. He's successful at portraying his character as intimidating, flawed, and endearing all at the same time. This guy is really good actor, but I wish he would stop wasting his time in American movies. I'm sure it's beneficial for him to try to break into Hollywood, but every single time I've seen him in a Hollywood film, he's been wasted. For example, I was looking forward to seeing him play the Terminator in that stupid Genisys movie, but he only had like 5 minutes of screen time. It's ridiculous.

In any case, I definitely recommend "Inside Men", which is one of the better crime dramas of the past decade. I did watch the 3-hour extended cut, which is 50 minutes longer than the theatrical cut. I'm not exactly sure what scenes are included in one but not the other, but I can say that the 3-hour cut is really good. There is a Region 3 DVD available with English subtitles, and that release includes both the theatrical and extended cut.

Excellent film with two of SK's finest actors in the leads, having a great time spinning this crime tour de force. It has some rough scenes, but in the nature of the corrupt world being exposed: ultimately very satisfying closure.