NO OTHER CHOICE
Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Son Yejin, Park Hee Soon, Lee Sung Min, Yeom Hye Ran, Cha Seung Won
Director: Park Chan-wook
AMARÚ
I’ve not seen much of Park Chan-wook’s filmography, but it did not take long to recognize his masterful direction while watching No Other Choice. This dark comedy is a masterclass in comedy of error, effortlessly finding the humor in bleakness and the ridiculousness in desperation. Lee Byung-hun masters the descent into madness when no option is your only option, but it’s Son Yejin that surprisingly holds the heart of this story surrounding class disparity and the despair capitalistic systems can create. I was mesmerized by this beautifully macabre artistic wonder, and it’s no wonder that Chan-wook has the word masterpiece thrown around every time he drops.
ADRIANO
To the surprise of nobody who knows the name of director/co-writer Park Chan-wook, No Other Choice is another masterful piece of genre cinema. Starring Lee Byung-hun in one of the year's most compelling performances, Park uses his signature style of absurd editing and morally ambiguous characters to create a slapstick comedy-thriller with some bleak class commentary, taking the film in smart directions that go beyond the simple concept of lower-class desperation. He makes a devastating point that you'll have to see to believe. It's also very funny, and a glowing testament to the type of madman filmmaker Park is.
NICK
Park Chan-wook really has something with No Other Choice. Having only seen Oldboy previously, this was a bold reintroduction to the director's work. It’s incredibly difficult to make comedy work with subtitles because so much of it is about timing, but Chan-wook finds a way to expel that issue. Whether it’s the use of physical comedy or the facial expressions from star Lee Byung-hun (who is all-around great here), the comedy shines. Yet, Chan-wook still manages to find a place to include deep commentary on class and capitalism, wrap it all up with a striking final shot, and create an impressively layered film.
QUENTIN
Though I haven’t seen all his films, I consider myself a fan of director Park Chan-wook, especially Oldboy and The Handmaiden. That said, No Other Choice did very little for me. Sadly, at no point was I invested in Yoo Man-su’s (Lee Byung-hun) struggle, nor did I find this “black comedy thriller” to be very comedic or thrilling. Perhaps I simply wasn’t in the right mindset for subtitles, but the pacing - particularly in the lengthy second act - is languid, spending too much time on the first altercation, which ultimately stunts interest in where the story might be headed. Park can still frame a shot beautifully, though.
This film was reviewed by Nick, Adriano, and Amarú as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.