[Movie 2020] The Man Standing Next 남산의 부장들

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 W Korea February 2020

 

The Men In A Secret Room

Lee Byung Hun, Kwak Do Won, Lee Hee Jun

 

The rumors about THE CHIEFS OF NAMSAN opening on the 22nd are serious. Before the assassination of the president in 1979, the three main characters of this cherished movie, following the 40-day period, met in a secret room prepared by W. You can check out the February issue of the story and the force-filled pictorials told by actors Lee Byung-hun, Kwak Do-won and Lee Hee-jun.

 

 

 

 

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Clip: Showbox via AlatusDeus

Photos: W Korea

 

 

 

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The Man Standing Next - Character Trailer

 

Published on•January 18, 2020 by HanCinema

 

 

 

Published on January 20, 2020 by YTN KOREAN

 

 

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January 20, 2020

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT:  VIP Premiere

 

Published on January 20, 2020 by 연예천재 // Vstar

 

 

Fan-greeting red carpet clip by kyonu

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Published on January 20, 2020 by STARNEWS KOREA

 

 

Photos: News1 // Sports Chosun

 

 

 

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Good to see that this time the customary celebrity photo session being held at the VIP Premiere (unlike the current trend of private screenings) as we get to see who came to watch the screening and support the movie. Another plus point for Showbox, along with the interview by the Korean Englishmen. 

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT: VIP Premiere Red Carpet Clips

 

Published on January 20, 2020 by Movie-bee // MYDAILY // OSEN TV // Vstar

 

 

 

 

 Some of the celebrity friends watching THE MAN STANDING NEXT tonight. Please let me know in case names are missing or wrongly spelled. Thank you.

 

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Ahn So Hee
Choi Hee
Han Ji Min

Im Na Young
Jeon Yeo Bin

Jin A Reum
Joo Seok Tae
Jung Ji Hoon
Jung Seong Ah
Ki Do Hun
Kim Da Som
Kim Min Jong
Kim Min Jung
Kim So Hyun
Kim Tae Gyun
Kim Yong Ji
Kim Yoon Seo
Ko Sung Hee
Lee El
Lee Hyun Yi
Lee Jung Hyun
Lee Min Jung
Lee Sung Woo
Ong Seung Woo
Park Ah In

Park Sang Geun
Ryu Soo Young 
Yoo Yeon Seok

 

[rubie]

January 21, 2020

 

Political film, comedies set to compete at holiday box office

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- For the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday starting later this week, three homegrown movies will hit local theaters to lure film buffs and holiday shoppers.

 

"The Man Standing Next," "Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP" and "Hitman: Agent Jun" will open simultaneously on Wednesday, two days before the four-day Lunar New Year holiday begins. The first day of the new year based on the lunar calendar falls on Jan. 25.

 

A scene from "The Man Standing Next" provided by Showbox (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Based on a local bestselling nonfiction book, "The Man" is a political movie that unfolds a hidden story of power struggles among second-in-command characters before the assassination of President Park Chung-hee in 1979.

 

Kim Gyu-pyeong, played by Lee Byung-hun, chief of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), is considered No. 2 in Park's 18-year-old regime, but he feels anxious about the dictator's growing inclination to his rival. The film closely tracks how Gyu-pyeong pulls the trigger on the president during the last 40 days of the dictatorship in a descriptive rendering of the emotions of the character.

 

"The Man" is in the spotlight as it marks the anticipated reunion of director Woo Min-ho and actor Lee four years after the success of "Inside Men." The 2016 crime movie sold more than 7 million tickets at the South Korean box office.

 

A scene from "Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP" by Megabox Plus M (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

Directed by Kim Tae-yoon, "Mr. Zoo," a comedy that stars animals, is targeting teens and families for the family-gathering holiday season.

 

Joo Tae-joo (Lee Sung-min) is a spy agent who meets with an accident while carrying out an assignment to guard a VIP, a Chinese panda. After the accident, he can hear and understand animals and tries to find the missing VIP with the help of a military dog.

 

Stars including Lee Sun-kyun and Lee Jung-eun of "Parasite" lend their voices to the movie.

 

A scene from "Hitman: Agent Jun" by Lotte Entertainment (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

The third movie is "Hitman," starring Kwon Sang-woo, who plays Jun, a spy agent-turned-webtoon writer.

 

Struggling to create a hit cartoon, he posts stories that contain classified material for his former company, the National Intelligence Service (NIS). While his new web series wins popularity, he becomes a target of the NIS and a group of terrorists.

