Teaser Trailer for Park Chan-wook’s ‘No Other Choice’ Dark Comedy
by Alex Billington
July 22, 2025
Source: YouTube
“In America, getting fired is called ‘getting the axe’… We say, ‘it’s your neck.'” Surprise – Neon has unveiled a teaser trailer for the new Korean dark comedy from the brilliant Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, his latest feature film since making Decision to Leave back in 2022. No Other Choice is the title of his new one, which is based on the 1997 novel called “The Ax” written by Donald Westlake. A fresh new murderous tale from one of the great Korean masters of dark & depraved thrills! Here’s the quick 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. Starring Lee Byung-hun as Man-soo, along with Son Ye-jin, Yeom Hye-ran, Park Hee-soon, Yoo Yeon-seok, and Cha Seung-won. This first teaser + magnificent new poster are debuting just after it was revealed that the film is premiering at the 2025 Venice Film Festival in just a few months. All this early footage looks fantastic so far, as expected from the master Park Chan-wook. Plenty of intriguing shots hinting at how he’ll approach following Man-soo down this dark path. Can’t wait.
Here’s the first teaser trailer (+ poster) for Park Chan-wook’s film No Other Choice, from YouTube:
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. It’s expected to premiered at the 2025 Venice Film Festival and other fests this fall. Neon debuts No Other Choice in select theaters sometime later in 2025 – stay tuned for an exact date. Who’s in?