No Other Choice is a 2025 South Korean satirical black comedy thriller, co-written and directed by Park Chan-wook, based on the 1997 American novel The Ax by Donald Westlake. It had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in August and was released in the UK today, Friday 23 January.

Yoo Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) is a senior papermaker of 25 years standing, working for Solar Paper. He has purchased his childhood home, where he Lives in relative luxury with his beautiful homemaker wife Lee Mi-ri, (Son Ye-jin), their two children, and their two dogs. However, this ideal life is brought to an abrupt end when Solar Paper is bought-out by an American conglomerate, and Man-su is made redundant. He sets himself the target of finding new employment in the paper industry within three months, however thirteen months have gone by, and he is box-shifting in a warehouse for peanuts. When appropriate jobs are advertised, which is rare, there are always other unemployed ex-papermakers who seem better qualified for the positions.

Man-su needs to change the structure of this small specialist labour market to put himself in pole position when the next job comes along. He needs a plan. And what a plan he comes up with! You see the precise moment when the idea comes together in his head – it is a rather wonderful moment! And so this macabre, though often hilarious, satire on the state of the corporate world begins.

What makes this such a great film is that Man-su is entirely unequipped to put into action his own plan, but is determined to do so, regardless. This leads to the most outrageous situations, sometimes farcical, often verging on slapstick, but always fuelled by the desperation of his situation, as he sees it.

I should come clean here – I also worked in the paper industry for (almost) 25 years, although not as a papermaker – my job was to count the profits (FD) – so even looking at the papermaking machinery brings back memories for me.

No Other Choice is very dark, very violent, and very, very funny. I have no hesitation in recommending it, unless dark and violent puts you off, in which case Director Park’s work is probably not for you anyway.