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The Man Standing Next

The Man Standing Next

Drama · Thriller · 2020

When the investigation of 'Koreagate' takes place, Park Yong-gak, a former KCIA director who knows everything about the government's operations, heads to the United States in exile.

Movie details

The Man Standing Next

“Loyalty. Betrayal. Execution.”

2020 Drama · Thriller 1h 54m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

When the investigation of 'Koreagate' takes place, Park Yong-gak, a former KCIA director who knows everything about the government's operations, heads to the United States in exile.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Man Standing Next?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Manchurian Candidate

The Manchurian Candidate

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Detroit

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Backstabbing for Beginners

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An idealistic young employee at the U.N. investigates the grisly murder of his predecessor – and uncovers a vast global conspiracy that may involve his own boss.

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nineteen Eighty-Four

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Winston Smith is a government employee whose job involves the rewriting of history in a manner that casts his fictional country's leaders in a charitable light. His trysts with Julia provide his only measure of enjoyment, but lawmakers frown on the relationship -- and in this closely monitored society, there is no escape from Big Brother.

Hunt

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After a high-ranking North Korean official requests asylum, KCIA Foreign Unit chief Park Pyong-ho and Domestic Unit chief Kim Jung-do are tasked with uncovering a North Korean spy, known as Donglim, who is deeply embedded within their agency. When the spy begins leaking top secret intel that could jeopardize national security, the two units are each assigned to investigate each other.

Cape Fear

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Drama · 2019

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Woo Min-ho

Written by

Lee Ji-min · Woo Min-ho

Lee Byung-hun

Lee Byung-hun

Kim Gyu-pyeong

Lee Sung-min

Lee Sung-min

President Park

Kwak Do-won

Kwak Do-won

Park Yong-gak

Lee Hee-jun

Lee Hee-jun

Kwak Sang-cheon

Kim So-jin

Kim So-jin

Deborah Shim

Seo Hyun-woo

Seo Hyun-woo

Jeon Du-hyeok

Kim Min-sang

Kim Min-sang

Jang Seung-ho

Court is in session

Put The Man Standing Next on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.