No Other Choice, the new thriller starring Lee Byung-hun, has received a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes upon its world premiere.
The upcoming film, directed and co-written by acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-wook, sees the Squid Game star portray You Man-su, a family man who finds himself unemployed after being sacked from his job after 25 years in the role.
As he searches for new employment, the figure applies for a highly-coveted position that has attracted plenty of applicants. Wanting to forge a new life, Man-su hatches a devious plan to thwart his competition.
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Scheduled to be released in South Korea next month, the blackly comic thriller had its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on Friday (29 August), and it has been acclaimed by critics.
The praise, at least so far, has been unanimous for No Other Choice, with the film currently boasting a perfect approval rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes from the first 14 reviews that have been logged on the site.
Courtesy of Neon
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“With humour blacker than black bean noodles, the film is a masterful work of cinema which might well be Chan-wook’s masterpiece. And given this is the man who directed The Handmaiden that’s saying a lot,” said Time Out.
IonCinema.com echoed this sentiment, writing: “Chan-wook takes his time in unwinding his devious tale, a masterful neo-noir about following dangerous fantasies to their logical conclusion in job markets further compromised by a dependence on AI.”
“The latest exhibit in the mounting body of evidence suggesting Park Chan-wook may be the most elegant filmmaker alive,” opined Variety, while The Guardian said that the “sensational” film was the “best” they had seen at the festival to this point.
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IndieWire was also full of praise, writing: “The rare film that feels sympathetic toward its protagonist without ever rooting for him, and Lee’s elastic performance as Man-su is key to the balancing act of Park’s tragicomic tone.”
While Byung-hun is garnering rave reviews for his performance as Man-su, the actor previously appeared as the Front Man in Netflix’s Squid Game, which concluded its three-season run earlier this year.
No Other Choice has no UK or US release date. Squid Game seasons 1-3 are streaming on Netflix. Squid Game: The Challenge will also return for a second season.
Read more Squid Game news on our dedicated homepage
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. Â His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
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