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El filme competirá por el León de Oro en Venecia. © Neon

Ya se ha publicado el primer tráiler y un precioso póster de No Other Choice, lo nuevo del director surcoreano Park Chan-wook, responsable los títulos de culto Oldboy, The Handmaiden y Decision to Leave.

El filme adapta The Ax, la novela de Donald E. Westlake publicada en 1997, que ya fue llevada al cine por Costa-Gavras en 2005. Park anunció su intención de dirigir esta historia hace más de una década, allá por 2009, pero fue retrasándola debido a otros compromisos, entre ellos el largometraje en inglés de 2012 Stoker y su trabajo en las series de televisión The Little Drummer Girl y The Sympathizer. Pero, ya está aquí.

No Other Choice sigue a la estrella de El juego del calamar, Lee Byung-hun, en el papel de un hombre de mediana edad, Man-su, que, tras ser despedido de la empresa donde ha trabajado durante 25 años,...

We kicked off the summer with a look at Steven Spielberg’s classic creature feature Jaws (listen) before checking out our first Jean Rollin lesbian “vampire” movie Fascination (listen), as well as the female dominated slasher The Slumber Party Massacre (listen). Now it’s time to revisit Dario Argento (for only the second time on the pod!) with a first time look at 1985’s Phenomena.

The film stars Jennifer Connelly as Jennifer Corvino, an American girl sent to a Swiss boarding school. The girl has a mysterious ability: she can communicate with insects and even get them to do her bidding. This proves to be a wildly helpful skill when Jennifer finds herself targeted by a killer who preys on young women, including her roommate Sophie.

But who is committing the murders and why? Could it be the disabled local entomologist, Professor John McGregor (Donald Pleasence) or his chimp, Inga?...

Dark Horse Manga has unveiled a special deluxe re-release of an iconic manga responsible for inspiring one of the best action films of all time.

Per an official press release, manga, cinephiles and comic book collectors alike can look forward to a special edition hardcover re-release of Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi's classic Oldboy manga coming in early 2026.

Oldboy to Get Jumbo-Sized Re-Release The Perfect Coffee Table Book for Movie, Comic and Manga Lovers

Oldboy has had a cult fanbase since it was first serialized in Futabasha's Weekly Manga Action magazine between 1996 and 1998. In 2003, Oldboy was adapted for the screen by director Park Chan-wook. It became the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2003, an international sensation, repopularizing the manga. In 2006, Dark Horse took advantage of the renewed interest in the Oldboy source material, publishing its first English translation. Now, Dark Horse is distributing its first re-release, a special jumbo-sized one, no less,...

Park Chan-wook marked his ‘true’ directorial debut with 2000’s Joint Security Area, which stands at an 88% rating on the Tomatometer. While the movie tends to get overlooked in discussions surrounding Chan-wook’s filmography, often dominated by his other notable works, especially Oldboy, on Rotten Tomatoes, his ’00 feature stands ahead of Oldboy‘s 82%.

Considering how Jsa rarely gets mentioned alongside Chan-wook’s other internationally recognized titles that helped globalize Korean cinema as a whole, the movie definitely deserves more recognition internationally.

Park Chan-Wook’s Joint Security Area Ranks Higher Than Oldboy on Rotten Tomatoes

Joint Security Area follows the mystery surrounding the death of two North Korean soldiers at the Korean Demilitarized Zone, which ends up prompting an investigation. In the wake of the incident, Lee Young-ae’s Major Sophie E. Jean, a neutral officer, is tasked to get to the bottom of it, leading to the unravelling of the forbidden friendship across the two borders.

Korean movies and television have been taking the world by storm, especially on Netflix. In the last decade or so, K-content has slowly become a prominent industry, especially since Bong Joon Ho's historic Oscar wins for his thriller Parasite. That phenomenon has extended into the television sphere with Squid Game leading the way as it broke plenty of streaming records with all three seasons.

With international audiences investing more time in K-content, the thriller genre is one area where the industry has thrived. Whether it be a revenge quest like Glory or Oldboy, or erotic thrillers like The Handmaiden, there is always some suspense element that keeps any viewer intrigued worldwide. Now, Netflix has one thriller that's instantly been dominating the streaming charts.

Wall To Wall Has Jumped Into Netflix's Top 3 Charts In Less Than One Week & It Stars A Key Squid Game Actor

Wall to Wall follows a...

Following the release of Decision to Leave in 2022, Park Chan-wook turned to television, working on an adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen's novel The Sympathizer for HBO in 2024. Now, after three years, the acclaimed South Korean director is returning to feature films for his latest project: No Other Choice. The first trailer for the black comedy has been released, and the movie appears to be an enthralling thriller reminiscent of Parasite's social commentary, with the signature eccentric humor and wit that audiences have come to expect from Park productions. There seem to be some grisly murders at the heart of this thriller, and the Oldboy director has assembled a talented cast to bring his story to life.

