Park Chan-wook's 'No Other Choice': Venice Film Festival Reactions and Early Buzz
Reactions to the upcoming Korean film, 'No Other Choice,' at the Venice Film Festival.
Park Chan-wook is undeniably a master filmmaker.
He is a self-proclaimed master, and along with Director Bong Joon-ho, one of the most internationally recognized Korean directors. He has been actively working in Hollywood, even creating the film 'Stoker.' However, his main stomping ground is, of course, South Korea. This time, he's brought a project he's long wanted to do: 'No Other Choice.'
He originally wanted to make it earlier, but he couldn't secure the level of production costs he wanted. Now, he's finally been able to make it. With a star-studded cast including Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin, it premiered at the Venice Film Festival and is receiving positive reviews. It is scheduled for release in Korea on Wednesday, September 24th, which is sooner than expected.
It seems the plan is to release it at the end of September and attract audiences through the Chuseok holiday.
I will definitely be watching it on opening day. I like Director Park Chan-wook's films, and 'No Other Choice' is a movie with my favorite, brutal subject matter. However, contrary to rumors, there are no overly violent scenes or highly explicit scenes. I expected as much, as it's rated for ages 15 and up.
Meta Score: 88/11 Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% Tomatometer/17 Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Top Critic Reviews:
'No Other Choice' is not only Park Chan-wook's funniest film but also his most human. That's quite an achievement considering it's a violent comedy.
Whatever flaws there may be in this film's execution, the fact remains that even a mediocre Park Chan-wook film contains more than many other directors' best works.
With humor as black as black bean noodles, this film is an outstanding work that could become Park Chan-wook's masterpiece. That's a great compliment considering it's from the director who made 'The Handmaiden.'
The blend of social criticism and quirky violence isn't quite as good as Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite,' but it's still thrilling.
'No Other Choice' is certainly very funny, but it also movingly deals with the desperation of the long-term unemployed and the unnecessary cruelty of the corporate world. It is also a warning.
Another piece of evidence that Park Chan-wook may be the most elegant film director alive has been added.
While this may not be Park Chan-wook's best work, it is currently the best of the competition entries at the Venice Film Festival so far.
It's a rare film that makes you feel empathy for the protagonist, but doesn't make you cheer for his actions, and Lee Byung-hun's flexible acting as Mansu plays a key role in maintaining Director Park Chan-wook's tragic yet comedic atmosphere.
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Overexcitement
Currently, the domestic media is even looking forward to the Golden Lion Award, but I think this is an attitude to be wary of. Not all of the films in the competition have been revealed yet, and there has never been a good precedent for being so excited. In the past, there were rumors in the media that Director Lee Chang-dong's film 'Burning' could also receive the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, but it ended up empty-handed.
After all, film festivals are given by the judges as they please, so it's impossible to predict in the first place.
I don't know if it's an overwhelmingly good work, but looking at the reactions to the movie 'No Other Choice,' I don't see any stories of it being such a masterpiece. It's a film by Director Park Chan-wook and it's worth watching, but it doesn't feel like a movie that's worth getting excited about. Of course, I'm going to watch it in theaters no matter what.
Still, it's much more reassuring than having a lot of negative reactions.
Now all that's left is to see it in theaters. Personally, because it's a Lee Byung-hun movie, I think it will easily surpass 3 million viewers in Korea. It's a combination of Director Park Chan-wook and actor Lee Byung-hun, so I think North American distributor Neon will join the Oscar race to get it nominated for an Oscar. I hope it wins an award at Venice first.
Please.
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