There’s always a choice, and that’s to see this stylish and artful movie.
We open with a family man in a rich house and a great family with the background feeling like a portrait of colors and trees. And that man closes that scene with: “I’ve got it all.” But I suspect it’s either a dream or a reality turned nightmare. I think it’s the second choice.
“No Other Choice” is the latest Korean entry from the genius Park Chan-wook, who continues to prove his worth in cinema. And in this film, his work here kind of reminds me of how I viewed independent films like “Irrational Man” and “Love Crime” as polar opposite versions of “Horrible Bosses.” Meaning, while Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis played dumb characters trying to commit crimes, these people are smart enough to figure out how to get away with them. But I think “No Other Choice” might have the would-be criminal making smart and dumb choices at the same time, and yet, it doesn’t resort to obvious or predictable conclusions.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
We meet Yoo Man-su (Lee Byung-hun), who has a loving family (Son Ye-jin as his wife Lee Mi-ri, Woo Seung Kim as his stepson Si-one, and So Yum Choi as their daughter Ri-one), a great childhood home, and a daughter who might have the potential to be a cello artist, if only her anti-social behavior didn’t threaten that. He also works a steady job at a paper factory (“Solar Paper”), until it gets bought out by American businessmen, who fire many employees including the. main protagonist himself. When trying to protest against them, one of the bad guys responds: “No other choice.” This resorts to the family downsizing, even selling his childhood home and their dogs to pay their bills.
I’m pretty sure there is an AppleTV series about a family man who loses his job and resorts to crime called “Your Friends and Neighbors.” It’s one of those Get Rich or Die Trying genres, as far as I’m concerned. But in “No Other Choice,” Man-su creates a fake paper company (“Red Pepper Paper”) to attract the attention of other businesses and receives two job applications from two men with better credentials than his. He may have to resort to murder on this one.
It’s very rare when we see a husband-wife argument, when he is dressed up as John Smith while she is Pocahontas. And they dress up like them because they went to a costume party, and their daughter loves “Pocahontas.” And how often do we get to see someone hide a gun under three sets of gloves? It’s all handled with levity, style, and attitude, and I can imagine if the Coen brothers tried to go for those approaches.
Sometimes, it can be a bit much with all these situations happening, but mostly, Chan-wook presents “No Other Choice” with many wise choices. What would a once-successful employee do if his company was bought out? How can he make ends meet? Would he resort to crime? And what would the emotional state of his family be set at? All this questions are answered by him, and he has a great vision.
We’re also able to listen to the supporting characters, who pop up, like one of Man-su’s targets Goo Beom-mo (Lee Sung-min) and his unfaithful wife Lee A-ra (Yeom Hye-ran). They’re not here to be random, but to also have a little character study about who they are and how they deal with whatever happens.
In certain hands, “No Other Choice” would have seemed desperate. But in the right hands, it knows how a desperate man would deal with his pathos in honest and wacky ways. And I think potted plants and gardening might contribute to that.
In Select Theaters Christmas Day