The 51-second teaser (which can be viewed below) keeps most of the plot under wraps, though there is plenty to leave viewers intrigued. Park Chan-wook brings his eye for style in the...

Whether you’re familiar with the manga itself or director Park Chan-wook’s acclaimed 2003 film adaptation, Oldboy is getting ready to return in a new way. Dark Horse revealed writer Garon Tsuchiya and artist Nobuaki Minegishi’s series as the next manga to receive the Deluxe Edition treatment, collecting the full run in two oversized hardcover volumes. Featuring lettering by Michael David Thomas and Kathryn Renta, and a translation by Kumar Sivasubramanian, Oldboy previously won the 2007 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material. The first of the new volumes, Oldboy Deluxe Edition: Book One , collects volumes 1-4, while Oldboy Deluxe Edition: Book Two closes the story out with volumes 5-8. The noir-style covers sport metallic silver foil paper and each book has a ribbon bookmarker attached. Oldboy Deluxe Edition: Book One hits bookstores and comic shops respectively on January 6 and 7, 2026, clocking in at 7”x10” and 848 pages. Those...

Lee Byung-hun might be tempted by violence after getting the axe in the new teaser for Park Chan-Wook’s pitch-black thriller No Other Choice.

Neon will release the film in theaters this fall after its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

No Other Choice is an adaptation of Donald E. Westlake’s mystery thriller The Ax and follows “a man who is abruptly laid off by the paper company where he worked tirelessly for many years. He grows increasingly desperate in his hunt for new work, eventually coming to a life-altering decision.”

The novel’s synopsis might give a clearer idea of the madness ahead: “Burke Devore is a middle-aged manager at a paper company when the cost-cutting ax falls, and he is laid off. Eighteen months later and still unemployed, he puts a new spin on his job search — with agonizing care, Devore finds the seven men in...

Lee Byung-hun stars in Oldboy director Park Chan-wook’s stylish, blackly comic-looking thriller, No Other Choice. Here’s the first trailer:

Update 15th July 2025: Neon, the indie film distributor, has released a new version of the same teaser trailer. We’ve updated this post with that embed (see below).

Our original story follows…

22nd July 2025: Park Chan-wook, the director of Oldboy, Stoker, The Handmaiden and more corkers besides, has a new movie primed for release this year. It’s No Other Choice, a characteristically dark-looking thriller based on a novel called The Ax by Donald Westlake (a writer best known for his Parker series of books).

Transporting the source’s events to present day South Korea, No Other Choice stars Lee Byung-hun (star of I Saw The Devil and Squid Game) as Man Soo, a mild-mannered manager who’s fired from his job at a paper merchant’s.

Neon has dropped the teaser for Park Chan-wook‘s 12th feature, No Other Choice, an adaptation of Donald Westlake’s 1997 novel, The Ax. Notable for playing a key role in the globalization of Korean cinema with releases like Oldboy and Lady Vengeance, the director, who must’ve been disappointed after Decision to Kill’s Oscar snub, is now eyeing history with his next movie.

Starring Squid Game star Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin in the lead, the teaser seems pretty on brand for Chan-wook’s works, meaning we could’ve another psychologically intense experience on our hands.

Oldboy Director Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice Promises Another Unhinged Experience

The teaser stars Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin in the shoes of the husband and wife, whose livelihoods are threatened after the former is fired from the paper company. Following his struggle to land any other work, he opts to eliminate his competition,...

Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice” is nearly here.

The latest film from the South Korean auteur behind “Oldboy,” “The Handmaiden” and most recently “Decision to Leave,” will debut in competition at the Venice International Film Festival, followed by a South Korean theatrical release and a domestic release courtesy of Neon.

A new teaser trailer out Thursday gives us a good sense of what we’re in for. Watch it below.

“No Other Choice” is an adaptation of Donald E. Westlake’s 1997 novel “The Ax,” which had previously been adapted by Costa-Gavras for 2005’s “The Axe.”

Park announced his intention to direct an adaptation back in 2009, but it kept getting pushed back due to other commitments, including 2012’s English language feature “Stoker” and his work on television series “The Little Drummer Girl” and “The Sympathizer.” At one point, the adaptation was going to be English language and he tasked his...

Here’s something to be excited about: Park Chan-wook is back! The legendary Korean filmmaker – behind Oldboy, and The Handmaiden, and Decision To Leave, to name but a handful of his masterpieces – is returning with a new film, No Other Choice, after briefly turning to TV for The Sympathizer. And, fittingly for the filmmaker behind the thematically-linked Vengeance Trilogy, his latest looks to be a tale of jealousy, rage, and murder – a thriller with blackly comic elements. Check out the teaser:

There’s no official synopsis for No Other Choice yet, but it’s based on Donald Westlake’s novel The Ax – in which a man who finds himself cut loose after a lengthy employment resorts to desperate measures when he struggles to get a new job. In the lead role of Man-soo is Lee Byung-hun, who last worked with Director Park on his debut proper, 2000’s Joint Security Area.

