No Other Choice is a South Korean satirical black comedy thriller. It's directed by Park Chan-wook, who has also written the screenplay with Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar, and Lee Ja-hye. The film premiered at the 30th Busan International Film Festival and was released theatrically on September 24, 2025 by CJ Entertainment. Here’s the official synopsis, according to IMDb:After being unemployed for several years, a man devises a unique plan to secure a new job: eliminate his competition.Let's find out if the film is based on a true story or if it's completely fictional. It's not based on any real incidents.Is No Other Choice based on a true story?No Other Choice is not based on any real-life incidents. The film is an adaptation of Donald Westlake's 1997 horror thriller novel The Ax. It was previously adapted into a French film of the same name, released in 2005. While the book is entirely fictional, it borrows some elements from real life. Westlake drew inspiration from conversations with friends who had been laid off from corporate jobs. He also used his parents' experience of the Great Depression.The novel is about Burke Devore, who is a married man with two children. He worked as a manager at a paper mill but was fired two years ago. Since then, he has been out of work, which begins to affect his personal life. Burke then decides to eliminate all his competitors to find a new job. While the film's source material takes cues from real life, it remains a fictional story.More about No Other ChoiceNo Other Choice is produced by Park Chan-wook, Back Ji-sun, Michèle Ray-Gavras and Alexandre Gavras under the banners of Moho Film and KG Productions. The film's world premiere took place at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. It has also been sent as South Korea's official entry in the Best International Feature Film category for the 98th Academy Awards.The film’s cast members include:Lee Byung-hun as Yoo Man-suSon Ye-jin as Lee Mi-riYoo Yeon-seok as Oh Jin-hoPark Hee-soon as Choi Seon-chulLee Sung-min as Goo Beom-moYeom Hye-ran as Lee A-raCha Seung-won as Ko Si-joIn a THR interview, the film's director Park Chan-wook spoke about adapting the book."When I read the book about two decades ago, I immediately knew I wanted to adapt it into a film. It’s a story that deals with the urgent inner world of an individual as well as the big societal issues that surround him. Adapting it would allow me to explore both of these dimensions in a totally seamless way, and that’s the kind of cinematic subject matter directors are always looking for."He added,"I instantly had ideas for things I was excited to change or add in the adaptation process, too. The tragedy of the book was very compelling to me, but I felt there was potential for black comedy, which could make for a very fun movie."The film was released on September 24, 2025.Stay tuned to Soap Central.