The reviews are rolling in for Park Chan-wook‘s latest, No Other Choice, which debuted this evening at the Venice Film Festival.
Loosely based on the novel The Ax by Donald E. Westlake, No Other Choice follows a middle-aged man named Man-su who embarks on a determined job hunt after being unexpectedly fired from the paper company that he worked for 25 years. Neon has domestic rights and Mubi has a host of international territories.
Park directed from a script written with Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar and Jahye Lee. Lee Byung-hun (I Saw the Devil) and Son Yejin (The Last Princess) lead a cast that also includes Park Hee-soon (My Name), Lee Sung-min (The Spy Gone North), Yeom Hye-ran (The Glory), Cha Seung-won (Believer) and Yoo Yeon-seok (Mr. Sunshine).
The film is probably the best reviewed movie of the festival so far, with most critics swooning.
Deadline’s Damon Wise says the “jet-black comedy” showcases lead Lee Byung-hun “in his most revelatory role to date”: “We always knew Lee could do action, but here he proves his worth as a comedy natural, a surprise slapstick master whose presence is an anarchic fusion of Mads Mikkelsen and Buster Keaton.”
He adds: “It loses some steam towards the end, indulging the trend for multiple endings that Korean cinema has never quite gotten over, and it isn’t quite as satisfying as his majestic, perverse 2022 thriller Decision to Leave (which was inexplicably snubbed by the Academy that year). It is, however, fantastic fun, an endlessly surprising ensemble piece that’s best approached cold.”
Time Out gives the film five stars out of five, trumpeting: “With humour blacker than black bean noodles, the film is a masterful work of cinema which might well be Chan-wook’s masterpiece. And given this is the man who directed The Handmaiden and Snowpiercer that’s saying a lot.”
The Guardian gives the film four out of five stars, calling it a “sensational state-of-the-nation satire” and “continually surprising”.
Awardswatch gives the film a B+ score, saying Park Chan-wook reminds us why he’s one of the best in the game”: “No Other Choice feels like a quintessentially Korean movie: nervous about what happens when the family structure breaks down, skeptical about American hegemony, still haunted by its damaging wars with the North and a failure to reach a common understanding.”
Screen International’s review is behind a paywall but the trade calls the film “a darkly comic treat”, while Indiewire awards the film a lofty A- score, describing it as a “brilliant, bloody, and bleakly hilarious capitalism satire.”
Next Best Picture also raved about the movie: “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.”
Fickfeast wrote: “This wicked tale is hilarious, heartfelt, and horrifying in equal measure. No Other Choice leaves you with simply that. No other choice than to catch Park Chan-wook’s latest magnum opus.”
Producers included Park and Back Jisun of Moho Film, as well as Michèle Ray Gavras and Alexandre Gavras of KG Productions. Miky Lee exec produced for CJ Group, and CJ ENM financed the project, which is currently in post.
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