Park Chan-wook’s 12th feature-length movie, No Other Choice, begins with Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) as a proud patriarch at the barbecue, a vision of the platonic ideal domestic life he will spend most of the movie defending. In the long middle where life is lived, the movie offers its audience mirth and pathos and deep social critique. Also: murders. After being laid off from a paper company, Man-su realizes that his best chance at getting hired for his next job is to knock off the three other qualified candidates.
Technology
In No Other Choice, the real job killer is this guy
Adapted from Donald Westlake’s novel The Ax, No Other Choice captures — most delightfully and cathartically — the perpetual and unsolvable anxiety of living under an economic system built around extracting surplus value from its workers. Or the dark irony that if a corporation makes a person redundant, it is strategy; if a human does the same, it’s a crime.
With this film, not to mention his earlier works like Oldboy and The Handmaiden, Park establishes himself as a director who understands intimately that tragedy and comedy cannot be separated. Here, it’s the tragedy that life must be lived, that we ought to work at all, that so much in this life in fact depends on this work, set against the comedy of how somebody like Man-su sets about solving this impossible riddle for himself.
The Verge spoke with Park about his relationship to his source material, artificial intelligence, and how he recovers after wrapping a picture.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
The Verge: Have you ever been fired from a job?
Park Chan-wook: That’s never happened to me, mercifully. Those kinds of things actually happen quite often in our industry. I’ve been fortunate enough to avoid that fate, but there have been many times when I’ve been afraid of being let go. While working on any project, invariably comes a time when differences in opinion form between the studio or the producers. In that instance, whenever I stubbornly stick to my original position, I do so knowing I am exposing myself to that kind of danger.
And when a movie comes out and it doesn’t do well, then comes the fear that I won’t be able to find a job again, or that I won’t be able to raise funds for my next project.
But also that fear isn’t something that accompanies you after you get your report card from the box office exclusively. All throughout the filmmaking process, it stays with you, that fear. It stays with you from the initial planning stages of a movie. And then if the movie doesn’t do well, that fear sharpens, and it never goes away. It is near to you always.
At the screening I attended, you said you first encountered the source material, the Donald Westlake novel The Ax, via your love of the movie Point Blank, which you cite as your favorite noir. Do you remember how you discovered the movie, and are there other Westlake novels you are curious about?
Point Blank is a film directed by John Boorman, a British director, and I watched it for two reasons. The first is that I’ve always liked John Boorman. The first Boorman film I ever saw was Excalibur.
Second, I’m a fan of the actor Lee Marvin. Because Point Blank was a collaboration between a director I like and an actor I also like, I had always wanted to see it. But accessing the movie was difficult in Korea for a long time, so it was only later that I got to watch it.
As for Westlake, surprisingly not too many of his books are in translation. That The Ax was translated into Korean was itself an anomaly. And so I’ve only read a few of his books.
You’ve been trying to make No Other Choice for 16 years. You also said you tried going through Hollywood first. How come?
Since the novel was written with an American setting, I naturally thought making it into an American film would be the best option. At that time, I had already made Oldboy, Thirst, Lady Vengeance, and Stoker, and so making a movie in America was not intimidating.
What was the most common feedback you received in these early years?
In 2010, we secured the rights and began actively pursuing the project. Initially, we met with French investors. Although it was to be an American movie filmed in America, we met with French investors thanks to Michèle Ray-Gavras, wife of [director] Costa-Gavras, who was among our producers, and through her we contacted various studios, from France to the United States.
Starting then, I continued receiving offers that were slightly less than what I wanted, which is why I could not possibly accept them.
As for notes from the studios, beyond anything, they doubted whether the audience would believe that Man-su would resort to murder because he lost his job. They wanted to know how I was going to bring the audience along.
Other than that, people’s senses of humor varied slightly. Some said this part isn’t funny. Others said that part isn’t funny. We faced some challenges.
You mentioned there are Easter eggs strewn about the movie and I am curious about them. You mentioned that the oven mitt Man-su uses during his attempted murder can be seen later back in his kitchen. A Christmas stocking from the same scene can be seen in a family photo in the background. What other such details are there to look out for?
I can’t guarantee that the framed photo with the Santa Claus costume can be seen properly. We did place it on set during filming. In fact, we gathered the entire family, dressed them up and took pictures specifically for that framed photo. But I don’t know if it is actually visible in the final movie. It will definitely, however, be in the extended cut that I’m preparing for the Blu-ray release.
