No Other Choice is a South Korean Film that follows a man (Man Soo) who loses his job. Most people job hunt until they find another, Man Soo gives up on that idea when he realizes he won’t be able to keep up and provide for his family in the same way he’s been doing for the past 25 years. For 25 years, Man Soo has worked at the Solar Paper Factory. He was the best at his job, earning the company’s Pulp Award for it. Then one day, he finds out he’s been laid off.
Man Soo comes up with a plan to get his spot back by removing whoever is in his way… permanently.
If you’ve been keeping up with this blog, by now you should be able to tell I love a film/series/show that criticizes society. Because what? Society is usually wrong. And No Other Choice does just that, but with a comedic thrill. It’s a smooth watch that’ll hold your attention all the way through.
I absolutely LOVED the screenplay and direction of this film. They were able to make you root for a man committing heinous crimes, even wanting him to succeed in his wrong doings because deep down he’s just a family man looking to provide for his family.
One of the film’s strongest elements is its use of dialogue. There were multiple scenes where the dialogue had double meaning but were able to blend them seamlessly together. They also did that with the visuals too, the characters would be at two different locations/scenes, but they would put them on the screen at the same time and they would blend seamlessly into each other as well. So unique.
Also, I think No Other Films set a world record for using the film’s title so much in the screenplay/script. I’ve never watched a film that said the films titles as much as this film. Some don’t even use say the title in the film at all.
Ok so I have this “what if?” idea on what I think would like made the movie even better/a straight 10. First I want to start off by saying, Son Ye-Jin did a phenomenal job at portraying Man Soo’s wife. Like she did excellent, though what would’ve upped it a notch and gave it an extra pizzazz is if, Mi-Ri was played by Lee Min-jung, Lee Byung-hun’s (the man who plays Man Soo in this film) real life wife. Hear me out: I’ve seen Lee Min-jung play a character very similar to Mi Ri, and she did it very well. So she would’ve nailed that character plus her being Lee Byung-hun’s wife would’ve brought that real life wife and husband chemistry/spark… and it would’ve also have made the film buzz even more.
But they seem to like to have a private life, and I respect that… but a girl can only conceptualize right? Get it? Like “but a girl can only dream” never mind.
Anyways, that was my review of No Other Choice
Wait, I forgot to add that this movie reminded me or parasite. It felt like it could be a sequel.