NO OTHER CHOICE

This sets the scene for the final blow, as Man-su absolutely bombs his interview at the paper company Moon Paper. Trailing after Moon Paper manager Seon-chul (Park Hee-soon, TV's 'The Judge Returns') in a post-interview frenzy, he almost follows through with an impromptu attempt at killing him by dropping a nearby potted plant on his head, before being spotted by the plant's owner. One thwarted attempt is not enough to deter Man-Su, however. In fact, it inspires him to develop a new strategy to get the role at the paper company – kill the competition. He determines that he would be the third candidate in line for Seon-chul's role if he wound up dead. So, Man-su sets out to kill the other two candidates, drunkard Beom-mo (Lee Sung-min, 'Handsome Guys') and shoe salesman Si-jo (Cha Seung-won, TV's 'The Tyrant'), as well as Seon-chul himself. By any means necessary.

'No Other Choice' is a beautiful film. The signature elements of a Park feature – masterful camera and editing work are present. I'm talking about conversations shot through the reflection of phone screens in ways you wouldn't imagine are possible – a testament to his work and that of cinematographer Kim Woo-hyung. If his film prior to this one, 'Decision to Leave', had no fans, I'm dead. Murdered by a potted plant, perhaps. What I'm saying is, Park is undoubtedly a master at work, and watching him prove that time and time again on the big screen is a joy.

Unlike Park's other films, however, the script struggles to keep up with the other elements at play. The movie bends under the weight of a 139-minute run time, and I felt it. While darkly comedic and entertaining, I felt lethargic as the film drove towards the end, with Man-su picking off his competition one-by-one.

But perhaps 'No Other Choice' is truly the movie for our times, as we trudge towards the distant future in a similar way. With a final shot set to the isolating, churning sounds of newly self-operated machinery, Park Chan-wook asks us what truly matters at the place where you spend upwards of 40 hours a week in human connection.