Since his breakout in 2000 with Joint Security Area, South Korea’s Park Chan-wook has proven to be one of the most consistently interesting directors in world cinema. Despite a few missteps — notably 2006’s I’m a Cyborg But That’s OK — Park’s cinematic style has always evolved, refusing to recycle old ideas and constantly moving forward both thematically and visually. His only true rival on the global stage remains Bong Joon-ho, whose Parasite reshaped Korean cinema’s global perception. In many ways, No Other Choice feels like Park’s answer to Parasite: a jet-black comedy adapted from Donald E. Westlake’s noir novel, with Lee Byung-hun in one of his most impressive performances to date. Known for action roles, Lee here surprises as a comedy natural, a slapstick master reminiscent of Mads Mikkelsen and Buster Keaton.
The film opens with biting sarcasm. Paper company safety executive You Man-su (Lee) celebrates his wife’s birthday with rare eel steaks, basking in his idyllic life with two children, two dogs, and the comfort of his childhood home. But reality intrudes: the arrival of American overlords at his company results in 20% workforce redundancies. Despite his loyalty, Man-su is swiftly discarded. His wife Miri (Son Ye-jin) adapts with resilience, cutting family expenses, selling their home, and forcing a lifestyle change that horrifies Man-su.
Determined to reclaim his place, Man-su invents a fake recruitment agency to gather intel on competitors in the paper industry. His plan? To eliminate his rivals, echoing the ruthless strategy of Dennis Price’s antihero in the classic Kind Hearts and Coronets. With his father’s Korean War pistol in hand, Man-su begins his descent into darkly comic crime.
Park blends his trademark Hitchcockian humor with broader comedic strokes seen in films like Thirst and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. The balance of grim satire and absurd slapstick elevates the film into something uniquely Korean yet universally relatable. Lee’s portrayal of a desperate man, fighting a “war for his family,” oscillates between tragic and hilarious, while Son Ye-jin’s grounded performance as his pragmatic wife anchors the narrative.
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Though the film slightly falters towards the end with multiple drawn-out conclusions — a familiar tendency in Korean cinema — No Other Choice remains an entertaining, unpredictable ensemble piece. While it may not match the brilliance of Park’s acclaimed Decision to Leave (2022), it proves his ability to reinvent and surprise audiences yet again.
No Other Choice premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival, running 2 hours and 19 minutes. With a cast including Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, and Cha Seung-won, and distributed by CJ ENM, it cements Park’s position as one of the most visionary filmmakers of our time.