And rather than considering it an Easter egg, it might be more accurate to consider it part of creating a believable world for the actors. So that once the actors enter that world, they feel like they can more easily become their characters. And for there to be that trust and sense of a stable reality, the better it is to attend to props or anything else spatially. The more consideration, the better.
AI shows up at the end of the movie, which I imagine was not part of the original idea you had when you began the project. When did you know to add AI to the film?
Had this been made into an American film, such a plot point would not have been available. It was only because the process took so long that the issue could be incorporated.
Any director making a movie about employment, or unemployment rather, would be remiss to not mention AI. Moreover — and this was important for me — by the end, Man-su’s family catches on to what he has done in the name of the family. Of course, Man-su isn’t entirely sure if they know, but the audience knows. The very thing he does for his family will be the thing that leads to its collapse. All of his efforts are for naught, which echoes the situation with AI.
He painstakingly eliminated his human competitors to secure a job. But what he confronts at his new workplace is a competitor more formidable than any mortal. Meaning Man-su likely won’t last long before AI takes over. He will lose his job, yet again, at which point, what was it all for? What were the murders for? This too can be seen as a colossal wasted effort.
Therefore, the introduction of AI technology from a creative perspective was a great addition to the movie.
How do you feel about the use of AI in film? Would you use it in your own work? I am sensing the answer is “no.”
I hope that never happens.
It’s not easy for young film students out there. And if there were a technology that allows them to make their own movies at a reduced cost, in a way that could not have been possible before, who could stop them? It would not be possible to tell them not to.
What is the question No Other Choice is asking?
Those who have arrived at the middle class, those who have become accustomed to a certain way of life, and it wasn’t inherited, they obtained it of their own accord — for that class of people, giving all that up would be very difficult. Slipping from that station would be challenging to accept. I would certainly find it difficult to accept.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I am going to commit murder — three, no less — but it’s an impossible situation.
“My child desperately needs private cello lessons. Not only that, it’s a vital part of them becoming an independent adult.” Giving that up would be staggeringly hard. I am imagining what I might be capable of in such a scenario.
I wanted to create a space in which people might ask themselves that question. Not to simply criticize Man-su, but to ask themselves, what if, what might happen, if there was such a person in such a situation? It’s an exercise in imagination.
What was the most difficult time in your career and how did you recover from it?
When my first two films failed at the box office. Before I made JSA, the period between the first film and the second film, and between the second film and the third film, was most difficult. I had no choice but to make the rounds with my screenplay — not unlike how Man-su does with his resume — looking for producers and studio executives. Often I was rejected. That was a tough time.
By then I had married and had dependents and so I resorted to film criticism to make a living. Being a film critic is a great profession, but it was not what I wanted, so I suffered. What’s more, I wanted to be making my own movie, but instead I was reduced to analyzing other people’s movies. If I watched an excellent movie, I would be filled with envy. The reality that demanded I live like that seemed to also be mocking my pain, a kind of taunting. But I had no other means of surviving.
What will you work on next?
Actually, I have two projects that are already prepared. I have a script for a Western that has been written and revised several times. There is also a sci-fi action film for which I haven’t written the script yet, but I put together a fairly involved treatment for.
How do you recover after filming a movie?
Luckily, I am traveling with Lee Byung-hun at the moment. I might drink a glass of wine with him. He is rather serious about wine, and so if I drink with him, I am bound to drink something good.
Have you any deep and profound advice for young filmmakers?
In film school, you might learn certain lessons from your instructors. You might also learn from directors who are already successful. If you are a fan of genre, you might study the convention of your chosen genre.
That is all very well, but before anything, the first order is to really have your own voice. And to examine yourself honestly. And to tell the story that comes spontaneously from within. In my opinion, spontaneity is the most important thing. Not to say “this is popular,” or “people like this,” but what is the true thing that comes from your own and inner self? Follow that thread with sincerity.
Of course it’s easy for me to say this — anybody can say it — but putting it into practice is another thing entirely.
No Other Choice is in select theaters December 25, 2025, with a wider release planned in January.
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Five months after returning to OpenAI, Barret Zoph — the company’s head of enterprise AI sales — has departed, The Verge has learned.
Zoph returned to OpenAI in mid-January after a stint as co-founder and CTO of Thinking Machines Lab, the competing AI company founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati. Shortly after Zoph returned to OpenAI, the company said he would lead its push into enterprise — a significant role at OpenAI, since in recent months it had vowed to stop chasing so-called “side quests” and focus on key revenue drivers like enterprise and coding ahead of its planned IPO.
