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Tense True-life Korean Political Thriller The Man Standing Next – In Virtual Cinemas incl. Curzon Home Cinema 25 June

Tense and gripping, “” is a powerful political thriller from director Woo Min-ho (“The Drug King”) and starring Lee Byung-hun, which charts one of the most shocking incidents in South Korea's turbulent history.

It is 1979, and South Korea has been under the absolute domination of President Park's dictatorship for 18 long years. Kim Gyu-pyeong (Lee Byung-hun), the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), has asserted his loyalty to the president despite having his doubts about the leader's intentions. When the former director of the KCIA flees to America with a time-bomb of government secrets, Kim is sent on a mission to stop the truth in its tracks.
As the government's web of lies continues to be spun, tensions build, alliances crumble, and the once impenetrable leadership must face the fact that all men, no matter how powerful, must die…
The South Korean nomination for the 2021 Academy Awards, “The Man Standing Next” is based on an acclaimed novel and charts the knife-edge political machinations which played out during one of the darkest periods of the country's political history. From director Woo Min-ho (“The Drug King”, “Inside Men”), the cast is lead by international star Lee Byung-hun who has appeared in some of Korea's most influential films since the country's emergence onto the global film scene including “A Bittersweet Life” and “I Saw the Devil”, as well as Hollywood hits including “The Magnificent Seven” and the “G.I. Joe”-franchise. Lee is supported by Lee Sung-min (“The Spy Gone North”), Kwak Do-wan (“The Wailing”) and Kim So-jin (“The King”).

presents “The Man Standing Next” in Virtual Cinemas including Home Cinema 25 June and on Digital Download 5 July.

About the author

Rouven Linnarz

Ever since I watched Takeshi Kitano's "Hana-Bi" for the first time (and many times after that) I have been a cinephile. While much can be said about the technical aspects of film, coming from a small town in Germany, I cherish the notion of art showing its audience something which one does normally avoid, neglect or is unable to see for many different reasons. Often the stories told in films have helped me understand, discover and connect to something new which is a concept I would like to convey in the way I talk and write about films. Thus, I try to include some info on the background of each film as well as a short analysis (without spoilers, of course), an approach which should reflect the context of a work of art no matter what genre, director or cast. In the end, I hope to pass on my joy of watching film and talking about it.

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