‘No Other Choice’ Trailer: Park Chan-Wook’s Acclaimed Thriller Arrives This Christmas

Auteur filmmaker Park Chan-Wook is back with his latest thriller, “No Other Choice,” led by Lee Byung-hun (“I Saw The Devil”) as Man-su, the disturbed protagonist, as the pic is heading to the big screen later in the year, and domestic distributor NEON has dropped a new trailer highlighting the limited holiday release.

Others among the cast of “No Other Choice” include Son Yejin, Park Hee Soon, Lee Sung Min, Yeom Hye Ran, and Cha Seung Won, with a script penned by Chan-Wook, Lee Kyoung-Mi, Don McKellar, and Jahye Lee.

The pic, adapted from the Donald E. Westlake (Creator of the Parker books like “Point Blank”) novel “The Ax,” already boasts an impressive 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, which reflects on the Korean director’s flair for accessible genre projects, with previous efforts such as “Oldboy” and “Decision to Leave” getting similar reactions. This comes after the movie hit the festival circuit with screenings at the Venice Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, and, most recently, part of the lineup being shown at the New York Film Festival.

READ MORE: ‘No Other Choice’ Review: Park Chan-Wook Draws Blood & Belly Laughs In Black Comedy About Layoffs [Venice]

A logline for the upcoming thriller:

Man-su, a specialist in paper manufacturing with 25 years of experience, is so satisfied with life that he can truthfully tell himself, “I’ve got it all.” While happily passing his days with his wife Miri, their two children, and two dogs, Man-su is suddenly informed by his company that he has been fired. “We’re sorry. We have no other choice.” Feeling as if his head has been severed by an axe, Man-su vows to find a new job within the next three months for the sake of his family. Despite his firm resolve to turn his life around, Man-su spends over a year drifting from one job interview to another, eventually working in a retail store. He finds himself in danger of losing the very house he struggled so hard to buy. Desperate, he visits Moon Paper unannounced and tries to hand over his CV, only to be humiliated by line manager Sun-chul. Man-su knows he is more qualified than anyone to work at Moon Paper, so he comes to a certain decision: If there is no opening for me, I’ll just have to get hired by creating an opening.

You can watch the trailer for ‘No Other Choice” below as the pic arrives in theaters on Christmas Day in limited release before going wide in January. Also, The Playlist’s review from our Venice coverage can be read right here.