 

"The Man" is highly likely to be the front-runner in the holiday box office race, as its presale tickets reached 96,000 as of 10:40 a.m., accounting for 42.7 percent of all tickets reserved.

 

"Hitman" came next with 35,000 presold tickets, followed by "Mr. Zoo" with 21,000 tickets reserved.

 

brk@yna.co.kr

[rubie]

January 20, 2020

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT Stage Greeting

 

Source: 이은정 @vivalej // hgwt738

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

Source: HanCinema.net

 

Korean Box Office:

Admissions for the Weekend 2020.01.17 - 2020.01.19 
 

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January 21, 2020

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT behind the scene stills

 

Source: extmovie // KoBiz (related excerpt only)

 

With the Lunar New Year holiday hitting this coming Saturday, most of the local releases timed for the holidays are being launched on Wednesday. Showbox’s period political drama The Man Standing Next is poised to claim the top spot, while action-comedy HITMAN: AGENT JUN and crime comedy MR. ZOO: THE MISSING VIP will also be looking to drum up sales.

 

 

 

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Photos: BH Entertainment

 

Lee Hee Jun vs Lee Byung Hun

 

 

Photos: BHEnt Naver Blog

 

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January 20, 2020

 

Animals and Agents Dominate 2020’s 1st Holiday Season

Korean Studios Line Up their Lunar New Year Titles

by Pierce Conran KoBiz

 

Just a few weeks into the 2020s and the first holiday season is already upon us, with the Lunar New Year holidays falling on Saturday, January 25 this year. After ASHFALL (2019), START-UP (2019) and Forbidden Dream (2019) pulled in the crowds through the end-of-year season in late 2019, Korean studios have lined up a fresh batch of titles in the hopes of luring family audiences throughout the holiday period.

 

 

For viewers who have frequented cinemas in Korea over the last few months, there will be several familiar faces, as actors such as LEE Byung-hun (ASHFALL, 2019) and KWON Sang-woo (The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful, 2019) will be back on screens. Meanwhile, LEE Sung-min headlines a pair of this year’s holiday titles and AHN Jae-hong stars in one and has another new film premiering in February (Time to Hunt). There’s also quite a lot of thematic overlap within this batch of Lunar New Year contenders, as two are centered around zoos (SECRET ZOO and MR. ZOO: THE MISSING VIP), while three feature government agents as principal characters (MR. ZOO: THE MISSING VIP, The Man Standing Next and HITMAN: AGENT JUN). 

 

Following last year’s Lunar New Year bonanza, when crime comedy Extreme Job (2019) became the second most successful Korean film of all time with over 16 million admissions, observers are curious to see whether another high concept comedy such as SECRET ZOO may win out, or whether a star-driven historical thriller (The Man Standing Next) will be able to cross the divide and move audiences young and old.

 

The Man Standing Next

 

Director WOO Min-ho
Cast LEE Byung-hun, LEE Sung-min, KWAK Do-won, LEE Hee-jun
Release Date January 22

 

WOO Min-ho and LEE Byung-hun, the director and star combo that catapulted the stylish corruption thriller Inside Men to box office glory in 2015 with over nine million admissions, are back in theaters with The Man Standing Next, a gripping political yarn set in 1979 that chronicles the weeks leading up to the bloody end of President PARK Chung-hee’s administration.

 

Towards the end of President PARK’s (LEE Sung-min) reign, Kim Gyu-pyeong, the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), is tasked with retrieving a tell-all manuscript penned by former KCIA director Park Yong-gak (KWAK Do-won), who is in hiding in Washington D.C., where he is testifying to congress about political malfeasance in Korea. Kim is considered the second-in-command but the increasingly paranoid President is paying more and more heed to the reckless protestations of Kim’s rival, the head of Secret Service (LEE Hee-jun). As tensions in the Blue House escalate and pressure from the outside urging for a new regime intensifies, Kim finds his loyalties pushed to the brink.

 

LEE is coming off a major hit with ASHFALL (2019) and has a strong track record at the box office, however Director WOO missed with his last film, the period crime saga The Drug King (2018) with SONG Kang-ho. The film is also more in tune with the sober, politically-charged dramas such as 1987: When the Day Comes (2017) and The Spy Gone North (2018), which also starred LEE Sung-min, so it may need a very strong critical and audience response to translate into a major hit.

 

Watch clip on MEGABOX

 

Pre-event pre-booked THE MAN STANDING NEXT special flipbook.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Ticket advancement through events: 1 flipbook + 1 original ticket
Original tickets cannot be paid in duplicate.
Tickets of the same design as the original original tickets are offered.