Park Chan-wook’s upcoming crime saga “No Other Choice” was considered one of the major omissions from the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. But the South Korean auteur’s twelfth feature, which was reportedly not ready in time for Cannes, appears to be making up for lost time with a fall festival run.

Neon has released the first teaser for Park’s new film, which stars “Squid Game” villain Lee Byung-hun and Korean actress Son Ye-jin as a married couple whose lives take a dark turn after he is fired from a paper company and struggles to find other work. The dark comedy is adapted from prolific mystery author Donald Westlake’s 1997 novel “The Ax.”

“No Other Choice” was acquired by Neon in June, with IndieWire previously reporting that the film was expected to premiere at the Venice International Film Festival. A fall release date could put it on the road to...

Squid Game star Lee Byung-hun stars in a newly-released teaser trailer for an upcoming film by Oldboy director Park Chan-wook, and it looks like an incredibly exciting project that fans of the actor should check out. Park Chan-wook is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of all time, and after classics like Oldboy, The Handmaiden, and Decision to Leave, this movie could be added to the list.

Lee Byung-hun has exploded in America since his role as the Front Man in Netflix's Squid Game, but he had previously appeared in popular American movies like Terminator Genisys, The Magnificent Seven, and the G.I. Joe movie series. On top of that, Lee Byung-hun has appeared in all kinds of popular Korean films, such as Mr. Sunshine, I Saw the Devil, and The Match.

Lee Byung-hun Stars In The Teaser Trailer For No Other Choice From Director Park Chan-wook

The first teaser...

Park Chan‑wook’s twelfth feature, No Other Choice, took a decisive step toward release this week as its first trailer dropped online and in Korean cinemas, confirming a September domestic bow, an anticipated Venice competition slot and a North‑American rollout via Neon early next year.

The 90‑second teaser introduces Man‑soo (Lee Byung‑hun), a middle‑aged paper‑mill manager who turns contract killer after losing his job, a premise lifted from Donald Westlake’s 1997 novel The Ax. Set against Jo Yeong‑wook’s discordant score, the footage intercuts fluorescent office corridors with blood‑red title cards, echoing the director’s trademark collision of elegance and violence. Son Ye‑jin appears as Man‑soo’s wife Mi‑ri, foregrounding the domestic fallout that Park has said he aims to “strengthen” compared with Costa‑Gavras’s 2005 French adaptation.

Alongside Lee and Son, the ensemble features Park Hee‑soon, Lee Sung‑min,...

When Mitzi Peirone burst onto the genre scene with her daring debut Braid, she was heralded as a bold new voice in psychological horror. Now, the award-winning Italian director returns with Saint Clare, a haunting and blood-soaked Southern Gothic thriller that has already turning heads. Starring Bella Thorne in a career-defining performance, the film blends themes of morality, faith, and female rage into a surreal tale of vengeance that’s as thought-provoking as it is visceral.

Based on Don Roff’s novel Clare at Sixteen, Saint Clare follows a young woman who believes she’s an instrument of God, dispatching those with evil intentions in her small town. But as her violent quest for retribution deepens, so too does the darkness surrounding her. With a supporting cast that includes Ryan Phillippe, Rebecca DeMornay and Frank Whaley, an original score from Zola Jesus, and a screenplay co-written by Guinevere Turner (American...

A contemporary anime film has broken new ground for the medium by landing a spot on The New York Times' "100 Best Movies of the 21st Century" list. The work in question is none other than Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar Award-winning hit, Spirited Away.

The New York Times' official cinematic ranking includes films released since January 1, 2000. Among a voting pool consisting of more than "500 influential directors, actors and other notable names in Hollywood," Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away was selected as the ninth-best film of the past century. Initially released in 2001, the film is a poignant coming-of-age story set in an imaginative world inspired by Japanese mythology. While lovingly describing Spirited Away as the "Alice in Wonderland" of our age, The New York Times also praises it for intricate themes such as "loss of innocence" and "man's corruption of nature," which are famously woven throughout the narrative.

Severance Star Praises Studio...

Yesterday, DC Studios co-ceo James Gunn revealed that Dcu "projects from Korea, Japan, and Brazil" are currently in development. Though he didn't elaborate, it was generally assumed that the Korean project he's referring to is the Huntress movie we first heard about back in 2023.

At the time, reports indicated that the film was moving forward with South Korean filmmaker and screenwriter Jung Byung-gil in talks to write and direct, and a rumor that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 star Pom Klementieff might be in talks to play the lead did the rounds shortly after.

Nexus Point News has now shared some new details on these international projects, and the site believes that Klementieff - who has Korean heritage - is still attached to play Helena Bertinelli, who will be "depicted as half-Korean and half-Italian."

If you only know her from the Gotg movies, Klementieff might seem like an odd pick to play Huntress,...

There are no movies immune to the constant churn of content requirements, and according to a new report from scooper DanielRPK, a true landmark movie is seemingly set to get a completely unnecessary follow-up over 20 years after the original delivered a brutal action thriller that was not for the squeamish.

