Park Chan-wook’s new film ‘No Other Choice’ has been rated suitable for audiences 15 and older.
On the 21st, the Korea Media Rating Board (KMRB) released its decision. The final cut, running 138 minutes and 44 seconds, received a 15+ classification.
Explaining the call, the KMRB said the film “satirically portrays human desire and moral collapse and includes criminal behavior, but it does not glamorize or justify crime or violence. There is sexual language and a sex scene, but neither is sustained.”
The board added that “there are scenes of threatening and killing with a gun, striking people with objects, and other instances of physical violence, injury, murder, and bodily harm, but they are presented with exaggerated black comedy rather than graphic realism.”
It continued, “Adults drink and smoke, and there is a scene of a teen smoking, but drug and alcohol use is not encouraged or justified. Profanity stays within socially acceptable bounds. Elements like unlawful home invasion, juvenile delinquency, and the desecration or concealment of a corpse are depicted without concrete how-to detail that might invite imitation. All factors were considered except fear/horror.”
‘No Other Choice’ follows Mansoo (Lee Byung-hun), an office worker who felt he’d “made it” until he’s abruptly laid off. To protect his wife and two kids and hang on to the home they struggled to buy, he gears up for his own battle to get back to work. The film is adapted from American author Donald E. Westlake’s novel "The Ax."
Given the source material, themes, and tone, many expected an adults-only 19+ rating. But the KMRB determined the intent and depiction of violence did not rise to a level that would bar teen viewers. The sex scene is present but brief, leading to the 15+ rating.
A 15+ classification is widely seen as a box office booster. While a 19+ rating can cap audience growth, 15+ opens the door to couples and even family outings, making it the sweet spot for commercial releases. Park’s previous film "Decision to Leave" (2022) was also rated 15+ and drew 1.9 million moviegoers nationwide.
‘No Other Choice’ is in competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 27, with its world premiere set for the 29th. It then opens the 30th Busan International Film Festival on September 17 before debuting in Korean theaters in September.
With a late-September launch targeting the lucrative Chuseok holiday corridor―up to 10 days this year―the 15+ rating looks like a promising tailwind for its holiday box office run.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)