No Other Choice (2026)
Film Details
Director: Park Chan-Wook
Run Time: 2hr 19m
Cast: Lee Byung-Hun, Son Ye-Jin, Park Hee-Son, Lee Sung-Min, Yeom Hye-Ran, Cha Seung-Won
Synopsis
Laid off from the company that he has spent 25 years of his life working for, a man goes to desperate measures to eliminate the competition in his field
My Review
Park Chan-Wook, and Korean cinema in general, masterfully tackle themes of inequality, capitalism and social expectations through the heightened extremes of their often satire plot points and the director continues that run of form here too. No Other Choice is a wild journey that thrives in the desperate chaos induced by its lead character Man-Soo, portrayed by the brilliant Lee Byung-Hun who is incredibly unfortunate to miss out on a best actor nomination this year. But what struck me most was the cinematography and editing, which was incredibly creative and injected so much life into each and every frame. The way they executed transitions and long distance communication between characters was simply brilliant, it harnessed the chaotic tension and ensured it never let up through the crucial moments of the movie. Before I conclude, I would also like to credit Cho Young-Wuk’s musical score which not only matched the intensity but balanced playfulness with horror perfectly!
The fact No Other Choice has attracted 0 nominations is quite astounding, even by the Academy’s standard. It would have my vote for best editing and deserved a nomination in the following categories too:
- Best Actor
- Best Cinematography
- Best Musical Score
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