• Comedy
• Crime
• Thriller

No Other Choice 2025

No Other Choice is a South Korean satirical black comedy thriller co-written, produced, and directed by the acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden). The film is based on the 1997 American novel The Ax by Donald E. Westlake and explores the dark fable of contemporary work culture and desperation for material comfort. The plot centers on You Man-su (Lee Byung-hun), a veteran paper mill manager and dedicated family man who leads a comfortable, middle-class life with his wife Mi-ri (Son Ye-jin) and children until he is abruptly laid off. Desperate to maintain his lifestyle and secure one of the few coveted job openings in his shrinking industry, Man-su hatches a cold, desperate, and increasingly botched plan to literally eliminate his competition, believing he has "no other choice." The ensemble cast also features Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, and Cha Seung-won. The film received strong critical acclaim, achieving a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 86 on Metacritic based on initial festival reviews, with critics praising Park's signature dark humor, stylistic bravado, and Lee Byung-hun's lead performance, which balances physical comedy with emotional desperation. It premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in August 2025 and won the International People's Choice Award at TIFF 2025. Box office performance in South Korea was strong, opening in first place on its release on September 24, 2025, with a successful opening weekend of approximately $4.6 million and quickly surpassing one million admissions. The film secured multiple major nominations at the 2025 Blue Dragon Film Awards, winning Best Director, Best Actress (Son Ye-jin), and Best Supporting Actor (Lee Sung-min), and has been selected as South Korea's submission for the Best International Feature Film at the 2026 Academy Awards. The US theatrical streaming/release is scheduled for December 25, 2025, distributed by NEON. Read More

• 2025
• 2 h : 19 min
• 127 views
• 7.515
• R