According to the report, a sequel to Park Chan-wook’s 2003 revenge saga Oldboy is in early development, and the reaction from fans has not exactly been positive. If Daniel Rpk (aka Daniel Richtman) is correct, then Oldboy 2 is already in the pre-production stage, and many fans have demanded that this needs to be stopped and everyone must “protect the original at all costs.”

This is probably not a surprising reaction for a movie that holds a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and ended in a way that did not leave anyone thinking, “I wonder when the sequel will be out?...

Millions hunt. One runs. Everyone watches. Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick, Twisters) stars in Edgar Wright’s new movie The Running Man, an adaptation of the Stephen King novel that was previously adapted in 1987 with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the starring role. Watch the official trailer for The Running Man below.

Paramount brings The Running Man to theaters on November 7, 2025.

Here’s the brand new official synopsis for Edgar Wright’s fresh take…

“​In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward.

“Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort.

Stephen King’s The Running Man is headed back to the big screen from director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Last Night in Soho), with Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick, Twisters) taking over the role played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 movie. It’s set for release in theaters from Paramount on November 7, and the trailer arrives tomorrow (July 1).

Watch a short – but explosive – tease for the trailer featuring Glen Powell below.

Glen Powell will be playing the role of Ben in Wright’s The Running Man, with Colman Domingo (Candyman) and Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding) also starring in the film.

The cast also includes Daniel Ezra, Karl Glusman, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Jayme Lawson, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, William H. Macy, David Zayas, and Sean Hayes.

Edgar Wright wrote the script with Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 21 Jump Street). Chung-hoon Chung (Oldboy, It, Last Night in Soho...

Park Chan-wook is one of the world’s most sought-after filmmakers, and Neon wants to be at the head of the table when he serves up something new. On Thursday, Neon announced its reteaming with Park Chan-wook for his next feature film, No Other Choice. Neon holds the North American rights to No Other Choice, starring Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin as husband and wife alongside an ensemble cast including Park Hee-soon (My Name), Lee Sung-min (The Spy Gone North), Yeom Hye-ran (The Glory), Cha Seung-won (Believer 1&2), and Yoo Yeon-seok (Mr. Sunshine).

“No Other Choice, Park’s 12th feature, is based on the 1997 novel The Ax by Donald Westlake. It follows a man (Lee) who is abruptly laid off by the paper company where he worked tirelessly for many years. He grows increasingly desperate in his hunt for new work, eventually he comes to a certain decision,” says Neon’s official press release.

Neon has reteamed with Korean director Park Chan-wook and Parasite studio Cj Enm by taking the North American rights to the violent comedy thriller No Other Choice.

Korean film royalty Lee Byung-hun and Son Yejin star in the thriller about Man-soo (Lee), who is abruptly laid off by the paper company where he worked tirelessly for many years. Man-soo grows increasingly desperate in his hunt for new work, and eventually resolves to kill his job competitors.

Son plays Man-soo’s wife, the warm-hearted Mi-ri in the latest film from Korean cinema to reflect beyond a core narrative the Asian country’s underlying economic and political tensions. Chan-wook’s 12th movie is an adaptation of American novelist Donald Westlake’s 1996 novel The Ax.

Westlake’s novel was previously adapted into French by Costa Gavras as the 2005 film Le Couperet (The Ax). The ensemble cast for Chan-wook’s Korean adaptation includes Park Hee-soon,...

Neon has acquired North American rights to “No Other Choice,” the next film from South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook, the distributor announced Wednesday.

Park’s 12th feature has been in the works for quite some time and only wrapped production in January, but we referred to the film nevertheless as a snub for the Cannes lineup in May (where he previously won Best Director for “Decision to Leave” in 2022), but a source tells IndieWire the film is expected to now premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

“No Other Choice” stars Lee Byung-hun, best known as the villain in “Squid Game,” and Son Ye-jin (“The Last Princess”) as a husband and wife. After the husband is abruptly laid off by the paper company where he worked tirelessly for many years, he grows increasingly desperate in his hunt for new work. It’s based on a 1997 novel by Donald Westlake called “The Ax,...

South Korea’s master of moral ambiguity and visual splendor, Park Chan-wook, marks another milestone in his storied career as Neon secures North American rights to his darkly comic thriller No Other Choice, ahead of its anticipated Venice Film Festival premiere. The distribution deal was recently confirmed by Variety, Screen Daily, and Korea‑centric film outlets.

From Page to Park

Adapted from Donald Westlake’s 1997 novel The Ax (and separate from Costa‑Gavras’s adaptation), No Other Choice follows Lee Byung-hun as Man‑soo, an ordinary man thrust into desperation after losing his long-held job. Over five intense months of filming (Aug 2024–Jan 2025), Park and his team, including Son Ye-jin and Park Hee-soon, built a razor-sharp narrative blending job‑market anxieties with unexpected moral darkness.