OpenAI confirmed to The Verge that Zoph will be departing. He posted a goodbye message in the company’s Slack channels. Zoph did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Zoph originally left OpenAI in the fall of 2024 for Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab, but departed the role abruptly in January 2026 after reports of alleged misconduct involving an undisclosed relationship with a colleague. Murati posted on X in January that Thinking Machines Lab had “parted ways” with Zoph and that he would be replaced as CTO.
Thinking Machines Lab has its own tensions with OpenAI. Murati briefly took over as CEO from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during his November 2023 ouster, and during the recent OpenAI trial, Murati testified that she couldn’t trust everything Altman said. In September 2024, when Murati left OpenAI to start Thinking Machines Lab, a group of OpenAI employees followed shortly after. But three of them — including Zoph — all returned to OpenAI together this past January. Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, wrote on X at the time that she was “excited to welcome Barret Zoph, Luke Metz, and Sam Schoenholz back” and that the decision had “been in the works for several weeks.”
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For years, two women in Bremerton, Washington, opened credit cards and lines of credit in other people’s names, working from documents they pulled out of stolen mail. Emily Vranic and Heather Marquis redirected the new accounts’ statements to an address they controlled, so no bill ever reached the victims. They pleaded guilty in federal court this month to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in a scheme prosecutors say stole nearly $229,000 from banks and bank customers.
If you have ever worried about a credit card opened in your name, this case shows how quickly stolen mail can turn into a much bigger identity theft problem. Opening a new account is the leading form of identity misuse reported to the Identity Theft Resource Center. In its latest data, 62.1% of attempted misuse cases began with a new account application rather than the takeover of an account the victim already held.
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WARNING SIGNS YOUR MAIL HAS BEEN FRAUDULENTLY REDIRECTED
A credit card opened in your name can start with stolen mail, exposed personal details or documents pulled from the trash. (Nastasic/Getty Images)
How stolen mail helped thieves open credit cards
When people picture an account opened in their name, they may imagine a checking account at a bank they have never set foot in. The more likely target is a credit card. Credit cards made up 41% of attempted account misuse reported to the ITRC last year. Checking accounts came to 17.7% and personal loans to 8.5%.
A credit card is one of the easier accounts to open in someone else’s name, and the reason is in how the application is cleared. A lender matches the submitted name, date of birth, address and Social Security number (SSN) against the bureau file. When those details fit a record that already exists, an automated system can approve the application with no one confirming that the applicant is the person being described. Assemble enough of someone’s information from breaches and stolen mail, and the check clears.
Why identity thieves rarely stop at one account
Vranic and Marquis did not stop at one account per victim. Once they controlled someone’s identity, they activated existing cards, opened new credit lines and moved money out of bank accounts tied to the same name.
This is common. The ITRC found that 25.6% of victims are now handling two or more identity incidents at once, up from 23.5% the year before. The same stolen details, including name, date of birth, address and SSN, can open the next account as easily as the first.
DON’T LET THIS CREDIT CARD FRAUD NIGHTMARE HAPPEN TO YOU
A fraudulent credit card may stay hidden for weeks if statements and notices are sent to an address controlled by the thief. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Why weeks can pass before you learn about the account
A new account does not announce itself. It reaches your credit report only after the first statement closes, which puts the first record 30 to 60 days behind the opening. Banks report to the bureaus monthly, and the bureaus need up to two weeks more to post the change.
The first paper notice goes wherever the application is listed. Vranic and Marquis had the statements mailed to their own address, not the victims’. When the mail reaches the right house, it may read like a routine offer or a card no one ordered, which makes it easy to set aside.
By the time a denied loan or a collections call makes the account impossible to ignore, it has been open and drawing money for weeks.
WHY THAT $4 CHARGE ON YOUR STATEMENT COULD BE FRAUD
Freezing your credit, watching for new accounts and acting quickly can help limit the damage if your identity is used. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
What to do if a credit card appears in your name
Move quickly, because every day an account stays open gives a thief more time to spend money, damage your credit or try the same information somewhere else.
1) Contact the card issuer immediately
Call the credit card company or lender that opened the account and tell them the account is fraudulent. Ask them to close or freeze the account, stop any pending charges and send written confirmation that you are not responsible for the debt.
2) Start at IdentityTheft.gov
Go to IdentityTheft.gov. The Federal Trade Commission’s site generates an Identity Theft Report and recovery plan to help you report identity theft, limit the damage and fix your credit.
