The Ax, written by Donald Westlake, has a second movie adaptation called No Other Choice. In reality, director Park Chan-wook initially envisioned it as an American movie, but he was unable to secure the necessary funding. Park says he’s relieved he didn’t make it in Hollywood because the Korean version has already received praise before its Christmas release.
On the Contenders Film: Los Angeles stage, Park remarked, “I almost considered putting in the American studios that turned me down when you see the special thanks section in the credits, but I didn’t. Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun) is fired from a paper plant in the movie. The employers say that downsizing was their only option. Park was also compelled to produce the movie in Korea.
“At the time, I had no other choice but to change this into a Korean film,” Park stated. “Thanks to that decision, I was able to work with such a great actor, so I really view it as a blessing today.”
Park collaborated on the different nuances of the adaptation with Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee, and Don McKellar as a result of the delay, in addition to Lee. Man-soo kills the other applicants for a job because he is so desperate to find another one. However, by 2025, Man-soo will also have to contend with AI replacing seasoned employees. “Because it’s such an important issue today, I decided to incorporate it,” Park said. “Man-soo goes through the process of eliminating human competitors only to be faced with a far scarier AI competitor.”
Since completing No Other Choice, South Korea’s official Oscar submission, Park has been in the creation phase, struggling to secure backers for two prospective American films, a sci-fi action film and a Western. No Other Choice has consumed all of his time since its debut at the Venice Film Festival. “I’ve actually run out of ideas for my next Korean films,” Park said. “I haven’t had enough time because of this promotional tour so I need to spend a lot of time working on that next.”
