No Other Choice

2025 [KOREAN]

Action / Comedy / Crime / Drama / Thriller

34
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 97% · 226 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 93% · 500 ratings
IMDb Rating 7.6/10 10 43590 43.6K

based on novel or book remake blunt unemployment paper industry unemployed

Director

Chan-wook Park Photo
Chan-wook Park

Top cast

Byung-hun Lee Photo
Byung-hun Lee as Man-su
Ye-jin Son Photo
Ye-jin Son as Miri
Seung-Won Cha Photo
Seung-Won Cha as Sijo
Yeon-Seok Yoo Photo
Yeon-Seok Yoo as Chin-ho
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB 1080p.WEB.x265 2160p.WEB.x265
1.25 GB
1280*536
Korean 2.0
R
Subtitles us  kr  es  
23.976 fps
2 hr 19 min
Seeds 100+
2.32 GB
1920*804
Korean 2.0
R
Subtitles us  kr  es  
23.976 fps
2 hr 19 min
Seeds 100+
2.08 GB
1920*804
Korean 2.0
R
Subtitles us  kr  es  
23.976 fps
2 hr 19 min
Seeds 100+
6.21 GB
3840*1600
Korean 5.1
R
Subtitles us  kr  es  
23.976 fps
2 hr 19 min
Seeds ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by daisukereds 7 / 10

"The tastiest things grow on filth"

A story from a 1997 novel that has now been adapted twice into film, with its script centered around the paper business, but more focused on how a desperate man would do anything to provide for his family.. especially after being fired from his job, and the competition for such qualified individuals so fierce due to "corporate redundancy".Personally, I didn't find it to be that dark or funny (as I've heard others say).. but it is very well written, executed, recorded and performed. And more importantly, it is entertaining and memorable.The cast is probably its best feature. Particularly Son Ye-jin (who I last saw on "Thirty Nine" in 2022.. and can't believe she doesn't get more work) playing a man's dream wife with a charming personality.And while the movie doesn't really seem to have a message about the paper industry or unemployment, it does tell a notable story about a particular family and their woes. Highly recommended for fans of the genre and Korean cinema.
Reviewed by reelreviewsandrecommendations 9 / 10

