bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

James Mottram

3.5/5 stars
Not since the US version of the sitcom The Office, with its mock-doc focus on the fictional company Dunder Mifflin, has there been such a high-profile worshipping of the art of manufacturing paper.
Maybe Korean director Park Chan-wook has been bingeing on episodes, though that show never got as dark as this pleasing adaptation of Donald Westlake’s 1997 novel The Ax.
A black comedy set in the world of (un)employment, No Other Choice starts as family man Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) is let go from his role at a speciality paper company.


After 25 years’ service, he was given just 25 minutes to clear out his desk, he later laments. With two children, two dogs and a wife (Son Ye-jin) to support, he immediately starts seeking new employment.
Thirteen months on, he is working in a warehouse, humping boxes, while he focuses on finding a role at Moon Paper, the one Korean company that has cracked the Japanese market.
With a vacancy arising, he hits upon the idea of eliminating the competition – quite literally. Among them are a drunkard and a shoe salesman, who like him were long-term employees in the paper industry.
“I’m fighting a war for my family,” he says, although he is no killer, making this task all the more complex.
As shown by his last film, 2022’s Decision to Leave, Park has always been a consummate artist in the thriller terrain. He is less so in comedy, with films like 2006’s I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK coming across as rather too broad.

No Other Choice has farcical elements, especially the deadly, gun-heavy scrap between Man-su, one of his targets, and the man’s philandering wife. But fortunately, that is kept to a minimum.
Park updates the story to make it feel contemporary, with nods to AI and full automation, and a workforce chewed up and spat out by unfeeling corporations.
The script shows how we too often value our self-worth – and that of others – through our vocation, with Man-su confronted by one smug chap who berates him for being unemployed. It also unveils just how desperate we can become when it comes to climbing the corporate ladder.
In many ways, No Other Choice is a portrait of the way that even the middle classes are being forced to tighten their belts in times of economic strife. Sell the house, give up the dogs, even – gulp – lose that Netflix subscription; the comfortable life so many once led is now becoming a thing of the past.

While 139 minutes is too long for what is ostensibly a comedy, Park has made a crafty one that will resonate with anyone doing the nine-to-five grind.
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook


10 Asian movies about winning the lottery and why the jackpot is never enough

The 10 most successful Korean art-house films of all time, including The World of Love

M+ and Chanel bring John Woo movie plus other rare Asian avant-garde films to Mubi

Who is Go Youn-jung, the K-drama actress leading Netflix’s Can This Love Be Translated?

Asian cinema: Korean films

Venice 2025: No Other Choice movie review – Park Chan-wook takes on corporate culture

Lee Byung-hun as a desperate jobseeker in a still from No Other Choice, directed by Park Chan-wook. Son Ye-jin and Park Hee-soon co-star.

Son Ye-jin (right) in a still from No Other Choice.

Lee Byung-hun (left) and Lee Sung-min in a still from No Other Choice.

Venice 2025: Frankenstein movie review – Guillermo del Toro’s definitive monster tale

Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein in a still from Frankenstein. Photo: Ken Woroner/Netflix

Oscar Issac in a still from Frankenstein, directed by Guillermo del Toro. Jacob Elordi and Christoph Waltz co-star. Photo: Ken Woroner/Netflix

Jacob Elordi in a still from Frankenstein. Photo: Ken Woroner/Netflix

Mia Goth in a still from Frankenstein. Photo: Ken Woroner/Netflix

Venice 2025: After the Hunt movie review – Julia Roberts in Luca Guadagnino’s muddled tale

Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield in a still from After the Hunt, directed by Luca Guadagnino. Ayo Edebiri co-stars. Photo: Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

(From left) Julia Roberts, Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloe Sevigny in a still from After the Hunt. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios

My Daughter Is a Zombie movie review: hit Korean family comedy displays few signs of life

Choi Yoo-ri (left) and Jo Jung-suk in a still from My Daughter Is a Zombie (category IIA, Korean), directed by Pil Gam-sung. Lee Jung-eun co-stars.

Lee Jung-eun in a still from My Daughter Is a Zombie.

Choi Yoo-ri and Jo Jung-suk in a still from My Daughter Is a Zombie.

13 of the best new K-dramas to watch in September 2025, including Tempest with Jun Ji-hyun

Jun Ji-hyun in a still from  Disney+ series Tempest, a new K-drama series streaming from September. Photo: Disney+

A promotional poster for No Mercy, starring Lee Joo-young (centre).

Lifestyle

K-drama

K-movies

K-Pop

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

Lee Byung-hun stars in this Korean black comedy as a family man who is laid off after 25 years and goes on a desperate quest for a job


Lee Byung-hun stars in this Korean black comedy as a family man who is laid off after 25 years and goes on a desperate quest for a job.


Asian cinema

Film reviews

Cinema

What's hot in Korea

South Korean celebrities

Fame and celebrity

Venice Film Festival

Park Chan-wook

Son Ye-jin

An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


Review

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Lee Byung-hun stars in this Korean black comedy as a family man who is laid off after 25 years and goes on a desperate quest for a job

Lee Byung-hun stars in this Korean black comedy as a family man who is laid off after 25 years and goes on a desperate quest for a job