Inflation. Affordability. Wealth inequality. Over the past few years, these terms and phrases have been frequently thrown around as more and more people become concerned with the economy and capitalism, and films have taken notice. In 2019, Bong Joon Ho released Parasite (2019), a film that seemed like a perfect satire of what it’s like living in a capitalist society. Years later, its themes are still relevant, but another South Korean satire just released and is making as many waves.
No Other Choice (2025) has secured several Golden Globe nominations, and several notable film outlets have called it one of the best films of 2025. It’s a film that doesn’t hold back in depicting how capitalism can turn even the most virtuous person into a cold-blooded killer, and how easy it is for people to condone heinous actions as long as they benefit from them. Here is everything you need to know about No Other Choice.
What Is ‘No Other Choice’ About?
No Other Choice is a black comedy about Man-su, a man who used to work at a papermaking company until Americans bought it and sacked him. Man-su is gutted, especially because his family lives a very comfortable and luxurious life. But now, forced to take up a retail job, their lives begin to fall apart. His wife has to give up her tennis lessons! They have to get a more affordable car! They even have to cancel Netflix! The horror!
With bills piling up, Man-su becoming desperate, and no papermaking company interested in hiring, he formulates a plan. If these papermaking companies have no vacancies, then he’ll make one by killing a high-profile employee. But Man-su isn’t a fool. He knows that there are people who are probably more qualified than him, so he’ll just kill them too, so that he’s the only viable candidate left. And so, we spend two hours and 19 minutes watching Man-su enact his scheme and wonder if he’ll be able to pull it off or if everything will fall apart around him.
How Similar Is ‘No Other Choice’ To ‘Parasite’?
When directly comparing No Other Choice and Parasite’s satire of late-stage capitalism, there actually are a handful of similarities beyond originating in South Korea. Yet, they diverge sharply in what they’re satirizing.
Both films are family dramas, though the way their respective families are presented is pretty different. In Parasite, we watch the Kim family actively partake in fooling the wealthy Park family. The Parks are out of touch with what’s going on around them, which enables the Kim family to exploit their ignorance. Meanwhile, Man-su goes to great lengths to ensure that his family isn’t directly involved in his actions. It’s his plan, and while his family has theories about what he’s doing, they become willfully ignorant of his actions, provided they can return to their original way of life. To put it another way, Parasite is a story of the lower-class tricking the upper-class into giving them a better life, while No Other Choice shows the lengths the upper class will go to retain their wealth and lifestyle.
No Other Choice is also a lot more overtly comedic than Parasite. Seeing Man-su bumble his way into killing his marks is funny because of how out of his depth he initially is, but it belies how more tragic No Other Choice ends up being. Man-su knows he’s doing horrible things, but because he wants to have his old life back, he doesn’t care who or what gets in his way. At first, he feels remorse for his actions, but by the end, that empathy is all but gone. He’s selfish and, ultimately, the villain of the film. Sure, the Kim family weren’t exactly noble people, but they weren’t villains. Man-su is.
The Director & Cast Of ‘No Other Choice’
No Other Choice is the brainchild of the acclaimed South Korean film director, Park Chan-wook. Park Chan-wook is familiar to Western audiences for directing the brutal revenge flick Oldboy (2003) and the erotic historical thriller The Handmaiden (2016). As a director, he’s no stranger to creating multi-faceted character dramas that mine their leads for every cent they’re worth.
Case in point, the star of No Other Choice, Lee Byung-hun. Byung-hun is a notable name in the South Korean film industry, but after his Hollywood debut in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), he became a much more prominent figure. In fact, 2025 was probably his most successful year yet. He not only earned a Golden Globe nomination for playing Man-su, but he also continued to play the Front Man in the final season of Squid Game (2021) and played the demonic Gwi-Ma in 2025’s biggest movie, KPop Demon Hunters (2025). The rest of the major cast members in No Other Choice are as follows:
Son Ye-Jin as Lee Mi-ri
Lee Sung-min as Goo Beom-mo
Yeom Hye-ran as Lee A-ra
Cha Seung-won as Ko Si-jo
Park Hee-soon as Choi Seon-chul
Where & When To Watch ‘No Other Choice’
While No Other Choice debuted in 2025, it had a very limited release in late December and only received a wide release on January 16, 2026. Because of that, it is still playing in theaters at the time of writing, and it may be some time before it makes its way to streaming.
When it does come to streaming, it will be on Amazon Prime Video, where it is currently listed as available for pre-order for $24.99. If you’re not interested in purchasing it and simply want to stream it, because the film is distributed by Neon, it is highly likely that it will stream on Hulu, much like all of Neon’s other streaming releases. There is no streaming release date yet for No Other Choice, but it will most likely begin streaming on Hulu sometime in mid-2026.
