Actor Lee Byung-hun confident with his new film 'The Man Standing Next'

Actor Lee Byung-hun. Korea Times file

Star actor Lee Byung-hun said Thursday that his forthcoming movie "The Man Standing Next" is a stylish film noir about a political dynamite in 1979 that changed the South Korean modern history.

Directed by Woo Min-ho of the 2015 box-office smasher "Inside Men," "The Man" is the film adaptation of a best-selling non-fiction with the same title written by a newspaper reporter, exploring the behind-the-scenes power struggle among high-ranking officers of the national spy agency and the government of strongman President Park.

President Park is the name of the main character in the film modeled after President Park Chung-hee, who ruled the country for 18 years until his assassination in 1979 at the hands of his intelligence chief, Kim Jae-kyu.

The flick focuses on their emotions and intricate relationships during the 40 days before Oct. 26, 1979, the day of the presidential assassination.

"This film is based on the true story, and it is also a film noir that is sophisticatedly designed," Lee said at a press conference in Seoul. "It is about the real event and the characters that have really existed in our history. Audiences will put their feelings into the movie in a very fierce way."

Lee plays Kim Kyoo-pyeong, the incumbent chief of the Korea Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) in 1979, who is known to be the second-in-command after President Park (Lee Sung-min).

As Park's reign of terror continues for almost two decades, Kim has to deal with Park Yong-gak (Kwak Do-won), a former director of the KCIA, who escapes to the United States in a bid to reveal the Park government's secretive operations.

Forty days later, Kim shoots President Park to death and the political landscape tumbles as Park's almost decadeslong dictatorship ends all of a sudden.

The veteran actor who has experienced tens of characters throughout his almost 30-year acting career said it was difficult to portray a historic figure whose records still exist.

"It's kind of emotional distress. I have to be very careful and cautious about everything related to the real event and real people," Lee said. "During the filming, all actors and film crew were concerned about possible historical distortions."

But he emphasized that "The Man" does not focus solely on the political event itself but more on emotional and mental status, and complex, tortuous behind-the-scenes relationships in a short period of time.

"This movie depicts emotions and relationships among those who are deeply related to the historical event, that we cannot find in text," he said. "Other actors and I had to study and read many books, interviews and other materials before and during the filming."

So the eclectic actor tried to refrain from offering emotional ad-libs or jokes but paid more attention to the screenplay.

"I had to stick entirely to the scenario and act as it instructs," he said. "I thought if I call up emotions that is not presented in the scenario, it can be another distortion."

"The Man," set to open in January, is Lee's second film released this winter. The blockbuster disaster movie "Ashfall," starring Lee and Ha Jung-woo, will hit local screens on Dec. 19.

"I'm happy to show two pieces of different genres and tones at the same time," he said. "But I regret that one character may be forgotten too soon. But I'm trying to accept it as positively as I can." (Yonhap)