Most Squid Game fans would agree that Lee Byung-hun delivered a stellar performance in his role as Hwang In-ho (the Front Man) in the South Korean dystopian survival thriller. They’re right, of course, because he made audiences sweat without even showing his face for long periods in the series. However, anyone who wants to see where he perfected that “chill to your bones” energy must watch his performance in Master.
This 2016 crime thriller shows Byung-hun doing what he does best, blending charm and menace until you’re not sure whether to fear him or shake his hand. He plays the kind of villain who could probably empty your bank account and still get a thank you for it. Quite simply, watching him in Master is like watching a con artist at the top of his game, and even though there are guns and explosions, this movie is not really about that. Instead, it focuses on pure psychological warfare and the art of the scam, with Lee Byung-hun as its very scary Picasso.
Before the Mask: How ‘Master’ Cemented Lee Byung-hun’s Power Persona
You already know that Lee Byung-hun did most of his best sinister work behind a mask in Squid Game. In Master, however, there’s no physical mask. He hides in plain sight as Jin Hyun-pil, the President of a massive company known as “One Network”. On the surface, he’s the guy you want to trust, the kind of guy who talks about “building dreams,” and you actually believe it. If anything about this whole setup sounds familiar to you, it’s because that’s the same energy he brought to his role as the Front Man in Squid Game. You only need to swap the uniform for a sleek tailored suit to see it.
Overall, his power comes from staying in the shadows in Squid Game, and that same level of influence comes from being charming in Master. Nevertheless, both roles share that unsettling stillness — the sense that he’s always three steps ahead, and you’re just trying to keep up. For instance, one of the most exhilarating scenes in Master shows him on stage, in front of thousands of people. You see that same calm power on display because he’s not yelling and he’s not begging either. Instead, like the Front Man, he sells hope and weaponizes it. By the time the credits roll, you get why people would fall for his act. He doesn’t just play the role, he sells it without stress. It’s unsettling, yes, but it’s impossible to look away.
Watching that scene makes you understand why most critics at the time praised his performance. He did more with gestures — raised eyebrows, pursed lips — than most actors do with monologues. Those gestures are even more prominent in the scenes where things started falling apart for his character. Instead of screaming or panicking, he gets quieter and more focused. In those scenes, watching him is like watching a snake coil before it strikes.
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Inside the High-Stakes World of ‘Master’
The core elements of Master revolve around Jin Hyun-pil and his “too good to be true” deals that eventually turned out to be too good to be true. However, there’s more to this crime thriller than Byung-hun’s swagger. For instance, like most crime thrillers, he has the financial crimes division on his tail, and that’s where agent Kim Jae-myung (Gang Dong-won) comes in. He is basically a dog with a bone who eats, sleeps, and dreams of the destruction of Jin’s empire. To accomplish his goals, he manages to enlist the help of Park Jang-goon (Kim Woo-bin), Jin’s right-hand man and tech genius, who reluctantly becomes a double agent upon discovering that he was working for a monster.
One of the most thrilling aspects of this movie is the high-stakes fact that every character has an endgame, especially Jin. He is a character who genuinely believed the falsehood he was peddling. In fact, you could sum up his entire worldview as the fact that people don’t want the truth; they want results. What’s even worse is the fact that he was proven right on several occasions throughout the movie. That fact alone made him more terrifying than the usual villain.
Another standout feature is the fluid transformation of settings. Master moves from the sleek offices of Seoul to the chaotic streets of Manila as the cops close in on Jin’s operations. Sure, some critics like Roger Ebert essentially said the movie was too slow, but whenever those three share a screen, that fact barely matters. Every scene feels like someone is about to get outsmarted. Both Master and Squid Game are about systems of control — one uses deadly games, the other uses lies and contracts. But in both, Lee Byung-hun is the guy pulling the strings.
Why the Korean Cinema Vibe in ‘Master’ Still Hits Hard Today
One of the main reasons why Master doesn’t feel like just another slick crime flick is that it has that moody, slow-burn vibe that Korean cinema does well. Movies like The Outlaws and Inside Men live in this same world, but Master stands out, mainly because of Lee Byung-hun’s iconic performance. You can’t help but feel the pure magic generated by the dynamic between him, Gang Dong-won, and Kim Woo-bin. The latter, especially, is the heart of the movie — the guy who’s in way over his head but still trying to do the right thing. You watch him and think, “That could be me.” Well, you would have to be brilliant tech genius.
Furthermore, the sleek visual effects essentially mirror Jin’s perfectly constructed lies. But as the story unravels, that polish starts to crack, and we see the desperation underneath. By the end, the pursuit of victory is replaced by the instinct to survive. Overall, watching Lee Byung-hun’s transformation from untouchable kingpin to cornered animal is what makes Master so rewatchable. Few actors can make evil look this magnetic, and Lee Byung-hun makes it look effortless.
So, if you’re ready to see the Front Man before he was the Front Man, you need to watch Master on Prime Video.
