“No Other Choice” Is a Darkly Funny Look at Desperation and Job Loss

Genres – Thriller, Dark Comedy
Director – Park Chan-wook
Writers – (Screenplay) – Park Chan-wook. Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar, Lee Ja-hye – (Based On) The Ax by Donald Westlake
Cast – Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, and Cha Seung-won
Runtime – 139 Minutes
My Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Where to watch/stream No Other Choice

No Other Choice is funny, tense, emotional, and occasionally uncomfortable, but in the best possible way.

You have to love Park Chan-wook, don’t you?

Plot Summary of No Other Choice (Spoiler-Free)

No Other Choice follows Yoo Man-su, a hardworking middle-class man living a relatively stable life in South Korea, where he owns the house he grew up in, supports his wife Lee Mi-ri and their two kids, and even has two golden retrievers.

On paper, life looks perfect, until he gets laid off from his factory job along with a bunch of other workers.

The film tracks Man-su’s life after this event, exploring the pressures of unemployment, the desperation that sets in when bills pile up, and the sometimes questionable choices people make when they feel backed into a corner.

What starts as a realistic depiction of someone grappling with job loss gradually spirals into a series of increasingly audacious, sometimes outrageous, attempts to regain stability.

No Other Choice: Is It Worth Watching?

No Other Choice is a wild ride, as it’s dark, funny, tense, and occasionally uncomfortable, and yet it somehow lands perfectly in all of those moments.

From the very first scenes, you find yourseld invested in Man-su’s life – his home, family, and routine – and you will also probably find yourself worrying about him, which is impressive, because a factory worker losing his job doesn’t usually scream “edge-of-your-seat entertainment.”

The thing that got me right away is how believable everything feels, as even the absurd or extreme choices Man-su makes later in the story are grounded in a very real, very human place, where uou can almost hear the little voice in his head saying, “I have no other choice,” which is exactly the point of the film.

Lee Byung-hun’s performance is phenomenal and the real highlight of it, as he nails the mix of anxiety, frustration, pride, and desperation that defines Man-su, and watching him try to hold himself together, sometimes with barely a mask of composure, is more gripping than it has any right to be.

And the chemistry between him and Son Ye-jin, who plays his wife, Lee Mi-ri, is fantastic too, where uou can feel the tension, love, and occasional exasperation between them, and their dynamic make their struggles hit like a punch in the gut.

Chan-wook’s direction is another highlight, and he has a way of making tense or dark moments almost funny without undermining their impact, as there’s this rhythm to the movie where a scene will hit you with some heavy, stressful reality, and then a moment of dark humor sneaks in, and it all works wonderfully well.

The cinematography on show is also consistently impressive, and some shots are slow, lingering, and perfectly framed to make you feel the weight of Man-su’s life, while others are quick, frantic, capturing the chaos as his decisions escalate.

You can tell a lot of thought went into how the story is told visually, and it adds to the tension, humor, and pacing of the film in a very positive sense.

No Other Choise also attempts to tackle bigger themes without ever hitting you over the head with them, because it’s not a lecture on the economy, unemployment, or automation, but it is there, subtly shaping the story, where uou see how a loss of work affects family life, social status, mental health, and even morality.

The humor, by the way, is pretty pitch-perfect. and perfectly timed to release tension, as there are moments where you will laugh and immediately feel guilty because the scene was otherwise heavy.

It’s tricky to pull that off normally, but it does it effortlessly, as it keeps you on your toes, never quite sure if the next scene will make you cringe, laugh, or want to throw something at the screen.

If there’s a minor gripe, it’s that the movie occasionally veers into territory so dark or wild that it’s hard to imagine a “normal” person making those choices, but that’s also part of its charm – it pushes boundaries and keeps you rooting for a character who makes some questionable choices but is undeniably human, as this is a film that works on multiple levels.

It’s suspenseful and dark, but also funny and, at times, absurd in the best way, and it’s realistic enough to be relatable, but bold enough to keep you guessing.

Not often a film will really stick with me, but No Other Choice certainly did that.

What I liked (And What I Didn’t like)

Pros

Incredible lead performance

Lee Byung-hun nails Man-su’s anxiety, desperation, and moral struggle.

Strong chemistry between leads

The dynamic between Man-su and Lee Mi-ri adds a lot of emotional depth.

Dark humor done right

It makes you laugh at moments that are stressful or grim, perfectly balancing tones.

Realistic depiction of unemployment

Even with extreme choices, the pressures feel real if you have been in that situation.

The visuals

Cinematography and framing are consistently strong.

Tight editing

Scenes flow naturally, keeping pacing engaging even when the plot spirals.

Emotional resonance

The film makes you really care about the characters, even when they are making some questionable choices.

Cons

Some choices are extreme

Man-su occasionally does things most people probably wouldn’t.

Limited backstory

Some characters could use more background to fully understand their motivations.

Who might like No Other Choice

• Fans of dark comedy with emotional depth
• Anyone interested in character-driven stories
• If you have experienced job loss or financial stress
• People who enjoy unpredictable plots
• Those who like films mixing humor and tension
• Fans of Lee Byung-hun or Son Ye-jin
• People who appreciate strong visual storytelling

Who might dislike No Other Choice

• Anyone who prefers lighthearted comedies
• Those uncomfortable with morally gray characters
• People who dislike dark humor
• Viewers expecting a straightforward “feel-good” story
• If you want slow, meditative pacing
• Anyone who prefers predictable or safe storylines

Final Verdict: Did I Enjoy Watching No Other Choice?

No Other Choice is funny, tense, emotional, and sometimes uncomfortable, but in the best possible way.

It’s a rare mix of heart, humor, and tension, with performances, storytelling, and visuals that all work together seamlessly.

If you’re ready for a film that will make you think, feel, and maybe laugh at situations that are both terrible and relatable, this is for you.

No Other Choice Trailer

Simon Leasher

A lover of cinema for over 35 years, I have watched many films from around the world in many different genres, yet I still normally always come back to trashy slasher horror films when in doubt. More

And yes, The Godfather 2 is better than The Godfather.