Park Chan-wook is known for directing 2003’s Oldboy, a South Korean film that featured the chaotic and visceral hallway fight scene, inspiring films like John Wick, shows like Netflix’s Daredevil, and video games like Sifu. This year, Park has a new film, No Other Choice, starring Lee Byung-hun (KPop Demon Hunters, GI Joe) as a family man desperate for a new job that ends in death and chaos.

“In the world of art, everyone influences the other person, and they’re also influenced by others as well,” Mr. Park tells Nerd Reactor. “You could also call art a history of influences and relationships. So I, myself, have also been influenced by literary works and other films. So I think this whole process has been taking massive steps toward what I have also gained from other works.”

No Other Choice is based on The Ax by Donald Westlake, a horror thriller about a paper company manager who is laid off and seeks to hunt down the seven men who have the potential to take a job he’s after.

“The reason I initially read the original novel was because this was the same writer behind one of my favorite movies, Point Blank,” the director explained. “But going into the novel, I expected this very cool film noir, but unexpectedly, I discovered the potential for humor. That was my first thought upon reading this book was that I could make this into a very funny movie.

“My second thought was that I wanted to incorporate this change from the novel, which is that the family of the main character finds out about what this main character has been up to. So that element, added with the humor that I already mentioned, would lead to a greater tragedy.”

About No Other Choice

Synopsis: From director Park Chan-wook and based on Donald E. Westlake’s novel THE AX, the story follows Man-su on his desperate hunt for a new job after his abrupt layoff from the paper company he served for 25 years.

The film is directed by Park Chan-Wook and written by Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar and Jahye Lee. It’s produced by Park Chan-wook and Back Jisun.

The cast includes Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran and Cha Seung-won.

No Other Choice releases in U.S. theaters on December 25, 2025.