This marks Park’s 12th feature—his first high-profile foray into black comedy since Decision to Leave—and viewers are already bracing for his signature mix of emotional intensity,...

Neon has acquired the North American rights to No Other Choice, the latest feature from acclaimed Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook.

Based on Donald E. Westlake‘s 1997 novel The Ax, the black comedy thriller is expected to world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in August.

Lee Byung-hun (“Squid Game”) stars a man who is abruptly laid off by the paper company where he worked tirelessly for many years. He grows increasingly desperate in his hunt for new work, eventually coming to a life-altering decision.

Son Ye-jin (“Crash Landing on You”), Park Hee-soon (“Squid Game”), Lee Sung-min (The Spy Gone North), Yeom Hye-ran (“The Glory”), Cha Seung-won (Night in Paradise), and Yoo Yeon-seok (“When the Phone Rings”) also star.

Chan-wook co-wrote the script with Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee (Uprising), and Don McKellar (Blindness).

No Other Choice is produced by Chan-wook and Back Jisun of Moho Film and Michèle Ray Gavras and Alexandre Gavras of Kg Production,...

Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice” has found a North American distributor.

Neon has acquired the North American rights to the South Korean auteur’s latest, which is expected to premiere later this year at Venice.

“No Other Choice” is based on Donald Westlake’s 1997 novel “The Ax.” It follows a middle-aged man who is laid off from his longtime job and becomes increasingly desperate. When he discovers the other people who are up for the same position he starts … thinning out the competition. The novel was previously adapted in 2005 by Costa-Gavras (his daughter is one of the producers of the new film).

Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin play the husband and wife, with a supporting cast that includes Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, Cha Seung-won and Yoo Yeon-seok.

Neon and Cj Enm previously teamed on “Parasite,” which was a critical darling and awards powerhouse, eventually becoming the first...

Neon has taken North American rights to No Other Choice, the next movie from Park Chan-wook.

The project puts Neon back in business with the Korean filmmaker, the label having recently handled the helmer’s re-release of 2003’s Oldboy.

No Other Choice is Park’s 12th movie, and it’s based on the 1997 novel The Ax by Donald Westlake. It follows a man (Squid Game‘s Lee Byung-hun) who is abruptly laid off by the paper company where he worked tirelessly for many years. He grows increasingly desperate in his hunt for new work and eventually comes to a certain decision.

Son Yejin co-stars as the man’s wife alongside an ensemble cast including Park Hee-soon (My Name), Lee Sung-min (The Spy Gone North), Yeom Hye-ran (The Glory), Cha Seung-won (Believer), and Yoo Yeon-seok (Mr. Sunshine).

No Other Choice is produced by Park...

Neon is reteaming with Park Chan-wook and Cj Enm and has acquired North American rights to the South Korean auteur’s upcoming dark comedyNo Other Choice, which has been tipped to premiere in Venice.

Neon will plan an awards run on the filmproduced by Cj Enm Studios and Park’s Moho Films and financed by Cj Enm. It is currently in post.

Lee Byung-hun from Squid Game and I Saw The Devil stars as a middle-aged man fired from a paper company after years of service who goes on a killing spree to eliminate his competition.

Lee is joined by Son Ye-jin,...

Neon has bought North American rights to “No Other Choice,” the upcoming movie by Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook (“Decision to Leave”) which is expected to world premiere at Venice.

Park’s 12th feature, “No Other Choice” is based on the 1997 novel “The Ax” by Donald Westlake. It follows a man (Lee) who is abruptly laid off by the paper company where he worked tirelessly for many years. He grows increasingly desperate in his hunt for new work, eventually he comes to a certain decision.

The film stars Lee Byung-hun (“I Saw the Devil“) and Son Yejin (“The Last Princess“) are set to star as husband and wife alongside an ensemble cast including Park Hee-soon (“My Name”), Lee Sung-min (“The Spy Gone North”), Yeom Hye-ran (“The Glory”), Cha Seung-won (“Believer”) and Yoo Yeon-seok (“Mr. Sunshine”). The deal reteams Neon and Cj Enm following the release of “Parasite” which broke ground as...

Cinema from beyond English-speaking borders opens doors to new worlds, packed with raw emotion, bold storytelling, and unique perspectives. These films, crafted in languages from Japanese to Spanish, have shaped global filmmaking and left lasting marks on our hearts.

We’ve curated a list of 20 must-see foreign-language films, each a masterpiece that transcends subtitles. From timeless classics to modern gems, here’s why these stories deserve your attention.

20. Y Tu Mamá También – Spanish (2001) Bésame Mucho Pictures

Two Mexican teens and an older woman embark on a road trip full of lust and life lessons. Alfonso Cuarón’s raw, vibrant film explores youth and desire.

Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal’s chemistry grounds its bold energy. It’s a journey we feel in our bones.

19. Cinema Paradiso – Italian (1988) Rai

A boy in post-wwii Sicily falls in love with movies through his bond with a projectionist. Giuseppe Tornatore’s nostalgic tale...

