[Movie 2015] INSIDE MEN 내부자들 - Lee Byung Hun, Jo Seung Woo, Baek Yoon Sik

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November 17, 2015

‘Inside Men’ Opens Itself to the VIPs

Source: BNTNews

[by Woorim Ahn, photo by Hwang Ji Eun] Movie ‘Inside Men’ held its VIP premiere at Megabox COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on November 16. 

The film is a criminal drama containing the insiders in Korean society’s friendship and betrayal. It was originated from web cartoon ‘Inside Men’ by Yoon Tae Ho who wrote ‘Misaeng’ and ‘Moss’. Lee Byung Hun, Cho Seung Woo, Baek Yoon Shik, Lee Kyung Young and others appear in it. 

Meanwhile, ‘Inside Men’ will premiere on November 19. (photo by bntnews DB)

Photo credit: zn0802

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Clip credit: boodl.jun (check out more clips at this instagram)

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Published on November 16, 2015 by stardailynews

Published on November 16, 2015 by thefact

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Published on November 16, 2015 by StarSeoulTV

Published on November 16, 2015 by D ace

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Source: KoBiz

 

 

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Published on November 17, 2015 by 20gyuri

 

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Thanks to the fan-highlight and sharing at LBH DC Gallery

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Published on November 16, 2015 by 민병석

Inside Men Highlight Video

 

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November 17, 2015

[Interview] No misunderstandings before conversing: Jo Seung-woo

Source: ISplus via Hancinema,net

There's a lot of talk about Jo Seung-woo.

There are rumors that he is sharp, he's bad-tempered, he hates side scripts and that he doesn't do musicals unless he's paid a lot. Most of them are exaggerated or just plain rumors. He's not frequently published in media and it's hard to see him anywhere besides musicals and movies so he hasn't really had a chance to explain himself. Of course, there was no need to.

He agreed to do an interview for his leading movie "Inside Men" and he spoke honestly. Never judge a book by its cover. His first greeting already gave the impression that he was a warm guy. Reactions to his refusing and accepting to star in the movie "Inside Men" were, 'how picky is he?' but there was another reason behind that.

"I've always wanted to work with Lee Byung-hun, but I refused the movie because I wasn't confident. I thought there would be another chance to work with him so I hesitated. Also, I didn't think I was suitable for the role of investigator Woo Jang-hoon. However, the director kept asking for me and those around me kept asking me why I won't do it. I wondered what I'd done wrong and I also wondered if I didn't have an eye for things anymore". Despite sensitive questions, Jo Seung-woo didn't once frown at them and smiled. He then asked, "Was I bad tempered before (laughs)?"

- What weren't you so sure about in the beginning about "Inside Men"?

Jo Seung-woo: "I didn't think I suited the role of Woo Jang-hoon. The movie is about social corruption, a man who dreams of a presidential election, a man of wealth supporting him and political gangsters who are tangled here. I didn't really feel anything new about it. Subjects like them have been delt with before in movies and I didn't see a difference. So I asked the producer what was new about it. It wasn't new to me. Then I thought about why I denied the movie and realized that our society wouldn't want to admit that there was a dark side to it. I guess I felt pressured reading it in text".

- This movie is based on a web-toon by Yoon Tae-ho but Woo Jang-hoon is actually not in the original.

"So I wondered how I should do this. There was no role model for me to copy from so I had to create a target. I decided to simplify the character. This character was a policeman before he became an investigator because he didn't want to be looked down upon by those who graduated the police academy. However, he knows that the reality is bigger even after he becomes an investigator and justice needs more. So, he allies with political gangster Ahn Sang-goo (Lee Byung-hun)".

- How was working with Lee Byung-hun?

"When he acts, he doesn't calculate. We didn't really 'work' together. We've had our mess-ups but we made it up with adlibs. We did that because we didn't want to waste time but I guess the producer thought the lines were good for the movie. I realized Lee Byung-hun is a very detailed actor".

"I learned a lot from him. I guess I can say I didn't do much this time. Just like "The War Of Flower". I wondered what I had done and reviews even said 'there's little existence of Jo Seung-woo'. Even I think I don't stand out because there were so many good actors. I usually got energy from them and returned it now that I see it. I just blended along. There isn't a scene where I actually used a lot of my own energy in".

- Why did you want to work with Lee Byung-hun?

"He's been on TV since we were younger. I watched his dramas with my family and my mother used to say he has a nice smile. So that's why I wanted to work with him".

- What was your first impression of Lee Byung-hun?