 

Specially-designed tickets

 

Loyalty, shaken allegiance, gunshot of the day

#The best way to remember movies #CHIEFS OF NAMSAN

[rubie]

January 22, 2020

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT at Park Myung Soo's Radio Show

 

Source: Xportsnews

 

 

Source: Showbox

Celebrating the opening of 'The Chiefs of Namsan' today!

January 22, 11:00 AM KBS Cool FM Park Myung Soo's radio show

LeeByungHun x KwakDoWon x LeeHeeJun feat. LeeSungMin via phone

 

 

Photos: gpark_radio

 

 

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The full recording of the radio show feat. TMSN (audio only)

 

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January 22, 2020

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT Exclusive stills released on Opening Day

Captures of highly-matching images of the past

 

Source Lee Byung Hun IG via SBSfune (Google-gist)

 

 

 

[SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye reporter] A set of exclusive photos from the filming site have been released in commemoration of the movie release of THE MAN STANDING NEXT (Chiefs of Namsan) today.

 

Actor Lee Byung Hun have posted two photos of his IG on the 22nd. One photo was taken at the filming set of TMSN which appears to be a rehearsal shot with co-stars Lee Sung Min, Lee Hee Jun, Kwak Do Won and Seo Hyun Woo.

The appearances of Lee Byung Hun, Lee Hee Jun, and Kwak Do Won surrounding Lee Sung Min in the role of 'President Park' reminded us of the characters Kim Jae Gyu, Park Chung Hee, Kim Hyung Wook, and Cha Ji Chul. In particular, Lee Sung Min, who recreated Park Chung Hee's appearance & persona through a special makeup, is especially eye-catching.

Another photo was a smart monochrome image of actors in military uniform that been taken in the waiting room and not the filming location. All the actors shown smiling brightly at the camera.

 

The Chiefs of Namsan (Director Woo Min Ho) set released in 1979 is a film about the 40 days before the assassination of the South Korean president by his second-in-power, played by Lee Byung Hun.

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http://timelesslbh.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/cute_chick.gifC O N G R A T U L A T I O N S 

 

2020.01.22 THE MAN STANDING NEXT at Number 1 Korean Box Office with 257K Audience Admission!

 

The three new Korean movies released today occupied the three top spots at the box office. There's a lot of positive & good THE MAN STANDING NEXT reviews on IG. Some of the remarks, "though slow, the movie is not boring" "Lee Byung Hun's acting is crazy, Lee Sung Min's acting is creepy (good)".. acting by the actors are amazingly real and even though everyone knows the story, they still feel nervous watching the movie especially towards the end. A lot of comments also saying that they appreciate the democracy in the country even more and if the assassination did not happen, a lot of people would have died..

 

Source: KoBiz

 

Source: nupchis

 

Acting masterpiece!

 

 

Spoiler

 

Source: move_it.move_it
 

Chiefs of Namsan
Director Woo Min-ho in black and white history
One room on the chest with its own color
Forget the Drug King

 

Two bullets that were loaded and intended

 

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Published on January 22, 2020 by 영니야놀자 // 구찬성

 

2020.01.22 THE MAN STANDING NEXT Stage Greet

 

 

 

Source: SHOWBOX

 

' THE MAN STANDING NEXT GV LIVE

 

Coming soon    Today 8:00 PM

 

Watch the streaming HERE http://timelesslbh.wordpress.com/files/2009/07/176.gif

 

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January 23, 2020

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT at Stage Greet 01/23

 

Source: SHOWBOX // dlqudgjsvksek

 

 

THE MAN STANDING NEXT GV Live with Kim Gu Ra

 

Photo: Xportsnews

 

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 Almost 600K

 

2020.01.23 THE MAN STANDING NEXT at Number 1 Korean Box Office with 592K Admission! 

 

Source: KoBiz

 

January 24, 2020

 

Lunar New Year movie battle begins 

By Yoon So-yeon INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

 

“The Man Standing Next” started strong ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, beating its rivals “Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP” and “Hitman: Agent Jun,” which opened simultaneously on Wednesday at the local box office.

 

 

According to the Korean Film Council, “The Man,” directed by Woo Min-ho, took the No. 1 spot with 252,114 tickets sold on Wednesday, taking up 56.1 percent of all moviegoers in the country that day.

 

The film revolves around the assassination of Park Chung Hee, featuring actors Lee Byung-hun, Lee Sung-min and Kwak Do-won.

 

Coming in at second was comedy action flick “Hitman,” featuring actor Kwon Sang-woo, with 81,351 tickets sold.

