Park Chan-wook is in many ways my Martin Scorsese. As someone who idolises East Asian filmmakers more than Western counterparts, the films that define my taste the most include works by Kim Jee-woon and Takeshi Kitano. Yet even among all his contemporaries, there is no equal to Park Chan-wook. His filmography is extensive, spanning multiple genres, and his style has continually evolved. Joint Security Area to Decision to Leave feels like a natural progression, evidence of a filmmaker adapting to modern filmmaking techniques. No Other Choice, his latest feature, brings his signature black comedy to the forefront, crafting a film that explores the struggles of the job market within a capitalist society.
Yoo Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun) has been laid off after the American owners of the company he works for were left with no choice but to cut staff by 20%. The dream life he has built over the past 25 years now hangs in the balance, especially as his wife, Lee Mi-ri (Son Ye-jin), has taken on a part-time job. In addition to taking up a job, Lee Mi-ri has told the family they must temporarily relocate their dogs, cancel all non-essential expenses, and may soon be forced to sell their home. In pursuit of a position at the rival company, Man-soo decides to secure his placement by any means necessary. Mainly by eliminating the competition.
Class is hardly a new theme in South Korean media. The Best Picture winner Parasite explored it by contrasting the upper with the lower class. No Other Choice approaches the issue through a different lens: a war within the working class itself. In this moment, we witness workers clashing with one another rather than confronting the true threat to their livelihoods, capitalism. Many working-class individuals believe that other job candidates or immigrants are to blame for their unemployment or hardship, when in actuality, it’s billionaires and profit margins that determine employability.
We so often hear company spokespersons parroting capitalist ideology that they must lay off staff; the company has no other choice if it wants to stay afloat. This idea has been echoed within the film industry. But that’s all it is: an ideology. If the system were different, layoffs wouldn’t be the only option. In a capitalist society, thousands of people can lose their jobs while CEOs receive eye-watering bonuses and profits continue to soar. One must wonder: were those layoffs truly necessary? Is the company struggling, or are bonuses deemed more important than supporting the working class?
Yoo Man-soo is a victim of capitalist greed, a hardworking, lifelong employee whose entire career and expertise revolve around the paper industry. Due to being laid off, he temporarily works at a supermarket, which he views as a more temporary position for when his true calling returns. But will that call ever come? Growing obsessed with the idea of reclaiming his former life, to the point where he resorts to the very thing he once despised. He must eliminate about 20% of the workforce. Unwillingly, feeding into the capitalist machine like a ravenous animal. Capitalism has distorted the job market so profoundly that it now operates as a zero-sum game. If someone else is winning, then I must be losing.
While the idea of eliminating your competition to secure a job is a drastic example of capitalist desperation, it offers a compelling critique of contemporary society that draws viewers into its chaotic narrative and leaves them questioning. Is Man-soo a genius who defied the system, or merely a pawn buying time before the next piece removes him from the board? Park Chan-wook provides an unexpected answer through Man-soo’s daughter, a potentially neurodiverse cello prodigy who has never performed for her family and communicates only by repeating statements. It is only when we see the world through her eyes that Park cements the film’s genuinely bleak ending.
Tonally, No Other Choice combines bleakness with absurd comedy, being just as much a slapstick comedy as it is a scathing critique. It may well be one of the funniest films of the year. From playful double entendres to a darkly hilarious scene where three characters argue and then brawl over a pistol amidst thunderously loud music (so loud that even the dialogue is subtitled in Korean), during this scene, the heightened drama and comedic timing hit with striking precision, leading to comedy gold. I found myself laughing so loudly I felt embarrassed for the colleagues sitting beside me, especially during a moment involving a chainsaw, where I sometimes thought I was the only one laughing.
This might be because, in previous roles, Lee Byung-hun would have undoubtedly made the cold, calculated move, unlike what Man-soo ultimately opts for. Lee Byung-hun has been one of my favourite Korean actors ever since I saw him in I Saw the Devil, and even now, nearly 30 years into his career, he has delivered a defining performance, easily one of the year’s best. Son Ye-jin is equally impeccable as his wife, grounding the film with a realism that makes every unfolding moment feel believable. Her character is more pragmatic than Lee Byung-hun’s Man-soo, recognising that sacrifices must be made to keep the family united and a comfortable life intact. The supporting cast is also exceptional, breathing life into the film’s dark satire.
As an ever-evolving auteur, Park Chan-wook has directed a film filled with bravado and flair, so much so that one may almost forget that the first 20–30 minutes take their time to establish their footing. Every frame of this extravagant feature is layered and dynamic. Even the simple act of drinking a somaek becomes a visual feast, with the camera fixed on the glass, tilting upward as the drink rises, and a simple wide shot is the perfect landscape for a chase. Beyond the stunning cinematography, the film’s utilisation of superimposed shots to heighten emotion or impart information without cuts is nothing short of masterful.
Kim Woo-hyung, as cinematographer, and Kim Sang-bum, as editor, are truly at the top of their game. For a film that runs close to two hours and twenty minutes, it never falters visually or suffers from poor pacing. The experience is elevated by a pitch-perfect score from frequent collaborator Jo Yeong-wook. The score is nothing short of transcendent, an auditory delight unlike any other, reminiscent of his work on Decision to Leave and The Handmaiden.
Audiences have no other choice (ahem) but to experience this film on the biggest screen they can find. It’s a feverish ride that will leave you bawling with laughter, only to make you question if you should actually be recoiling in horror. The film perfectly exposes how capitalism feeds only on greed, and without systemic change. The question isn’t if there will be another Man-soo, but how many more like him will emerge. No Other Choice is yet another masterpiece in Park Chan-wook’s career-defining filmography.
★★★★★
Out in UK Cinemas from 23rd January 2026 / Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran / Dir: Park Chan-wook / MUBI / 15
This is a reposting of our 2025 BFI London Film Festival review | original review link.
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