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With critically acclaimed films like The Vengeance Trilogy, The Handmaiden and Decision to Leave under his belt, Park Chan-wook has earned his place as not only one of Korea's most talented filmmakers, but as one of the best of his generation. Known for his distinctive directorial style, some might say he even helped define the general aesthetic of modern Korean cinema. And with his thirteenth feature, No Other Choice, Park is adding what's sure to be another modern masterpiece to his already impressive filmography, in this darkly comedic and tightly wound suspense thriller about the murderous lengths one man will go to in order to ensure the wellbeing of his family. Yu Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun) is an experienced line manager at one of South Korea's leading paper production companies, Solar Paper, and for the past 25 years, he's devoted himself to his job. All of that changes, however, when the company is acquired by American investors. And when he and a large portion of his fellow factory workers are unceremoniously fired as part of corporate restructuring, it leaves Man-soo struggling with how to continue providing for his family. A husband to wife, Mi-ri (Son Ye-jin), and a father to their two children, Man-soo never imagined that their quality of life would be suddenly so threatened. But after they receive a letter informing them that their house — the same family home that Man-soo grew up in and which he worked so hard to buy back and renovate — is in danger of foreclosure, it prompts him to take drastic measures. Zeroing in on a manager position at another paper company, Man-soo plans to ensure he's the chosen candidate by literally killing off his competition. But will his cutthroat strategy work out in the end? Or will it all backfire terribly? Bristling with dramatic tension and overflowing with Park's trademark sense of dark humor, the result is a twisted tale of pride, envy and lust as only the 62-year-old filmmaker can tell. For newcomers to Park's work, however, this may also just be his most accessible and audience-friendly movie in a decade. Make no mistake, No Other Choice still has its share of stomach-churning violence. If you're in the mood for a good old-fashioned thriller that also does double duty as razor-sharp satire, this film's title couldn't be more apropos. |
No Other Choice screens under the Gala Presentations programme at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. Its runtime is 2 hrs. 19 min.
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