Interview With Director Park Chan-wook About “No Other Choice”
No Other Choice is a 2025 South Korean dark satire comedy-thriller directed by Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Decision To Leave), based on Donald E. Westlake’s novel The Ax.
The film follow Man-su (Lee Byung-hun), a middle-aged paper mill manager who ostensibly has it all. He is an award-winning veteran employee of papermaking company Solar Paper. Well-paid, he has purchased his childhood home, living happily in luxury with his homemaker wife Mi-ri (Son Ye-jin), his teenage stepson Si-one (Woo Seung Kim), their young daughter Ri-one (So Yul Choi), an antisocial neurodivergent cello prodigy, and their two friendly dogs.
Man-Su is suddenly laid off after 25 years of loyal service when an American company Moon Paper takes over his company and introduces AL and automation to cut operating costs. Desperate to maintain his family’s lifestyle and secure a new job in the paper industry, Man-su decides to eliminate his job competitors by murdering the top candidates who stand between him and a position at the new company. The film is a satirical exploration of corporate downsizing and the psychological toll of protracted unemployment. The movie blends dark humor with a sharp critique of modern capitalism.
Park Chan-wook spoke with Creative Screenwriting Magazine about turning this darkly funny and tragic novel into a hugely entertaining film.