Job hunting is the worst. It’s stressful, dehumanizing, and painfully competitive. Everyone’s fighting for the same role. But what if there wasn’t anyone else in the running? What if… you could make the other applicants disappear? To that end, Neon has released the new trailer for No Other Choice, the latest film from South Korean master Park Chan-wook (Oldboy).
No Other Choice stars Lee Byung-hun (I Saw the Devil) as You Man-su, a devoted family man who is unexpectedly laid off from the paper company he has worked at for 25 years. After being humiliated in interviews and desperate to land another job, he quickly spirals and resolves to restore his dignity and ensure his family’s future by… killing his fellow job-seekers. I suppose that’s one way to go about it.
In addition to Lee Byung-hun, No Other Choice also stars Son Ye-jin (A Moment to Remember), Park Hee-soon (My Name), Lee Sung-min (The Spy Gone North), Yeom Hye-ran (The Glory), Cha Seung-won (Believer 1&2), and Yoo Yeon-seok (Mr. Sunshine).
The film is based on The Ax, the 1997 novel by Donald Westlake. Here’s the synopsis of the novel: “Burke Devore is a middle-aged manager at a paper company when the cost-cutting ax falls, and he is laid off. Eighteen months later and still unemployed, he puts a new spin on his job search — with agonizing care, Devore finds the seven men in the surrounding area who could take the job that rightfully should be his and systematically kills them. Transforming himself from mild-mannered middle manager to ruthless murderer, he discovers skills he never knew he had — and that come to him far too easily.“
Mixing dark comedy, biting satire, and Park Chan-wook’s trademark brand of stylish brutality, the No Other Choice trailer looks like a blast — and it’s got me curious just how far Yoo Man-su is willing to go to get hired.
No Other Choice premiered at the Venice International Film Festival to rave reviews. It debuted in South Korea last month, again earning critical acclaim and giving Park Chan-wook the biggest opening of his career. The film is also sitting at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, which the trailer has made sure to note. Neon will release the film in select theaters on Christmas Day, before rolling it out wide in January.
