Park Chan-wook is one of the most iconic directors to ever come out of South Korea. 2003’s Oldboy is considered by many to be a masterpiece and Park has continued to garner acclaim since then. Soon, he will return with No Other Choice, the third movie he’s directed in the past decade, following 2016’s The Handmaiden and 2022’s Decision To Leave.
No Other Choice is a Korean production, but at least one of its stars should be recognizable to US viewers: Lee Byung-hun, who has carved out an American acting career for himself and portrayed the big Squid Game villain, the Front Man. He also had a voice role in the recent Netflix mega-hit KPop Demon Hunters.
Ahead of the film’s release, keep reading for everything you need to know before it hits theaters.
Plot
An official synopsis reads, “When a man is abruptly laid off by the paper company where he has worked tirelessly for many years, he grows increasingly desperate in his hunt.”
At a press event, Son Ye-jin spoke about how a recent life change helped prepare her for her role, saying, “This was my first project after giving birth. It helped me. I think the real-life experience is incomparable to anything else, and my appearance with the child felt natural. […] It’s the image of a positive mother who wants to take responsibility for her family. So it was easy to immerse myself in the role.”
Cast
The movie is led by Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, Cha Seung-won, and Yoo Yeon-seok.
At the aforementioned press event, Son discussed her chemistry with Lee Byung-hun, saying, “The chemistry on set was so good that it felt like the scenes ended too quickly, making me feel sad that it was over.” Lee added, “I felt the same way. I had only seen Ye-jin’s works before, and this was the first time we collaborated. She performed with such detail, even more than I had imagined for [her character, Lee Miri].”
Release Date
The film is set for a South Korean release on September 24, while a North American release date has yet to be confirmed. But, Neon secured the film’s North American rights a few months ago, so a US release is coming.
Trailer
Check out the No Other Choice teaser trailer below.