Disney+ unveiled a new crime thriller titled Gold Land, which will star Park Boyoung (Light Shop) and Kim Sung-cheol (The Battle of Jangsari).

The series is written by Hwang Joyoon, the screenwriter behind the critically-acclaimed Korean film Oldboy.

Gold Land follows Heeju (played by Park), a girl from a sleepy backwater town who accidentally comes into possession of gold bars from a smuggling organization. Suddenly finding herself in a van full of gold and on the run from some of Korea’s most dangerous men, Heeju heads towards the one place she swore she would never return.

Kim plays Jang Wook (also known as Woogy), a member of the criminal organization chasing Heeju. However, Jang Wook and Heeju have an old bond, having lived in the same neighborhood when they were growing up.

Gold Land is directed visionary director Kim Sunghoon, who also helmed Chief Detective 1958 and hit film Confidential Assignment.

Disney+ has greenlit “Gold Land,” a Korean original crime thriller series written by Hwang Jo-yoon, the acclaimed screenwriter behind Park Chan-wook’s “Oldboy.”

Hwang Jo-yoon, who penned the 2003 revenge thriller “Oldboy” as well as “Rampant” and “Memoir of a Murderer,” makes his streaming debut with the project.

Park Bo-young (“Light Shop”) and Kim Sung-cheol (“No Way Out: The Roulette”) will topline the fast-paced series about smuggling, loan sharks and escaping one’s past.

“Gold Land” follows Heeju, a woman from a remote town who accidentally comes into possession of gold bars from a smuggling ring. Finding herself in a van full of gold and pursued by dangerous criminals, Heeju races toward the one place she vowed never to return.

Park Bo-young stars as Kim Heeju, a determined woman desperate to escape her past, while Kim Sung-cheol plays Jang Wook (nicknamed “Woogy”), a member of the criminal organization hunting Heeju who grew up in her neighborhood.

Gi-jun has decided to turn to a path of vengeance to seek justice for his brother, and the fourth episode of Mercy For None shows how serious he really is about not letting anything stand in between him and his bloody revenge. Gi-jun moves like an emissary of death, relentless, inevitable, and out of mercy, as his hunt for Jun-mo finally comes to an end. On the other hand, Bong-san comes closer to the truth regarding Gi-seok’s death, but whether that actually amounts to anything remains to be seen.

Spoilers Ahead

Yeong-do’s Larger Role

Like the previous episode, Mercy For None episode 4, too, begins with Bong-san trying to pull all the strings to ensure Jun-mo’s safety—and this time he meets with the Yeong-do, who appears to be acting as an advisor to both the gangs of Seoul. As Bong-san mentions, it was Yeong-do who proposed the...

Korean star So Ji-sub returns with another incredible series after headlining shows like Doctor Lawyer, Phantom, My Secret Terrius, and more. He will star as the lead in Netflix’s upcoming series Mercy for None. The series is a John Wick-esque action thriller, which sees Ji-sub play an ex-criminal who gets back into the underworld after a tragedy.

Early reviews have praised the show for building on the style that was first originated by Keanu Reeves’ John Wick and standing out amidst the countless copycats of the action franchise. So Ji-sub’s performance and the action choreography have been termed as the highlight, with some even comparing it to Oldboy and Halloween.

So Ji-sub shines in the John Wick-inspired Netflix series Mercy for None So Ji-sub in Mercy for None | Credits: Netflix

Netflix’s Korean offerings have been incredible and have captured the attention of not just the...

Lionsgate Motion Picture Group president Nathan Kahane is expected to leave his post when his contract expires towards the end of this year, according to reports.

Though his exit deal is still being finalised, Kahane is believed to be in talks to take up a producing deal with Lionsgate.

When Kahane departs, Erin Westerman, currently president of production at the Motion Picture Group is expected to take over responsibility for the company’s production slate under group chair Adam Fogelson.

Kahane joined Lionsgate in 2018, reuniting him with then group chairman Joe Drake. Drake and Kahane founded Good Universe, which was...

Needless to say, remaking one of the greatest films of all time by arguably the greatest filmmaker of all time for an American crowd is a recipe for probable cinematic sacrilege. Add to this the fact that the American doing the remaking happens to be a director who’s already famously desecrated one classic of Asian cinema, and the prospects for Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest” appear rather dim from the outset. Fortunately, while his rehash of “Oldboy” was the work of a man clearly indifferent to his product, his reinterpretation of “High and Low” indicates a man who knew what made the original work, and what else could benefit from a modern update.

In a sense, “Highest 2 Lowest” can very well describe the trajectory of Lee’s entire career—a man who, over the course of his storied history, has made unimpeachable classics in between baffling misfires—but through it all,...

Every so often, a movie comes along that you just can’t stop thinking about. Maybe you catch it on a whim, or maybe you’ve been anticipating it for a while, and it’s the rare film that not only meets whatever expectations you had but exceeds them. When it comes to South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, that’s exclusively the case. I’ve never been let down, and I consider Oldboy and The Handmaiden among my favorites of all time.

