The forthcoming South Korean black comedy thriller No Other Choice, starring Squid Game‘s Lee Byung-hun, has revealed an extended new trailer. Directed by Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden) and based on the American novel Ax by Donald Westlake, the movie follows a man struggling to find a new job to support his family, who is driven to “eliminate his competition.”
No Other Choice had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in August 2025 and opened the Busan International Film Festival in September, before being released theatrically in South Korea. It will have a limited release in the U.S. on Christmas Day (the same as Marty Supreme and The Testament of Ann Lee) before a wide release in January 2026.
No Other Choice is also South Korea’s official submission for the 2026 Oscars, to compete in the Best International Film category against the likes of It Was Just an Accident and Sentimental Value. No Other Choice also stars Crash Landing on You‘s Son Ye-jin, as well as Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, and Cha Seung-won. See the movie’s new trailer below:
The trailer reveals more of the circumstances surrounding the central family following Lee’s character losing his job, as well as some of the comedic beats (the film is described as a satirical black comedy as well as a thriller). It also further emphasizes the financial desperation underlying the narrative, thus making it a potential companion piece to Squid Game.
Reviews for No Other Choice suggest it could become a late crowd-pleaser in North America, with fan-favorite K-drama stars Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin bringing it good publicity. Its perfect Rotten Tomatoes score will probably drop off eventually, but this is still a solid indicator that this is a rare, truly brilliant movie that theatergoers and critics alike will adore.
No Other Choice will probably see a modest turnout at the box office in North America, but its small budget and previous release in South Korea mean that it doesn’t need to make that much money to break even. And yet, I still see a chance that good word-of-mouth could turn this into an absolute runaway smash hit.
Neon previously distributed the Best Picture winner and generation-defining film Parasite; the company now distributing another South Korean thriller with extremely favorable early reviews is not something that should be ignored. Right now, it seems like No Other Choice can’t possibly compete with the many fantastic movies from 2025 — but it might just upend awards season yet.
- Release Date
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September 24, 2025
- Runtime
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139 minutes
- Director
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Park Chan-wook
- Writers
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Park Chan-wook, Donald E. Westlake, Lee Ja-hye, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar
- Producers
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Michèle Ray-Gavras, Back Ji-sun, Alexandre Gavras
