December 4, 2025
FILM: NO OTHER CHOICE
DIRECTED BY: PARK CHAN-WOOK
STARRING: LEE BYUNG-HUN, SON YE-JIN, PARK HEE-SOON
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
When we first meet Man-su and his family in the new film from director Park Chan-Wook, No Other Choice, everything seems to be perfect. He and his wife have a beautiful countryside home with two children and two dogs. While his son isn’t too thrilled with Man-su cooking eel on the grill and his daughter will only play the cello while no one is in the same room, they’re all reasonably happy. The score by Cho Young-wuk is initially lush and sophisticated suggesting the good life they have, thanks in part to Man-su’s twenty-five-year tenure working for a solar paper factory. What can possibly be wrong?
If you look closely at this first scene though you might notice that the flagstone in the yard is rather haphazardly placed. Maybe a coincidence or style choice? I think not. These are the initial signs that things aren’t as perfect as we might think. Very quickly, Man-su finds out that the new American owners of his company are reducing staff by some 20%. Yes, his job is to be eliminated because, well, they seem to have “no other choice” for business reasons. This puts Man-su into a tailspin as he begins seeking new employment. He interviews at another company during a scene in which light shining from an outside building reflects directly on his face. None of the interviewers seem too concerned about the uncomfortable position this puts Man-su in but he persists anyway. The tone of the scene is somewhat comical and the music score itself becomes more whimsical. In other words, life after getting fired is portrayed a bit lighthearted even though the implications for Man-su and his wife are pretty dire.
As Man-su begins to figure out who his competition will be for the job, he hatches a plan to eliminate all of them by whatever means necessary, including murder. Of course, the rather light tone of these early scenes suggests that the comedy will be played up and it is. Park Chan-Wook puts the character in a series of almost slapstick situations as he stalks and attempts to hunt down each of his rivals. Throughout, Man-su must chase and is chased himself by related characters. Guns don’t always cooperate and he tumbles down more than one forest hill.
Credit has to be given to actor Lee Byung-ham as Man-su. He’s able to balance the humor with the extreme measures the character takes. At one point, he attends a costume party and does a hilarious dance as he searches out his wife who is there with their dentist. It’s a very physical performance from start to finish which he infuses with desperation and silliness.
Of course, like a lot of films (or TV series) featuring anti-heroes, we might wonder why we are enjoying our time with this character. Yes, he is trying to provide for his family and he seems to have “no other choice” yet he makes some pretty dark decisions and his personal moral code appears to be sorely lacking. One might even wonder by the end if what he is doing is really for his loved ones or does he need the kind of success and power engaging in these activities might lead him to. (Recall how Walter White’s motivations changed throughout Breaking Bad.)
There’s no question that Park Chan-Wook’s direction is pretty spectacular. Besides the tricky tone and performances he gets from his actors, the camera work by cinematographer Kim Woo-hyung is also well-directed and constructed while also a marvel to witness. From multiple angles of the family home to swift pans and pushes around characters, the technical challenges had to be considerable. There are also some editing choices that pull us between parallel scenes at rapid fire speed.
One might question whether the characters really do have “no other choice” for the decisions they make but the film is a helluva lot of fun seeing them materialize.
No Other Choice is South Korea’s submission for the Best International Film Oscar this year. It will be screened for one night on December 8th at select IMAX theaters before a wider opening on December 25th.
FILM: NO OTHER CHOICE
DIRECTED BY: PARK CHAN-WOOK
STARRING: LEE BYUNG-HUN, SON YE-JIN, PARK HEE-SOON
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
When we first meet Man-su and his family in the new film from director Park Chan-Wook, No Other Choice, everything seems to be perfect. He and his wife have a beautiful countryside home with two children and two dogs. While his son isn’t too thrilled with Man-su cooking eel on the grill and his daughter will only play the cello while no one is in the same room, they’re all reasonably happy. The score by Cho Young-wuk is initially lush and sophisticated suggesting the good life they have, thanks in part to Man-su’s twenty-five-year tenure working for a solar paper factory. What can possibly be wrong?
If you look closely at this first scene though you might notice that the flagstone in the yard is rather haphazardly placed. Maybe a coincidence or style choice? I think not. These are the initial signs that things aren’t as perfect as we might think. Very quickly, Man-su finds out that the new American owners of his company are reducing staff by some 20%. Yes, his job is to be eliminated because, well, they seem to have “no other choice” for business reasons. This puts Man-su into a tailspin as he begins seeking new employment. He interviews at another company during a scene in which light shining from an outside building reflects directly on his face. None of the interviewers seem too concerned about the uncomfortable position this puts Man-su in but he persists anyway. The tone of the scene is somewhat comical and the music score itself becomes more whimsical. In other words, life after getting fired is portrayed a bit lighthearted even though the implications for Man-su and his wife are pretty dire.
As Man-su begins to figure out who his competition will be for the job, he hatches a plan to eliminate all of them by whatever means necessary, including murder. Of course, the rather light tone of these early scenes suggests that the comedy will be played up and it is. Park Chan-Wook puts the character in a series of almost slapstick situations as he stalks and attempts to hunt down each of his rivals. Throughout, Man-su must chase and is chased himself by related characters. Guns don’t always cooperate and he tumbles down more than one forest hill.
Credit has to be given to actor Lee Byung-ham as Man-su. He’s able to balance the humor with the extreme measures the character takes. At one point, he attends a costume party and does a hilarious dance as he searches out his wife who is there with their dentist. It’s a very physical performance from start to finish which he infuses with desperation and silliness.
Of course, like a lot of films (or TV series) featuring anti-heroes, we might wonder why we are enjoying our time with this character. Yes, he is trying to provide for his family and he seems to have “no other choice” yet he makes some pretty dark decisions and his personal moral code appears to be sorely lacking. One might even wonder by the end if what he is doing is really for his loved ones or does he need the kind of success and power engaging in these activities might lead him to. (Recall how Walter White’s motivations changed throughout Breaking Bad.)
There’s no question that Park Chan-Wook’s direction is pretty spectacular. Besides the tricky tone and performances he gets from his actors, the camera work by cinematographer Kim Woo-hyung is also well-directed and constructed while also a marvel to witness. From multiple angles of the family home to swift pans and pushes around characters, the technical challenges had to be considerable. There are also some editing choices that pull us between parallel scenes at rapid fire speed.
One might question whether the characters really do have “no other choice” for the decisions they make but the film is a helluva lot of fun seeing them materialize.
No Other Choice is South Korea’s submission for the Best International Film Oscar this year. It will be screened for one night on December 8th at select IMAX theaters before a wider opening on December 25th.