How wonderful that a single filmmaker has two masterpieces. Only, Park Chan-wook doesn’t just have two. His entire filmography is pretty much banger after banger, and just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, his latest film premiered. Decision to Leave is a masterpiece. The film will certifiably renew your faith in cinema—yeah, cinema, baby. It’s gorgeous, stirring, romantic, frightening, funny—everything you could hope for.

The Yi Sun-sin trilogy is an incredibly popular and epic South Korean historical war film series. Finally, all three (3) films are available to watch on the same streaming platform, Roku. . The trilogy is about the three (3) major naval battles led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin during the Imjin Wars (1592–1598). “The Admiral: Roaring Currents” (2014) “Hansan: Rising Dragon” (2022) “Noryang: Deadly Sea (2023) ♦ (1) The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014) Depicts the Battle of Myeongnyang (1597). “Do not look back when the only course is in front of you.” Watch Free: The Roku Channel Main Character: Admiral Yi Sun-Shin Links Of Interest: ‘The Admiral: Roaring Currents’: Film Review | The Hollywood Reporter Review: ‘The Admiral: Roaring Currents’ a thrilling look at sea battle | Los Angeles Times Inside a 16th-Century Naval Battle: ‘The Admiral,’ a South Korean Film With Choi Min-sik – The New York Times Trailer: Rotten Tomatoes Trailers. “The Admiral: Roaring Currents Official US Release Trailer (2014) – Choi Min-Sik War Drama HD.

Riverdale was a game-changer for several stars who went on to make it big in Hollywood after the iconic show ended in 2023. One of these stars is the iconic American actor Charles Melton.

Well, Melton has been finding fame with some iconic projects like Warfare, May December, and more, coming in recent years. Well, the actor sat down for a chat in a recent interview and went on to talk about the top three directors on his bucket list whom he would like to work with.

Charles Melton wants to work with these three directors!

Starring in Riverdale, the actor portrayed the role of Reggie Mantle for a total of 137 episodes in the iconic show. The drama show had several criminals and strange happenings around the town, which millions of fans loved to watch.

Charles Melton and Julianne Moore in a still from May December | Credits: Netflix

Well, the actor...

There’s enormous risk in remaking a movie like “High and Low.” Japanese master Akira Kurosawa set the bar high with his 1963 take on a kidnapping that brings an ambitious businessman to his knees — which means, even in the hands of such a visionary director as Spike Lee, you can’t help worrying how low a modern, New York-set update might go.

For three-quarters of its running time, Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest” glides along far better than skeptics might have expected (it’s night and day with his sordid U.S. adaptation of “Old Boy”). And then comes a scene for which there is no equivalent in Kurosawa’s version — a face-off between Denzel Washington and A$AP Rocky as the man with the nerve to ransom his son — and the movie rockets into a sublime new stratosphere, delivering an electrifying last act that’s at once original and deeply personal.

Bad Thoughts is the latest of many attempts by Netflix to team up with a popular comedian and leverage their appeal into mediums beyond the traditional stand-up special that the streamer has more or less cornered the market on. In this case, giving frequent collaborator Tom Segura a chance to explore the darker impulses of humanity via the anthology format.

I’ll be honest, despite generally enjoying stand-up comedy, I’m not really familiar with Segura’s work and thus didn’t really know what to expect going in. And while the end result is enjoyable enough for what it is, I don’t see myself seeking out more of his material based on my experience here.

Bad Thoughts Plot Tom Segura in Bad Thoughts

Given that Bad Thoughts is an anthology series, there isn’t really a traditional plot to be summarized. Each episode consists of about two or three standalone sketches,...

"What happens when a 2,000-year-old immortal warlord decides he’s had enough?"

Writer Brian Buccellato, artist Mattia Monaco, letterer Buddy Beaudoin, and editor Teddy Leo team up for Eat Your Young, a visceral, character-driven blood feud that kicks off this August from Mad Cave Studios. We're thrilled to share the first details and a 4-page preview you can read right now!

From the Press Release: This explosive new six-issue miniseries doesn’t just raise the stakes—it drives them straight through the heart. Eat Your Young blends brutal combat, punk-era flashbacks, Cold War espionage, and raw emotional depth into a genre-smashing epic of family, legacy, and survival. Unflinching and relentless, it’s high-stakes storytelling at its most feral.

What happens when a 2,000-year-old Immortal Warlord decides he’s done? In Eat Your Young, Edmund Irons names his six-year-old daughter, Elsa, as the next Alpha of his immortal clan. But every hundred years,...

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"Decision to Leave" is now streaming on Hulu, so you've got an easy decision to watch ahead of you. The 2022 South Korean film, directed by Park Chan-Wook, combines romance and mystery. Distributed stateside by Mubi, "Decision to Leave" racked up impressive streaming viewership over there. Its addition to the Hulu library will likely (and should) expand that viewership even more.

