Park Chan-wook's new film No Other Choice is generating strong reactions upon its North American wide release, raising expectations for global box office success.
No Other Choice, which opened widely in North America on the 25th (local time), became the center of attention again as actual audience reviews were released immediately after its opening. As of 5 p.m. Korea time on the 25th, on the global movie rating site Rotten Tomatoes, the film was recording a freshness score of 99% (based on 129 critic reviews), and its popcorn score, which reflects actual audience reactions, was also tallied at 84%.
Actual viewers poured out praise such as "It was truly the best," "Lee Byung-hun's Oscar-level performance firmly anchors the film," "the trio of directing, cinematography and acting is perfect," "visually very impressive and astonishing," and "a rough but mesmerizing work," leaving a strong impression. Previously, the flow of receiving "freshness" from all critics and maintaining a 100% freshness score naturally extended to North American audience evaluations.
No Other Choice tells the story, in a black-comedy perspective, of Mansoo (Lee Byung-hun), an office worker who had been living a stable life and, after an unexpected dismissal, plunges into the reemployment war to protect his family and home. Park Chan-wook's characteristic cynical humor combined with sharp insights into social structures has drawn attention from overseas critics.
In particular, Lee Byung-hun, who stars in the film, is making his presence felt in the global awards race by becoming the first Korean actor to be nominated for the Golden Globe award for best actor in a musical or comedy for this role. No Other Choice also earned nominations for best picture and best international feature film, naturally raising expectations toward the Oscars.
No Other Choice, which was pre-sold to more than 200 countries worldwide before its release and achieved results exceeding its production costs, is expected to gain full momentum in both global box office and the awards race starting with its North American release. Movie fans are focused on whether the Park Chan-wook world that began in Korea can extend to the choice of North American audiences.
[OSEN]