"I've watched many dramas and movies of his since I was young. I was impressed at his Hollywood performance. I used to think he was not just a super star but a superstar. He also looked rich and I thought he would have a couple of buildings in Gangnam. Then after I worked with him, I realized that he's such a fool for the movie. He's always in his script and watches a lot of movies at home on the big screen. He asked me if I watched certain movies but they were all movies that weren't even out in Korea yet. He asked me why I don't watch many movies without realizing that they weren't even out yet. He loves movies and he's quite simple".

- Have you become close with Lee Byung-hun after this?

"I've been to his house and his wife made dinner for me. We talked about movies and even had drinks. We compared each others' heights too the last time I went there. He was slightly taller than me. I am 173.3 cm but he's about 175~176 cm".

- You revealed your bottoms in most movies and this time too.

"Only my bottoms? Mostly everything. Only my upper body was shown. I was wearing my underwear during the making. It was embarrassing in front of the actresses too. But I couldn't say it out loud because there were seniors like Lee Kyeong-seon and Baek Yoon-sik. If that's what the movie needs, then I'll do it".

- Jo Seung-woo meant a sharp edge in the past. But now you seem affordable and milder.

"Was I? I haven't had an interview like this in a while. Every year is different for me. I've heard rumors that I am a playboy and that I hunt down rookie actresses and I wondered why I should be hearing this. I didn't do anything wrong. I asked someone for advice and that person said, "That's because you are so appealing". So I got over it".

- Did going to the military change your personality?

"I'm sure that has something to do with it. I lived a corporate life and built my patience while meeting various people and saw things I didn't see before".

- There was the gallery issue.

"I don't want to talk about it again but I guess that's because I stepped over a line. There have been many misunderstandings about that issue. Media misprinted my intentions for one thing. What I meant to say was: it's fine saying bad things about me, but I didn't want the media to say bad things about those around me. If anyone was on my side, I hoped they would stick behind the lines. It's not right that those around me should be treated that way".

- There was a lot of talk about getting paid a high amount in the world of performances.

"I did get paid a lot but not because I asked for it. I never drew a certain amount. They paid me what they could and I accepted without excuse"

- Do you have plans to get married?

"I want to meet someone who I gives me the tingles. I have met someone like that before. She was an ordinary woman walking on the street so I asked her for her number and we dated for a while. I want to get married with someone sometime. But then again, I debuted at the age of 20 and never took a day off. I haven't been on a proper vacation yet. National Service was my only break. I don't have memories from my 20s so I want to do something that will remain with me now before I get married though. I might have to get married after I'm 40".

- You seem to be more focused on musicals than movies lately.

"I am not trying to keep a balance. There will come a time when I won't be able to play certain roles when I get older. I have things I want to do when I can. It's not that I'm more focused on something else. I filmed "The Assassination" when I was fully booked".

- Have you decided what to do next?

"Still working on it. I got the script for "God's Gift - 14 Days" pretty early and I even had 4 hours to sleep every day. I could do something like that again".

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Photo credit: hoseonpark_cinemaplus

Movies opening this week: 'INSIDE MEN' A MUST SEE!

YTN feat. INSIDE MEN: LBH-JSW Showdown, watch the clip HERE 

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Haven't found any English update on this but several Korean media updates stated that 'Inside Men' opens at number 1 with the highest ticket booking rank (Google -translate)

November 18, 2015

'Inside Men' Opens at Number 1

Source: Issues & News

1. Inside Men 
2. Hunger Games: The Final 
3. The Priests
4. Spectre 
5. The Chef 
6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 
7. Buena Vista Social Club 
8. The iDOLM@STER Movie
9. Bridge of Spies
10. We Are Your Friends

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November 18, 2015

'Inside Men' on CGV Star Live Messenger Event

Photo credit: cy_movie

Photo credit: the_coffee_

Photo credit: eugenia_jun

 

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Photo credit: rachel_y_k

Photo credit: minnnikim

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Source: OSEN

Clip credit: vahela

Clip credit: 1nonly0

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Published on November 18, 2015 by K STAR 한류스타 리포트 & 생방송 스타뉴스

'INSIDE MEN' VIP Premiere

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November 18, 2015

Lee Byung-hun, Jo Seung-woo and Baek Yoon-sik in "Inside Men", the movie of their lives

Source: OSEN via Hancinema.net

It looks like Lee Byung-hun, Jo Seung-woo and Baek Yoon-sik are going to experience the movie of their lives.

"The Inside Men" is being anticipated by fans all over the country as they want to see the three actors as their characters as soon as possible.

Jo Seung-woo and Baek Yoon-sik are back with some passionate performances let alone Lee Byung-hun himself.

