No Other Choice feels like a bit of a departure for Park Chan-wook, known in the west mostly for violent revenge crime like his Revenge Trilogy and the classic Oldboy. There is still a bit of violence here, and the premise itself is rather violent, the film leans far more into the back comedy than his previous works like the outstanding recent works Decision to Leave and The Handmaiden. My only complaint is that his dive into humour sometimes borders on the absurd, slapstick. But No Other Choice is biting satire, highlighting the harms of late stage capitalism, and the cruelty of economic competition in our faces. Underneath all the comedy is a profound sadness.
Fast forward to the end of No Other Choice, I found myself quite unsettled. Its hard to exist in this era without seeing and feeling the effects of our economic system's failures, but the strength of this film is the way it makes it visceral. As the beautiful credit sequence began (Park has crafted something visually stunning, yet again), I was reflecting with some dread on the state of our world.
What didn't work for me was the humour. This is more a personal style thing but the comedy went too far into the ludicrous for my tastes. Its almost cartoony silliness sapped some of the pathos for me and I would have preferred a subtler, more balanced tone with the darker elements of the story. My other complaint is that the story lurches a bit in its narrative. Our hero's plan just sort of comes from no where and his steps don't always make a lot of logic sense. Yes he's bumbling, which does make sense, but if sometimes feels like its not clear what he's trying to do and that set pieces are set up more for their comedic potential than to drive the plot forward.
Having said that No Other Choice remains a delightful watch. Especially strong is Son Ye-jin who brought a bit more understatement to her performance than a lot of the scenery chewing that the rest of the cast was doing. It is was in the film's quietest moments that I found myself the most engaged. For example there is a little speech by a shoe salesman that is down right heart breaking, especially in light of the fate we know he is facing.
Overall No Other Choice is a fascinating film that, while it didn't always hit for me, was entertaining left with me reflecting on a lot as I left the cinema.
No Other Choice
Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin
Director: Park Chan-wook
Writers: Don McKellar, Lee Kyoung-mi, Lee Ja-hye, Park Chan-wook
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