Does an actor have to be beautiful to hold your attention? No. But it helps. Case in point: Lee Byung-hun. Woo Min-ho's Inside Men may have enough plot twists for a Hallmark mystery miniseries, but the real pleasure comes from seeing the many photo-ready looks of Lee who, despite a detachable prosthetic hand here, is eternally ready for the runway. Part of the time he looks like a retired surfer, his long black hair slicked back like a simulated mullet. Later he looks like he's auditioning for a sequel to the musical Grease. Still other times, all cleaned up with a feathered coif, he's practically walked out of a Thierry Mugler '80s lookbook — broad shoulders included. All this strutting and modeling may sound distracting but to the contrary, the visuals simply add another layer to Woo's political thriller which, for the record, is lavishly shot. And it's not as if Lee can't act!
He's got a time-tested track record to prove it too: Joint Security Area (2000), A Bittersweet Life (2005), I Saw the Devil (2010), The Fortress (2017)... Plus, he's in excellent company with a surrounding cast providing him with rich scene partners, especially Lee El as a glam old flame willing to sacrifice everything (for a price) and Cho Seung-woo as an always suited prosecutor frantically trying to get out of the trenches. One could argue that Inside Men is actually Cho's movie since so much of the screentime is devoted to his aspirational quest. But his life dream's success would be impossible without Lee, and frankly, so would the heart of this movie. Beautiful!
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