 

“Mr. Zoo” followed in the third spot with 45,094 tickets sold. The movie also features actor Lee Sung-min who plays a former intelligence agent who one day gains the ability to communicate with animals.

 

The three movies are expected to compete over the four-day national holiday that begins today and ends on Monday.

 

Source: Showbox

 

 

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Source: Naver Movie 

 

Audience Rating: 

 

Media / Critic Rating: 

 

 Review: koo_boo_koo_boo (disclaimer: Google translate)

 

There was an afterimage of actor Lee Byung Hun in the movie 'Baekdusan (2019)', and yet two months after he delivers another different image that THE MAN STANDING NEXT presents.
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The story is about 40 days of the president's assassination in 1979, including Kim Jae-kyu and Kim Hyung-uk's assassination. Although there were controversies such as political controversy and reinterpretation of history, it is always a good idea to see a film as a film, and it is a true story.
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This movie has a lot of laughs, no gag code and very serious. With 114 minutes of running time, you can feel bored than the fun factor for about 2 hours, but the movie is very light. It feels like you haven't burned any calorie. Perhaps the reason for this is that there are so many connections that focus on the story, but the biggest reason seems to be the actors' acting skills.
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Actor Lee Byung Hun's expressionlessness, gestures, voice, and other acting skills made it so great to focus on the characters rather than the background on a large screen. In particular, the acting, such as expressing inner change and feelings, can only done by him.
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And the actor Lee Sung Min, who appeared in today's release of 'Mr. Zoo: The Lost VIP (2020)', seems a good idea to see him in 'The Chiefs of Namsan' first. Became a fan because of the drama 'Incomplete Life' (2014), truly a believable actor.
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The overall feeling of the film is similar to the movie 'The People (2004)' with the true story, and unlike the movie '1987 (2017)', the story seems to flow slowly.
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However, due to actors such as Lee Sung Min, Lee Byung Hun, Kwak Do Won and Lee Hee Jun, it seemed to me that it was not boring because of the immersion due to the acting power.
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I think this movie do not convey any dichotomous feeling that is funny or happy, but it is a movie that made us think about how we live by.

 

 

Review by hostory_  (disclaimer: Google translate)

Although the history is bad, movies that have been historically dramatized are good. Unless there is severe distortion (though the director's supervision is reflected), we can show history to our generation indirectly.

 

Personally, The Chiefs of Namsan' might be another life film
Because it gave us tension without a stimulating scene like the movie 'The Spy Gone North'.

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2 2 L U N A R  N E W  Y E A R  

 

 

Source: Showbox

 

 

January 23, 2020

 

Films to Watch out for over Lunar New Year

 

Source: The ChosunIlbo
 

Many Koreans hit the road to their ancestral hometowns for family reunions and traditional rituals, while other holidaymakers travel overseas over the Lunar New Year.

 

But for those who prefer to spend the holiday on their own instead of being held up on congested roads traveling to their hometowns or being bothered by stressful encounters with relatives, here are a couple of new films that hit local theaters this week, just in time for the Lunar New Year holiday.

 

Arguably the most-anticipated film during the year's first holiday season would be actor Lee Byung-hun's political drama "The Man Standing Next," which was released on Wednesday.

 

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/img_dir/2020/01/23/2020012301586_0.jpg

Based on the historical backdrop of the assassination of former strongman Park Chung-hee in 1979, the film recalls power struggles among spy agency chiefs to unfold a hidden story surrounding the assassination. It deals with somewhat heavy and dense themes that probably appeal mostly to middle-aged male viewers.

 

But there are comedies for those looking for something lighter -- "Hitman: Agent Jun" and "Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP." Actor Kwon Sang-woo's "Hitman: Agent Jun" is about a top intelligence agent who quits his job to become a webtoon writer.

 

Actor Lee Sung-min's "Mr. Zoo: The Missing VIP" is about a man who suddenly gains the ability to talk to animals after an accident. The film features a diverse range of animals such as a dog, panda, tiger, gorilla, parrot, hamster and horse in some fun and comic scenes.

 

Disney's animated film "Spies in Disguise" could be a good choice for a family outing, as it seems funny enough to satisfy all family members. It revolves around a spy who transforms into a pigeon after drinking a mysterious liquid. Will Smith and Tom Holland lend their voices to the film.

 

The film will also please many Korean moviegoers as K-pop girl group TWICE's hit song "Knock Knock" is featured on the soundtrack of the film.

