When I first heard of No Other Choice a few weeks ago - and its admirable 100% RT score - I was excited to watch it. Not only is it directed by the great Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden), it is also greatly praised in this competitive movie awards season. Marketed as a black comedy, it was bound to emerge as the underdog that outsmart the competition. Right?
Well, not exactly. The movie begins as a family drama about a dad/husband (Lee Byung-hun) who works for a paper company. Once he gets laid off, he's naturally distressed. Subsequently, he resorts to extreme measures to obtain the next job, where he - LITERALLY - eliminates the competition (other applicants). But instead of treating the protagonist's flight in a comical/clumsy way, reminiscent of wise dark comedies, Chan-wook ultimately leaves the murdering "hero" have his cake, and eat it, too. It's like following a slasher movie killer as voice of reason, and see no harm come to him at the end.
Tonally, No Other Choice is unsure what it wants to be. A satirical commentary on the income and labor inequality the world over, or an examination of a man who, never having murdered, does it so easily that he never loses sleep over it? The entire concept felt awkward, if not plain wrong. The fact that the film was never truly entertaining or engrossing in the least is an altogether different matter, but alas - it's flatter than a pancake.
☆☆
No comments:
Post a Comment