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Lee Byung-hun stars in 'No Other Choice.' CreaZion Studios

Article (news)

Fred Hawson

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1762053438903549238462_792380000101526_3611878165350217108_n.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Lee Byung-hun stars in &#x27;No Other Choice.&#x27; CreaZion Studios</div>Yoo Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun) had been working in a paper-making factory for the past 25 years. He was able to buy back his childhood home where he now lived happily and comfortably with his wife Mi-ri (Son Ye-jin) and two children. One day, their factory closed down and everybody lost their jobs. Man-soo struggled to manage the sudden drastic drop in his financial capabilities, so they had to give up their hobbies, their dogs and their house. This latest film by one of the masters of Korean cinema -- Park Chan-wook, the same director who crafted classics like &quot;Joint Security Area&quot; (2000), &quot;Oldboy&quot; (2003), &quot;The Handmaiden&quot; (2016) and &quot;Decision to Leave&quot; (2022), among others, had its world premiere last August in the Venice International Film Festival. It had already been announced to be the submission of South Korea for consideration in the race for the Oscar for Best International Film.Park did masterful work here as director, telling this story (based on a 1997 American novel &quot;The Ax&quot; by Donald E. Westlake) about a jobless family man whose difficulty of finding a new job then pushed him to do unthinkable things. There were some pretty innovative camera angles to shoot scenes ranging from utter chaos (three people grappling for a pistol), to musical virtuosity (a mother finally getting to hear her special child playing cello). Lee Byung-hun is the probably the most ubiquitous Korean actor these days -- with recent credits for &quot;Squid Game&quot; (2021) and &quot;K-Pop Demon Hunters&quot; (2025). Man-soo went about eliminating his competition literally, and Lee portrayed this with restrained ruthlessness. It was good to see &quot;Crash Landing on You” actress Son Ye-jin as the wife, but sadly she was underused. Lee Sung-min and Yeom Hye-ran memorably played Man-soo&#x27;s primary rival and his manic wife. The buzz is very strong that this film might just replicate the historic feat of Bong Joon-ho&#x27;s &quot;Parasite&quot; (2019) at the Oscars, winning Best Picture, Best International Film and Best Director. The similarities are there, both being very dark comedies about the societal classes. However, don&#x27;t let all that hype make you expect too much. It&#x27;s good, but to be honest, I am not exactly raving for this one all that much as much I did for &quot;Parasite&quot; before. <div> </div>This review was originally published in the author&#x27;s blog, “<a href="http://said-fred.blogspot.com/2025/10/review-of-no-other-choice-cutting.html">Fred Said</a>.”

In ‘No Other Choice,’ Park Chan-wook trades his trademark stylized violence for a more grounded, haunting look at desperation. Lee Byung-hun delivers a quietly chilling performance as a laid-off worker pushed beyond his limits

In ‘No Other Choice,’ Park Chan-wook trades his trademark stylized violence for a more grounded, haunting look at desperation. Lee Byung-hun delivers a quietly chilling performance as a laid-off worker pushed beyond his limits

'No Other Choice' review: Is this Park Chan-wook film Korea's next 'Parasite'?

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'No Other Choice' review: Is this Park Chan-wook film Korea's next 'Parasite'?

Fred Hawson

Published November 02, 2025 11:36 AM PHT

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movie review

K-movie

No Other Choice

Park Chan-wook

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