Directed and written by Park Chan-wook, No Other Choice is a South Korean feature that blends black comedy, social drama, and thriller. It’s set to hit French theaters on February 11, 2026. Adapted from Donald Westlake’s novel The Cutter, the film stars Lee Byung-hun alongside Son Ye-jin and Park Hee-soon. The story explores themes of loss of status, economic violence, and the moral decline of an ordinary man.
Set against the backdrop of a paper mill and plush pavilions, the film follows You Man-su, a senior executive whose life appears perfectly stable. Loving husband, attentive father, owner of a comfortable home—he defines himself primarily through his social status. But when a sudden, brutal layoff shatters this equilibrium, his breakdown becomes both a personal and symbolic crisis. Unable to accept downward mobility, Man-su spirals into increasingly radical decisions in his desperate quest to reclaim what he believes is rightfully his.
Obsessed with finding new employment, he convinces himself that his only option in a fierce competition is to eliminate his rivals entirely. Director Park Chan-wook crafts a narrative where absurdity and cruelty fuel each other, revealing a troubled mind claiming to act in defense of his family, even as his actions threaten to destroy them.
No Other Choice marks the culmination of a long-standing project for Park Chan-wook. The Korean filmmaker took over twenty years to adapt Donald Westlake’s novel, previously brought to the screen by Costa-Gavras in 2005 as The Ax. Fascinated from his first read, Park saw in the story a perfect canvas to explore both the tumult within an individual and the social forces that crush him. He added a darker comedic tone—absent from the novel—to underscore the tragic absurdity of the protagonist’s choices.
This adaptation also reunites Park Chan-wook with Lee Byung-hun, after Joint Security Area and his segment in Three… Extremes. Visually, the director draws inspiration from unexpected sources: American cartoons from his childhood, noted for their incongruous visual humor. Man-su’s home, designed by production designer Ryu Seong-hie, combines references to French-style villas favored by Korea’s bourgeoisie in the 1970s and 1980s with brutalist elements, mirroring the complexity of his character.
Sound plays a crucial role, with a soundtrack recorded by the London Contemporary Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios, enriched by cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras. Visually, Park Chan-wook teams up again with director of photography Kim Woo-hyung, who previously collaborated on The Little Drummer Girl, employing perspective and moral distancing to engage viewers on a deeper level.
Blending icy satire with psychological drama, the film appeals to audiences drawn to bleak social narratives and corrosive black comedies. No Other Choice continues the director’s exploration of the violence embedded in modern systems, echoing his previous works, while embracing a more overtly comedic tone here.
No Other Choice
Film | 2026
Release in cinemas: February 11, 2026
Comedy, Drama, Thriller | Duration: 2h19
Directed by Park Chan-wook | Starring Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon
Original title: Eojjeolsuga eobsda
Country: South Korea
Not suitable for children under 12
Presented in competition at the Venice Film Festival 2025 and nominated three times for the Golden Globes 2026, No Other Choice extends Park Chan-wook’s meditation on moral dead-ends in the modern world—intertwining tension, irony, and social observation, always blending the personal with the political.
To continue the cinema experience, check out the February film releases, current must-see movies, and our list of year's most striking thrillers.
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