Park Chan-wook’s ‘ No Other Choice ‘ had its world premiere at Venice’s Sala Grande, where the film earned a 6-8 minute standing ovation. The official festival listings place the title on the Venice 82 competition slate, highlighting its early Golden Lion ambitions from its first public screening.
Critics weigh in
Trade coverage highlighted the film’s unpredictability and Lee Byung-Hun’s surprising flair for slapstick comedy and black comedy, with some calling it the festival’s most widely panned premiere to date. Detailed reviews highlighted Park’s balance of menace and unflinching wit, noting a propulsive first half and carefully crafted tonal control that invites discovery with minimal foreshadowing.
Story, source and ensemble
Loosely adapted from Donald E. Westlake’s “Axe,” the story follows Man-Su, a veteran of a paper company that’s been in decline for 25 years, whose increasingly desperate quest for a pay rise hardens into drastic measures as the job market tightens. The cast includes Lee Byung-Hun, Son Ye-Jin, Park Hee-Soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-Ran, Cha Seung-Won, and Yoo Yeon-Seok, consolidating a marquee of talent under Park’s precision-crafted direction in 139 minutes.
Themes and festival path
The press briefing project was conceived as two decades in the making, and at the forefront of the park is the sharpened significance of job insecurity in an age marked by automation and AI, a lens that obscures the moral calculus of satire. Post-Evenice plans laid out a high-visibility festival itinerary, including a Busan Night Pier and a North American exposure via Toronto and New York, supported by distribution from Neon (North America) and Mubi across key international territories.
