No Other Choice at Luna

No Other Choice
Photo Credit: ©CJ ENM_8

My first introduction to a Park Chan-Wook film was a few years ago at the Perth Festival where I watched Decision to Leave - a slow burn crime noir at the UWA Somerville.

Hence, I was looking forward to watching No Other Choice with my partner as we walked down Oxford St towards Luna Leederville.

Interestingly, the film No Other Choice is based on a horror thriller novel titled The Ax by author Donald E. Westlake, based on the stories of friends who experienced corporate redundancies.

Park’s style is distinctive, and in No Other Choice the key character Man-su (played by actor Lee Byung-hun) is on a desperate hunt for a new job after being retrenched from the paper company that he has worked at for the last 25 years.

His perfect family, beloved family house and the lifestyle he has worked so hard to achieve are all under threat of being lost, so Man-su devises a brutal plan that is not without some challenges along the way.

Layered throughout No Other Choice are key themes of societal cultural values and the associated fanaticism with bettering others in the quest for materialism at all costs, and how important status in society is considered to be and how you are treated when your status is eroded by a downfall. 

The script is cleverly crafted as it unfolds over the course of the 2 hours – unravelling the story a bit at a time. We feel Man-su’s pain acutely throughout as he deals with his issues and attempts to execute his radical plan to save his world.

No Other Choice is a bit dark, a bit quirky, a bit offbeat – the interesting narrative and interactions of the characters are rolled into a slow burn that keeps smouldering away – and leaves a lasting impression of what a man will resort to when he is under threat  - right to the end as the credits roll at the end of the movie.

The actors are all top notch - Man-su’s wife’s Miri (played by actress Son Ye-jin) was a resolutely strong and smart character – she took charge right away, and quietly supported her husband – being very well aware of what he was up to!

And as a dog lover, special mention must also be made of the two beautiful Golden Retrievers in the film - Ri-too and Si-too, who acted their parts beautifully as part of the perfect family.

Movie goers will enjoy No Other Choice if you like a good satire and some laugh out loud moments with a good dose of darkly ironic humour.

No Other Choice opens at Luna on 15 January.

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