[rubie]

We're thinking it'll be 600K-900K for today but THE MAN STANDING NEXT delivers more than expected.. 1.12 million. Congrats & well done to the Director, cast & team, very well-deserved! http://timelesslbh.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/kaoani_whiteball_01.gif

 

January 24, 2020

 

Lee Byung Hun’s New Film “Chiefs Of Namsan” Surpasses 1 Million Moviegoers

Source: Soompi by C. Hong

 

 

On January 24, the film “Chiefs of Namsan” surpassed 1 million moviegoers at the box office.

 

The film achieved this milestone only three days after its release, proving its popularity during the holiday period (Lunar New Year).

 

“Chiefs of Namsan” stars Lee Byung Hun, Lee Sung Min, Kwak Do Won, and Lee Hee Joon. It tells the story of the Director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) in the period leading up to President Park Chung Hee’s assassination in 1979. It is based on the nonfiction bestseller of the same name.

 

“Chiefs of Namsan’s” accomplishment puts it on equal footing with 2019’s hit film “Extreme Job” and the recently-released “Ashfall,” both of which surpassed 1 million moviegoers in three days. However, “Chiefs of Namsan’s” accomplishment is notable in that it is not a comedy film released during the Lunar New Year period like “Extreme Job.” (It is widely believed that comedy films do better during the Lunar New Year.)

 

Part of the success of “Chiefs of Namsan” is that it has attracted a large audience across various age groups. As it depicts the events of 1979, there are many people in South Korea who still remember the real-life assassination of Park Chung Hee. The film, being rated 15 and up, has also attracted an audience among people who were not alive at the time of the incident but are curious about this part of history.

 

“Chiefs of Namsan” premiered in South Korea on January 22.

 

Source (1) // Showbox

 

Lee Byung Hun was right and the ending was the best!
Vivid reviews from people watching 
⠀
THE CHIEFS OF NAMSAN. THE MAN STANDING NEXT

 

 

[mistymorning]

Rubie, I love your posts esp. W photo and the VIP preview clip! BH looks so good. 

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BoxOffice result is great. Over 1M tickets sold for 3 days since the release.

article src:https://news.maxmovie.com/414150/

 

Since the release, this movie has been 1st spot in the box office. The break-even point for this movie is about 5M, hopefully it'll go over that and possibly even more. 

 

Full GV video on Jan 23rd with Kim Gura. 

 

 

Some points told in this GV. Marked with * is my addition, not from this GV. Any mistake is because I'm scatter brained.

 

1. In the movie, 2 chiefs ( roles by PDW and LBH ) are described as friends. In history, they are more of senior junior relationship from army. It was changed to show similarity between 2. * Adding that there are some changes and fictional choices added to known facts, so this is movie and not documentary. *

 

2. Kim Gura called BH god of acting and asked whether the acting got easier for him. BH got really bashful, and thou he appreciated the compliment, acting is still so hard for him, a challenge to guess about character.

 

3. There are several movie/dramas on this event and period of time. This time LSM and president Park doesn't look so alike. So LSM tried to investigate Park's gestures and such. * Also I heard that they added artificial ears too *

 

4. One of the q asked that there were a lot of scenes where BH pushed his hair back, whether it's intended, adlib, etc. BH said because he was portraying a real person so he researched in to the real scenes left including court scene after the assassination, where KJG was unkempt , messy hair and a bit neurotic. Because he was a soldier and kept very clean look before that, BH tried to pull this image into this movie to describe this character better.

 

5.

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One of the mystery of the history is that KJG went to Korean Army Headquarter  instead of KCIA headquater. He got arrested in the army headquarter and ultimately got death sentence. I guess it was talked about but actually going there wasn't showed in the movie and neither the reason for that decision, because KCIA headquarter is power base for KJG. Q asked why , and Dir and BH said they want to leave mystery as mystery.

 

6. Last Q was the scene where they think the hardest or the most liked. LSM said the scene he liked the most is where he had to hit BH's head with a magazine. This could be dangerous and he was worried and cautious. He was able to hit the right part of BH's forehead and it dropped at the right place in one go, so he was so glad. 

 

WMH liked the scene BH's character sneaking into security house, it was long take ( camera was far ) and can't even see the actor's face but the body, posture and act showed the character's emotional status. LSM said he heard that BH got over the wall in one go, wondered how fit BH is to be able to do it. BH said in reality it was hard so he groaned when he did it, the sound caught by his body mic. WMH actually liked the sound during the monitor. 

 

BH liked the helicopter scene with Gwak(Lee HeeJun). Apparently they laughed a lot and it was fun.

 

PDW liked the last scene where he died. He thought ah, his dying act(with the tip of his foot) was great.