30 April 2016 4:01 PM, PDT | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
In “Inside Men,” a smashing political revenge thriller with more double-crossings than “Infernal Affairs,” a prosecutor allies himself with a gangster to topple the corrupt cabal formed by a congressman, a tycoon and a media pundit. South Korean writer-director Woo Min-ho (“The Spies”) has crafted a deliberately paced yarn packed with shrewd political insight and gripping procedural detail. An instant domestic hit, the film enjoyed a second wind when a three-hour director’s cut was released a month later, pushing its B.O. total to about $62.95 million. It should be no outsider to major Asian markets and genre circles.
Though they’ve been a staple in Korean cinema, the last few years have seen a steep rise in political thrillers that lambast unholy alliances between state departments, politicians, chaebols (conglomerates) and the mafia. Comparable with Ryu Seung-wan’s “The Unjust” in its canny grasp of how the country’s venal social hierarchy thrives, »
- Maggie Lee
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