THE STORY – A Korean man engages in a desperate hunt for new employment after being fired from a position he has held for 25 years.
THE CAST – Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran & Cha Seung-won
THE TEAM – Park Chan-wook (Director/Writer), Don McKellar, Lee Kyoung-mi & Lee Ja-hye (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 139 Minutes
All hail Park Chan-wook! Film fans know that he’s a master of the form, and with his latest work, the stupendous “No Other Choice,” he successfully defends his title as the most creative filmmaker alive. To watch one of his films is to marvel at the ingenious abilities of the right brain; he could probably make a household cleaner commercial thrillingly cinematic. “No Other Choice” blends mismatched tones and genre hallmarks in a way that’s typical for Park and yet remains invigorating, leading to a ridiculous look at what happens when the system pushes a person to the very edge of desperation.
The individual in question is You Man-su (Lee Byung-hun), a middle-aged South Korean man whose happy life with his family is upended when he’s suddenly terminated from his position at a paper manufacturer. After an American company recently bought it, the 20% reduction in labor didn’t work out in Man-su’s favor. After his predicted three months of unemployment turns into 13 months, his family has to start making sacrifices. His wife Miri (Son Ye-jin) makes the decision to sell one of their cars, get rid of the two family dogs, cut all unnecessary services and luxuries, and put their house on the market. At the end of his rope, Man-su quite literally begs for a job at another paper manufacturer and is humiliatingly rejected. With little to lose, he concocts a scheme to quite literally take out the competition for the position in hopes that the employer will truly have no other choice but to hire him.
Similar to Bong Joon-ho’s blockbuster “Parasite,” “No Other Choice” employs an outsized, almost unbelievable plot to comment on South Korean economic inequality. But its main character’s plight will resonate with citizens of any number of greed-fueled capitalist countries. In fact, Man-su’s murderous plan feels like the most extreme endpoint of a competitive free market. After all, he’s essentially eliminating the competition in the same way that a business would do to another business, just in a literalized, extreme way. Losing a job can feel like receiving a terminal diagnosis – unfair and insurmountable. Who wouldn’t do absolutely anything to find a cure? Man-su’s version of this is like an experimental medication: risky and potentially deadly, but with the potential for a miraculous rescue from the depths of hopelessness.
To tell this story, Park uses every tool in the directorial toolbox, goes to the hardware store to buy some more, and, still not satisfied, invents some of his own. Much like his last masterpiece, “Decision to Leave,” Park makes especially effective and innovative use of his camera. There are several instances where he puts the camera in places never before seen in the movies. And the film is edited masterfully, making breathtaking use of match cuts and double exposures to tell its story with maximum visual creativity. As Man-su’s plot intensifies in bloodshed and mania, the film’s camerawork and editing become increasingly unexpected and creative, making the audience feel as wired and on edge as the main character. The sound works in tandem with these elements, utilizing crisp and well-mixed effects to underscore and heighten the film’s tension. Simply put, it’s a polished, brilliantly crafted work of art that uses the medium of film to its full potential.
“No Other Choice” is one of those films that, blessedly, gets better as it goes along. This isn’t to say the film starts off on the wrong foot, but it does take nearly an hour for it to hit its stride with complete confidence. In fact, it’s not even always clear what Man-su’s plan is, leading to a good portion of the film feeling somewhat perplexing and out of reach. But once Man-su’s plot is set into motion, it’s impossible to look away.
As our sympathetic anti-hero, Lee Byung-hun is stellar. He makes odd choices that never betray the reality of his character’s existence, but instead show him to be fully aware that he’s reaching the end of his rope. It would be easy for his character to feel emotionally overwhelmed repeatedly, given that he starts the film at what would be the utter low point for most people. However, losing his job is just the beginning of his journey, and Lee continues to find ways to surprise viewers with his performance.
As Man-su tries to explain to his ruthless American overseers, the Korean equivalent of saying an employee is “axed” translates to “off with your head.” “No Other Choice” reveals what happens when such idioms are brought to life, transforming desperation into a thrilling and powerful cinematic experience. Park Chan-wook has once again crafted a stunningly energetic and endlessly creative film that delights the mind and the eyes.