Irresistible

Park Chan-wook is widely regarded as one of the finest filmmakers working today. A versatile multi-talent, he has dabbled in a variety of genres, while leaving his own unmistakable authorial stamp on each. From the operatic revenge of 'Oldboy' and the rest of the so-called Vengeance Trilogy, to the melancholic machinations of 'Decision to Leave', and even the off-kilter eroticism of 'Thirst,' his films are united by an enduring fascination with obsession, violence and moral rot.'No Other Choice' is another powerful entry in Park's ongoing exploration of human darkness. Based on Donald E. Westlake's 1997 novel 'The Ax,' it follows Man-Su, a manager at a paper company whose cushy life is abruptly derailed by unexpected unemployment. As months pass and job prospects evaporate, desperation curdles into a grim logic, leading him to conclude that eliminating his rivals may be the only way back to stability.There is something of Ted Kotcheff's 'Fun with Dick and Jane' in the film's DNA, as Park leans into the dark comedy of middle-class collapse. Like Kotcheff's film, 'No Other Choice' treats unemployment as a destabilising force, with Park drawing considerable humour from the indignities that follow. The difference is that- where the Hollywood comedy offers catharsis- Park lets his jokes accumulate into something far more corrosive.Violent without being gratuitous, funny without being forced, it is a masterclass in narrative writing. Some critics may point out obvious similarities to Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite,' but the resemblance is largely superficial. Where Bong's film sprawled into a broad, allegorical portrait of class conflict, Park's is colder and more procedural, concerned less with spectacle than the methodical erosion of moral boundaries.It is about a desperate man forced to commit acts he does not wish to commit, who sacrifices his morality for his family at a time where economic uncertainty reigns. A study in compromise, Man-Su's descent is neither sudden nor sensational; it is the product of incremental pressure, each small decision rationalised as necessary, each act pushing him further into a moral grey zone. Park traces this erosion of ethics with precision, showing how desperation can warp even ordinary, law-abiding people into committing acts they would once have found unthinkable.Subtle physical motifs mirror this inner struggle. Man-Su's attempts to bend the trees in his greenhouse reflect his desire to control his fate, while his persistent tooth pain- echoing the bodily articulation of moral and psychological strain felt by Nick Nolte's character in Paul Schrader's 'Affliction'- gives tangible form to his mounting anxiety. Through these details, Park illustrates how pressure can corrode ethics, translating inner turmoil into a gripping, lived experience.The film is also a sharp critique of middle-class precarity. Through Man-Su's struggle, Park highlights the cruelty of economic competition, where structural pressures leave individuals feeling there is no alternative but transgression. Crucially, Man-Su is seeking work in the declining paper industry, turning his job hunt into a grim exercise in scarcity rather than opportunity. As in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 'Tokyo Sonata', the film exposes the quiet humiliations and psychological toll of searching for work in a competitive economy that has little left to offer.Yet, these grim themes are never divorced from humour. The narrative intertwines dark comedy with moral tension, drawing laughter from the indignities Man-Su suffers and the increasingly elaborate lengths he goes to preserve his livelihood. The humour does not release the tension; it amplifies it, making each act of violent desperation feel simultaneously absurd and horrifying.This incremental escalation- the chain of decisions that lead from minor ethical lapses to serious criminality- is central to the narrative's tension. Park's story is procedural in nature, demonstrating that moral collapse is not an abstract concept but a methodical process. By letting the audience inhabit Man-Su's thought process, the film creates a subtle complicity: we understand his logic even as we recoil from the consequences, making the narrative as intellectually gripping as it is viscerally unsettling.Behind the camera, director of photography Kim Woo-hyung brings a strikingly naturalistic beauty to proceedings, using space and architecture to visualise Man-Su's growing alienation. Frequently stunning, the cinematography is patient and observant, allowing environments to speak as loudly as dialogue. Modern office blocks, factories and industrial sites are framed with crisp clarity, their glass and concrete surfaces reflecting a world of efficiency and progress that has quietly discarded those who can no longer keep pace.Kim makes particularly effective use of light, as well as spatial contrast, frequently juxtaposing rigid, contemporary structures with pockets of nature. Parks, woodlands and plants intrude upon the film's urban environments, not as places of refuge, but as reminders of a slower, vanishing world that sits uneasily alongside modern economic life. This tension between nature and modernity mirrors Man-Su's internal conflict: a man shaped by older ideals of loyalty, stability and hard work, now stranded in a system that no longer rewards them.The visual attention to space carries through into Ryu Seong-hie's meticulous production design. Man-Su's house, in particular, becomes a crucial extension of the same visual logic and narrative themes- a place that should signify comfort and stability, instead symbolising the quiet strain beneath the surface of middle-class security. Neat, outwardly respectable and surrounded by plants, the home reflects an older promise of permanence, one increasingly out of step with the encroaching economic reality.Further, Cho Young-wuk's score is sparse and judicious, underscoring Man-Su's mounting unease, while also amplifying its comedic edge (a scene in which three characters scuffle to booming music is a particular highlight). Kim Ho-bin and Kim Sang-beom's editing is similarly precise, favouring clarity and rhythm over urgency. Yet they still allow room for artful transitions that quietly bridge time and space. These moments of artistic elegance prevent the film from ever feeling mechanical.Lee Byung-hun stars as Man-Su, conveying his desperation, moral compromise and simmering anxiety with remarkable restraint. Lee never overdoes it, allowing small gestures, measured expressions and even silence to carry enormous weight. Physical details- the way he flinches, tenses or nurses his persistent tooth pain- become expressive markers of his inner turmoil. Always a commanding presence on screen, he is once again superb, effortlessly anchoring the film with a performance that is as subtle as it is compelling.Son Ye-jin does similarly fine work as Man-Su's wife, Miri. Their relationship forms the emotional heart of the film, grounded in genuine affection and mutual care. Miri is far from a passive figure; she is independent and capable, finding work long before Man-Su does and demonstrating agency within their lives. However, her instincts and choices also align with her husband's, reflecting a shared pragmatism and prioritisation of family. The chemistry between Son and Lee is undeniable, making their domestic life feel lived-in and real. Son plays her to a tee, conveying warmth, intelligence and quiet strength with effortless naturalism.Their supporting cast do not let them down. Kim Seung Woo and So Yul Choi, as their children Si-one and Ri-one, respectively, both impress, demonstrating an emotional intelligence beyond their years. Yeom Hye-ran is hilarious as the disappointed wife of one of Man-Su's targets, while Park Hee-soon delights as an insidiously smug influencer. In addition, in the smaller role of Man-Su's second target, Cha Seung-won is quietly heartbreaking, bringing depth and nuance even with limited screen time.Darkly comic, tense and engaging, Park Chan-wook's 'No Other Choice' is a masterclass in narrative precision. Meticulous cinematography, elegant production design and a stirring score mirror the incremental erosion of morality at the film's heart. Anchored by superb performances from Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin, and buoyed by a sharp, versatile supporting cast, every element works in concert to illuminate desperation, compromise and the suffocating cruelty of modern life. In short, it's irresistible- you really have no other choice but to watch it.
Reviewed by 0U 9 / 10

No Other Choice

"Paper has fed me for 25 years. Honey, I have no other choice." Park Chan-wook, master of black comedy, definitively already a living legend, delivers yet another masterpiece. So dark, so funny. The plot takes quite a while to fully kick in. But once it does, the film is unstoppably riveting. A flawless central performance from Lee Byung-hun, and fantastic turns from the rest of the cast.?
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