That was the plot of Donald Westlake's novel "The Axe," which was made into a film in 2005, directed by Costa-Gavras. And now comes the next film adaptation, South Korean master Park Chan-Wook's "No other choice".
There was a little comedy in the book, but I have emphasized the humor, made it an absurd comedy. Park Chan-Wook tells TT.
He is the man behind brilliant but often very violent films, such as “Old Boy” and “The Avengers.” In “No Other Choice,” he has left the most violent aside to follow Man-Su during his desperate attempt to find a new job.
Murdering them
Man-Su works in the paper industry, but the American owners fire him. His job and family are everything to him. He wants to stay in the paper industry and comes up with a clever plan to attract those who are seen as more qualified and then murder them.
I think there were a few more murders in the book, says Park Chan-Wook, and laughs when TT meets him at the Venice Film Festival.
I thought for a while about using an industry other than the paper industry. But it felt right. Paper is something we all have a relationship with, we touch it daily, but we never think about who makes it. The automation, how it is affected by AI, it's all there.
“It goes so fast”
The topic of automation and capitalism feels extremely relevant.
Yes, machines are taking over more and more. AI is making people lose their jobs. In a few years we will probably be able to tell an AI to “make a Hitchcock movie,” and the result will be something that will at least be worth watching. AI is so close to us, it is happening so fast, it is impossible to predict how fast it will go.
He has worked a little in English, made the TV series “The Little Drummer Girl” (with Alexander Skarsgård) and “The Sympathizer.” For a while he considered making “No Other Choice” in the US.
But if I had made it there, many people would have thought, “but it’s a Korean film after all.” And now that I made it at home, it also meant I got to work again with Lee Byung-Hun, who plays the lead role. That alone was worth it.
Age: 62 years.
Family: Wife Kim Eun-Hee, daughter Seo-Woo.
Lives: In Seoul.
Occupation: Screenwriter, director.
Previous films in selection: "Avenger's journey," "Old boy," "Lady Vengeance," "Thirst," "Stoker," "The handmaiden," "The little drummer girl," "Decision to leave," "The sympathizer."
Current: With "No other choice" which is currently showing in cinemas in Sweden.