Lee Byung-hun takes on the character of Ahn Sang-gu, a political gangster. He used to be allies with powerful Lee Kang-hee (Baek Yoon-sik) and did the dirty work for Chaebols, politicians and other authorities. However, he loses it all one day by scheming for something more and becomes a loser. He goes over the humiliation he's been through and plans revenge.

This is the most extreme transformation Lee Byung-hun has gone for a character and it rewrites his filmography as he shows various faces behind the man who has fallen to the ground.

Not only that, Jo Seung-woo plays an investigator named Woo Jang-hoon. He was a former policeman with strong will. Jo Seung-woo dramatically portrays this character and proves his reputation by giving it his all.

Like a tiger, like a cat there is a character named Lee Kang-hee who watches them from behind. This is played by Baek Yoon-sik.

Lee Kang-hee makes authority through writing. He is an editor in chief who makes witty remarks to create a structure of authority not visible to others and manipulates them. He is the example of the saying, "The pen is mightier than the sword". Baek Yoon-sik's unique charisma allowed him to pull this character off. His eyes say they know everything but they pretend not to when the situation requires it.

Meanwhile, "The Inside Men" is based on an unfinished web-toon and the official release date is the 19th.

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These numbers are for Nov 18, from KoBiz. Not really at the number 1 spot (yet) at the Korean box office but it's really ok because today is not the official opening day, brought forward a day earlier due to big demand. Just looking at the screen numbers compared to the movie at number 1, Inside Men is really doing great.

Wishing all the best, INSIDE MEN Fighting!

Source: KoBiz

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A thorough and good review by Korea Herald 

November 19, 2015

‘Inside Men’ is darkness everywhere

“Inside Men” is a scathing, absorbing work about the dirty tricks that manipulate public opinion and power in Korean society.

That might seem like nothing new. This year, the Korean box office has seen its fair share of movies discussing the corruption and collusion rampant in Korean society. 

But “Inside Men” is different because there is no good guy to root for. There is no justice-seeking lawyer as in “The Unfair” or righteous cop like in “Veteran.” Politician, prosecutor, columnist and mobster are all out for their own skins, gleefully flaunting their disregard for the rules and the idea of loyalty.

Cho Seung-woo (left) and Lee Byung-hun in “Inside Men” (Showbox)

Based on the eponymous unfinished webtoon by Yoon Tae-ho, who also wrote “Moss” (which became a film in 2010) and “Misaeng” (adapted as a TV drama last year), the film takes the audience down a seemingly inescapable rabbit hole of immorality without cutting corners. The scenes are sexually and violently explicit, with secret meetings and decadent parties shrouded in sinister darkness by award-winning cinematographer Ko Rak-seon (“The Fatal Encounter,” “The Face Reader”). 

Luckily, director Woo Min-ho does a good job of taking Yoon’s unfinished series and pulling the characters together into a coherent storyline of betrayal and revenge. The fast-paced second half of the movie, decorated with a half-expected yet still surprising twist, plucks the audience out from their collective horror and brings them back into the comfort zone of a commercial thriller.

Baek Yoon-sik in “Inside Men” (Showbox)

“The film is very different from the cartoon,” Woo admitted at a press conference before the film’s release. “The original cartoon was very strong, and I tried to keep that strength in my plot.” 

“While the cartoon focused on the corrupt systems existing in Korea, the film focused on the intense competition between the characters themselves,” he said. 

And it is the characters that carry the movie, thanks to an expertly cast ensemble. Baek Yoon-sik plays kingmaker columnist Lee Gang-hui, who writes influential articles that sway public opinion to fit his needs. The prolific Lee Gyoung-young depicts politician Jang Pil-woo, a presidential favorite who widens his network with unsavory favors. 

Cho Seung-woo plays prosecutor Woo Jang-hun, who is determined to rise through the ranks despite his humble background, and Lee Byung-hun stars as Ahn Sang-gu, a thug fixer that does the bidding of powerful people with deep pockets.

Lee Byung-hun in ”Inside Men“ (Showbox)

All four actors give stellar performances, but it is Lee Byung-hun who shines through -- so much that even the unforgiving Korean online crowd has praised his acting in early reviews despite recent personal scandals that had made him a public enemy. 

“I don’t like Lee as a person, but as an actor, he’s the best,” reads one comment. 

“In the end, Lee Byung-hun is Lee Byung-hun,” reads another.

From his carefully tailored looks to the way he eats ramen and the jokes he ad-libbed onscreen, Lee’s character leaves the strongest impression, while also providing comic relief. Speaking to reporters, Lee said that he put a lot of thought into creating the character.

“When I first got the script, Sang-gu was a very different person. He was more heavy and mobster-like than humorous. I thought the script was great, but I felt that the fast pace of the film didn’t give the audience any time to breathe,” he said.

