Park Chan-wook’s ‘No Other Choice’ gets 157-minute extended cut, with unseen Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin scenes revealed

A tighter narrative and psychological battle, deepened by 19 minutes of cinematic artistry

The Korean Film Archive (KOFA) officially announced on the 8th that it will hold a special screening on the 13th of the extended version of master director ‘Park Chan-wook’’s thriller ‘No Other Choice’ (2025) at Cinematheque KOFA in Sangam-dong, Seoul.

‘No Other Choice’, which heated up theaters last year, is a suspense thriller about Mansu (‘Lee Byung-hun’), an ordinary family man who is fired overnight and, driven by a blind obsession with finding a new job, begins eliminating potential competitors one by one. Based on ‘The Ax,’ a signature novel by American mystery master Donald Westlake, the film combines Korean realities with ‘Park Chan-wook’’s distinctive aesthetic direction, earning overwhelming praise from critics and audiences.

The extended version being unveiled adds 19 minutes to the original theatrical release, bringing its total runtime to 157 minutes, and examines the characters’ psychological conflicts and relationships in greater depth. Newly added material includes an emotionally charged scene in which Mansu and his wife Miri (‘Son Ye-jin’) leave their daughter Ri-won’s cello practice room, as well as an unseen episode set at the dental clinic run by Oh Jin-ho (‘Yoo Yeon-seok’), a key character in the film. The additions are expected to bring the film to an even higher level of completion.

Immediately after the screening, director ‘Park Chan-wook’ and cinematographer Kim Woo-hyung, who oversaw the film’s visual execution, will take part in a conversation with the audience. The two acclaimed filmmakers will discuss in depth the intense creative process behind the film’s distinctive mise-en-scène and share vivid behind-the-scenes stories from the set. Admission to the special screening is completely free, likely setting off a fierce rush for tickets among film fans.