Lee Byung-hun in Park Chan-wook’s ‘No Other Choice’ Full US Trailer
by Alex Billington
October 8, 2025
Source: YouTube
“Losing my job is not my choice!” Neon has reveled the main official US trailer for the terrific dark comedy titled No Other Choice from masterful Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, his latest entertaining extra dark creation since making Decision to Leave back in 2022 (one of my faves). No Other Choice is the title of his new one, which is based on the 1997 novel called “The Ax” written by Donald Westlake. Fully reinvented into a Korean fable of a man who loses his job and doesn’t know what to do. A fresh murderous tale from one of the great Korean masters of dark & depraved thrills! Here’s the intro to this sneaky setup: After being laid off and unemployed for several years, a man devises a unique plan to finally secure a new job: eliminate his competition. This stars Lee Byung-hun as Man-soo, with Son Ye-jin, Yeom Hye-ran, Park Hee-soon, Yoo Yeon-seok, and Cha Seung-won. This premiered at the 2025 Venice Film Festival and it also played at TIFF & NYFF, earning rave reviews from some critics, although I’m a bit more mixed on this one. Still – this is absolutely one Korean film that is entirely worth watching when it opens at the end of the year.
Here’s the official US trailer (+ Korean posters) for Park Chan-wook’s film No Other Choice, via YouTube:
You can rewatch the teaser trailer for Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice right here for the first look again.
Park Chan-wook’s new film No Other Choice is based on the 1997 novel “The Ax” from Donald Westlake. The story follows a man named Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun) who is abruptly laid off by the paper company where he worked tirelessly for many years. He grows increasingly desperate in his hunt for new work, and eventually he comes to a certain decision about how to handle the competition in the community. No Other Choice is directed by master Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, director of many films including Joint Security Area, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Lady Vengeance, I’m a Cyborg But That’s OK, Thirst, Stoker, The Handmaiden, and Decision to Leave previously, and also the series “The Little Drummer Girl” and “The Sympathizer” most recently. The screenplay is also written by Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee, and Don McKellar. Based on the book “The Ax” written by Donald E. Westlake. Produced by Park Chan-wook. This first premiered at the 2025 Venice Film Festival and also played at TIFF & NYFF; it opened in Korean cinemas in September. Neon releases Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice film in select US theaters on December 25th, 2025, on Christmas Day, later this year – wide in January. Want to watch?