The Wasteland Reviewer

No Other Choice (2025) Written Review

What is potentially the most dangerous force in all human society? Desperation. This feeling has led many people to do terrible things in the name of trying to make ends meet or survive. If you have ever felt such powerful desperation, you know that it can motivate you to do something that you would never consider in normal circumstances. The important thing to understand that desperation is not something that just occurs in normal circumstances (but if it does ever become normalized in society…we all might be screwed). This powerful feeling is the foundation piece of a new darkly comedic crime thriller out of South Korea from one of cinema’s most bold voices, Park Chan-wook. That satirical romp of a desperate man’s mission to destroy the competition in the way of him finding employment is No Other Choice. 

What does Chan-wook bring from a filmmaking standpoint to this biting social commentary? Through Oldboy, The Handmaiden, and Decision to Leave, Chan-wook has delivered some of the boldest pieces of cinema in the last 25 years. With No Other Choice, he has another impressive notch in his elite cinematic repertoire. This film will grab you from the start with the rich and vibrant colors of the paper factory our protagonist, Man-su (Lee Byung-hun), works in. This film has such a dynamic look to it as it combines vivid visuals, dynamic camera work, and sharp editing that ties this whole experience together in such an engrossing and satisfying way. The film might run almost two-and-a-half hours but there is something alluring and engaging about each scene. Chan-wook keeps the pace up with help from the energetic editing of Kim Ho-bin and Kim Sang-boom. There is plenty of personality in Chan-wook’s cinematic vision as he combines the distinct compositions of Cho Young-wuk with some nicely timed and vetted needle drops. The film has a consistently hilarious tone to it that leans into the silly realm of slapstick comedy while offering up some sharply written dialogue and banter that will get its fair share of laughs. But the film also has such a powerful and caustic bite to its anti-capitalist musing. But there is something deeply human about the atmosphere that Chan-wook delivers as it is expected that such a filmmaker will garner such praise. This is a wild ride from start to finish with a mixture of genuine connection (as well as hollow ones as well) and biting commentary. 

Does the screenplay from Chan-wook and his three collaborators deliver a compelling narrative experience? Donald E. Westlake’s novel “The Ax” comes to life on screen as the story of Man-su becomes quite the wild and haunting romp. Fired from his paper factory job, he is left wondering what value he has left. His marriage and his parenting of his stepson and daughter are put into a lurch when his unemployment becomes increasingly long and tenuous. Failed interviews (of the most uncomfortably written sort) lead to that desperation that was warned about earlier. What do you do when you continually don’t get picked for job opportunities in your field? The most reasonable option…kill all the other unemployed paper factory workers so no one else can get that opportunity. This terrible horrific twist is quite something as a body count begins to rise while so many of the “adults” in the room ignore the obvious evidence right in front of them. Chan-wook’s co-written score explores a desperate man’s journey to kill his competition without much experience at all. Watching this journey of Man-su, you begin to realize that Chan-wook prepared so much detail into this arc and this would not have come to light without such a moment. There are plenty of great scenes that mix humor, physicality, desperation of humans, and the utter awkwardness of violence giving the audience plenty of richly impactful moments. This is a cautionary tale of how far someone would go to get what they think is most important to them without truly exploring the ripple effects and consequences of their actions. This wild crime caper is a rich concoction of biting farcical commentary, crime thriller, murder mystery, familial drama, and fractured romance. Chan-wook cooked up something special with No Other Choice, a film full of unexpected and wild twists and turns. 

Does this cast of Korean stars bring the most out of the material from Chan-wook and company? Byung-hun is the most international star in the film as he has delivered performances in big budgeted American films as well some iconic Korea films. Here, Byung-hun delivers a pitch perfect performance. His portrayal of Man-su is a layered and rich performance that garners plenty of feelings from the audience (which balances between neurotic and desperate). You find him quite vulnerable in his moments of desperation and there is a big of mania too. You can feel that fractured confidence and desperation as well as for other human attention. We see Byung-hun shift gears when from putting on happy faces to a shattered disposition that is full of unease to a twisted individual who will go to great lengths to finish off his competition. There are some elements of these characters that make them interesting. Man-su is an interesting character who weavers through plenty of emotion that the star brings to life. Son Ye-jin is a great supporting piece in this film as Miri, Man-su’s wife. They had moments of great chemistry (including some dancing together) but also moments of deep heartache. Ye-jin uses a balance of her strong charisma and impressive facial acting to sell the spiral emotions she feels for her on-screen husband. There are some other standouts in the cast including Lee Sung-min and Yeom Hye-ran, who are an on-screen couple as well, as they deliver one of the best scenes in the film alongside Byung-hun. That scene is a wonderful mix of emotion, physicality, and body language that delivers plenty of laughs and feelings along the way. 

Is No Other Choice another homerun for this impressive Korean filmmaker? Chan-wook has done it again, for sure. The rich thematic density of the film gives it plenty of weight while the sharp and biting satire delivers plenty of laughs as well. This is a wholly visceral and dynamic cinematic experience as well with Chan-wook working his directorial magic. An impressive central performance from Byung-hun is that last necessary piece to make No Other Choice quite an impressive experience.