In "Decision to Leave," Busan detective Jang Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) is investigating the death of a rock climber, Ki Doo-soo (Yoo Seung-mok). The dead man's wife, Song Seo-rae (Tang Wei), has a motive; she's a Chinese immigrant and Doo-soo, an immigration officer, essentially blackmailed her into marriage. Seo-rae has scars from physical abuse too. But her husband died by tumbling down an enormous rock, so surely it must've been a suicide or an accident, right? Hae-jun keeps looking into Seo-rae,...

While Western action films often fall into categories such as serious, genre-defining films like “Drive” (2011), or long-running franchises like “Mission: Impossible” or “John Wick,” or even more comedic and mainstream-friendly entries like “Novocaine” (2025), Tamil cinema continues to forge its own path. In recent years, Tamil action films have aimed to be more grounded and emotionally driven with vulnerable protagonists. These films often attempt to combine character depth with stylized actions and layered storylines, which, while admirable, can feel overwhelming when squeezed into runtimes under 130 minutes.

“Retro” (2025) centres on Paari (Played by Suriya), a man shaped by violence and loss from a very young age. His childhood trauma has left him emotionally detached, unable even to smile or laugh ever. Raised by his emotionally distant foster Father (Played by Joju George), who sees Paari not as a son but as another henchman, and following the death of his caring foster mother,...

The modern era of Hollywood only has a handful of true movie stars. The definition of the role has changed fundamentally over the years as the studio system morphed and shifted, and as a result, the amount of undeniably bankable stars the studios actually want to invest in has dwindled. But in the small handful that still remains, Florence Pugh shines as one of the brightest and best movie stars we have today.

She is absolutely fearless in front of the camera, and her taste in roles supports her obvious drive to find the most exciting and challenging ways to build her craft. Though her career has been, realistically, quite short so far, Pugh has already established herself as a risk-taker, and because of that, audiences are excited to show up when she makes the choice to lend her skills to a project. Honestly, she's rarely in something that doesn't deserve high praise.

Hollywood may dominate the global box office, but for true cinephiles, the real rite of passage begins with exploring non-English films, which are, by definition, international movies. Stories from countries/regions introduce us to different cultures and broaden our perspectives, offering a new way to see the world.

Movies like Slumdog Millionaire, from Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle, are prime examples of people, culture, and struggles shown from a foreigner’s lens. For the real taste of the world, audiences have to dive into cinema beyond Hollywood. When Bong Joon-ho accepted the Academy Award for Best Director for Parasite, he famously said, “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”

From action and romance to slice-of-life genre, including animated ones, this list consists of some of the best non-English films that one must definitely watch before they die. Without further ado,...

Paramount+ May 2025 Schedule ( Photo Credit – Facebook; Instagram )

The month of may has brought forward an exciting lineup of films, series, and reality shows to binge this summer. Paramount+ has a full slate of interesting releases including the premiere of David Beckam’s talk show Beckham & Friends Live and the seasons of some popular reality shows.

American Music Awards are set to happen this month and will be available to stream on the digital giant. Scary Movie films and seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race are also included in the diverse lineup of the digital platform. Here’s what it set to release on Paramount+ during the month of May.

Paramount+ May 2025: Everything On Release Schedule This Month

Note: The releases marked with the Paramount+ Showtime bracket will be available only to those with the Paramount+ and Showtime subscription tier. The releases not marked will be available for subscribers of all tiers.

Paramount has announced the lineup of movies, TV shows, and live sports coming to Paramount+ in April. The Paramount Plus May 2025 schedule includes Beckham & Friends Live, an altcast for CBS Sports’ UEFA Champions League semifinals and final coverage streaming exclusively on Paramount+.

May is also serving up new seasons of hit series, including Criminal Minds: Evolution, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, SkyMed, and the highly anticipated Season 7 premiere of The Chi. And music fans will rejoice when Jennifer Lopez hosts the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, the American Music Awards, next month.

Beckham & Friends Live

From the pitch to a live studio show, the Paramount+ exclusive Beckham & Friends Live will give audiences a chance to watch an altcast of CBS Sports’ UEFA Champions League coverage alongside the former professional footballer as he steps into the role of broadcaster. David will bring a player’s perspective and fun conversation along...

The lead actor and martial artist who broke onto the scene with one of last year’s best and most underrated action movies has revealed that he has now wrapped on a new action thriller project. Bren Foster, who so impressed genre fans with last year’s Life After Fighting, the tale of a martial arts instructor who must use his skills in the real-world when two of his students are abducted by human traffickers, has now revealed the first look and details about his new upcoming action outing, The Farmer. And it sounds just as thrilling.

Taking to social media, Foster revealed several images from the set of The Farmer, confirming that the action movie has now wrapped and declaring it a “banger.”

“And that’s a wrap on The Farmer, what an absolutely amazing experience. So much passion and drive from everyone involved. Hopefully something special is made...