Cho Seung-woo in ”Inside Men“ (Showbox)

“I wanted to create a character and situations that provided those breaks, and the director gave me permission to take it in a more humorous direction.”

That humorous touch was the cherry on top for “Inside Men,” which successfully merged the deep, socially conscious message of cartoonist Yoon Tae-ho with the commercial movie style of Woo Min-ho. Even with all its darkness, “Inside Men” is an entertaining ride.

“Inside Men” opened Thursday.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)

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@rubie thank you so much for all the articles, photos and videos. I am thrilled at the good reviews and positive remarks.

I see showbox advertising the film quite a bit.  Here is their recent photos they updated - aprox. 45 min ago. (on their FB page)

 

"1위로 쭉 가자고, 화끈하"
전 예매사이트 독보적 1위 기록!

‪#‎내부자들‬ ‪#‎이병헌‬ ‪#‎조승우‬ ‪#‎백윤식‬
‪#‎배우들도_1위라서_좋은가봉가‬

 

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November 20, 2015

Cho steps up in ‘Inside Men’

After focusing mostly on musicals, actor is back on the big screen

Source: INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

Prudent yet daring.

Actor Cho Seung-woo boasted these seemingly contradictory traits when the Korea JoongAng Daily met him at a recent roundtable interview about the upcoming movie “Inside Men.”

As proof of his 16 years of experience working in films, dramas and musicals, the 36-year-old was confident and relaxed throughout, refusing to hesitate even a second in answering the questions thrown at him. 

“This is the first film that I ever listened to other people’s opinion when deciding to participate in a project,” Cho said by way of explaining how he became part of “Inside Men.”

It was initially reported that Cho declined the offer from director Woo Min-ho as many as three times. 

“I was very unaware of the occupation of a prosecutor, which is my character’s job. Moreover, I needed to exchange strong energy between Baek Yoon-sik and Lee Byung-hun very smoothly, but I wasn’t sure if I could do that,” he said. 

Cho Seung-woo plays the bull-headed prosecutor Jang-hoon,

who fights hard to climb the social ladder but fails every time due to his humble background.

“Inside Men,” based on Yoon Tae-ho’s ongoing webtoon of the same name, is an intense crime drama that reveals the seedy underbelly of the political, financial and the media worlds and how they collaborate to be more corrupt. 

Baek Yoon-sik plays the chief editorial writer at a major conservative newspaper company, who is influential enough to make a not-so-popular politician into the next presidental candidate (Lee Gyoung-young). 

Lee Byung-hun plays a political hoodlum, Ahn Sang-gu, who devastatingly gets betrayed by the people he trusts.

Meanwhile, Cho’s character Woo Jang-hoon is a strong-willed prosecutor, who is ambitious to climb up the social ladder but fails every time because of his humble background. 

“Woo Jang-hoon needed to have guts and also be spiteful because he is, too, one of the victims of corrupt society,” Cho said. “I think director Woo’s first impression of me was a mean, obstinate and a bit of a crazy person, which is why he insisted on my taking the role.”

Another factor that made him hesitant about the project was its all-too-familiar topic: corruption.

“An ambitious politician involved in corruption and a prosecutor chasing after was a premise that I have seen so many times in other films and dramas. At first, I didn’t know what was so fresh and special about this movie,” Cho said.

Perhaps that is why he has stayed away from the film scene for several years. 

“After coming back from military service, I have been focusing more on musicals,” he said. “The main reason for that was because there was no fresh material in the film business. Maybe it is the problem of all types of art, but I felt that the scripts offered to me were just generic versions of successful Hollywood films.”

When asked why he finally chose to star in the movie, Cho replied that “screenplay is not everything.”

“Although the topic itself has been presented several times, I realized that it becomes a totally different living thing when paired with different direction, setting and postproduction process,” Cho said.

It is his first time working with Baek in nine years since “Tazza: The High Rollers” (2006). However, it was his first ever to work with Lee, whom he has admired for a very long time.

“I remember watching TV with my mom and being impressed at how Lee acts,” he explained. “He was mischievous and serious at the same time and his characters were never the same as the one before. During filming, he was very detailed about acting and had so many ideas about his character too.”

But rather than being intimidated by him, Cho’s admiration for the older actor propelled him to work harder. 

“I approached him first, trying to feel comfortable around him because on-screen, my character had to play around with Ahn [Lee]. Lee was, at first, kind of thrown off by my attitude, but eventually he got used to it and now I go to his house often for a drink or dinner.”

The film opened nationwide on Thursday, but even after the promotional tour wraps up, Cho is planning to stay busy by taking to stage for the musical “Werther,” which is celebrating its 15th anniversary and scheduled to run through January. 

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]