3) File a police report if a creditor asks for one
Your FTC Identity Theft Report is usually the key document for disputing fraudulent accounts. Some lenders, banks or debt collectors may also ask for a police report. If that happens, file one with your local police department and keep a copy for your records.
4) Save every document and confirmation number
Keep copies of account statements, collection letters, emails, dispute letters, FTC reports, police reports and confirmation numbers. A clear paper trail can make it easier to prove the account was fraudulent if a creditor, credit bureau or debt collector questions your claim.
5) Dispute the account in writing
Dispute the fraudulent account directly with the lender that opened it, in writing. Also dispute it with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion if it appears on your credit reports. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, companies that furnish information to credit bureaus have a duty to investigate disputed information.
6) Freeze your credit at all three bureaus
Place a freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion to help block the next application. Freezes have been free since 2018 and can be lifted online when you need to apply for credit.
7) Add a fraud alert
A credit freeze blocks access to your credit file. A fraud alert tells lenders to take extra steps to verify your identity before opening new credit in your name. You only need to contact one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert, and that bureau must notify the other two.
8) Report suspected mail theft
If you believe stolen mail helped someone open the account, report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement arm of the Postal Service. You can report mail theft, identity theft, fraudulent change-of-address requests, fraudulent mail holds and fake Informed Delivery accounts at mailtheft.uspis.gov.
9) Request an IRS Identity Protection PIN
If your Social Security number was used, request an IRS Identity Protection PIN at irs.gov/ippin. This helps keep a thief from filing a tax return in your name.
10) Change passwords and lock down your accounts
Change the passwords on your bank, credit card and email accounts, especially if your email address was part of the fraud. Use a password manager to create and store strong, unique passwords for each account, so one exposed password cannot unlock the rest of your financial life. Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) where available. Then review recent transactions, saved payment methods and automatic payments for anything you do not recognize.
11) Get help cleaning up the damage
Cleaning up identity theft can mean dealing with creditors, credit bureaus, debt collectors and repeat follow-ups. Keep copies of every report, dispute letter, confirmation number and account closure notice so you have a clear paper trail if the fraud resurfaces.
No service can prevent every account opened in your name. Continuous three-bureau credit monitoring may alert you to new accounts as they are reported, rather than weeks later when a lender turns you down or a collections notice arrives. See my tips and best picks on Best Identity Theft Protection at Cyberguy.com
Kurt’s key takeaways
A stolen credit card account can quietly grow into a much bigger identity theft mess before you ever see a bill. That is what makes this Washington case so alarming. The victims were not ignoring warning signs. The statements were being sent somewhere else. The best move is to make it harder for thieves to open the next account. Freeze your credit at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, watch for hard inquiries and check your credit reports for accounts you do not recognize. If something appears, go straight to IdentityTheft.gov, file a report and dispute the account in writing with the lender. Credit monitoring can also give you a faster heads-up when a new account or inquiry hits your file. It will not stop every scam, but it can shorten the time between the fraud starting and you finding out.
Have you ever found a credit card, loan or account on your credit report that you did not open? Let us know how you discovered it and what it took to fix it by writing to us at Cyberguy.com
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Valve has some good news and bad news about Steam Controllers. The good news: if you make a reservation for a Steam Controller, the company will now show you one of three estimates of when you’ll be able to actually order your gamepad: by September 2026, by December 2026, or sometime in 2027. The bad news: any reservations made today “indicate a 2027 date for shipping,” Valve says.
“We have no plans to stop making Steam Controller,” according to Valve. “But as we look at the current demand compared to how many we know we can make by the end of the year, we want to manage expectations as much as we can with regards to when folks can expect to receive their order.”
Valve’s very good new Steam Controller went on sale in early May, and the initial rush led some people to run into frustrating problems with trying to check out ahead of the controllers eventually going out of stock. A few days later, the company announced that it would be implementing a reservations queue for interested buyers so they could get on a waitlist. If you’re on the waitlist, when you get notified that a Steam Controller is ready for you to buy, you have 72 hours to actually make the order.
“When we launched Steam Controller last month, we quickly saw that initial demand exceeded our expectations,” Valve says. “Switching to a reservation queue has (hopefully) cut down on the headaches on the customer side, and for us it’s also been helpful as we plan ahead and try to get as many out as quickly as we are able.”
All three of Valve’s big hardware products were delayed from a planned early 2026 launch because of the component crisis, Valve still hasn’t announced when the Steam Machine PC or Steam Frame VR headset might go on sale. However, just yesterday, Valve officially launched its big SteamOS 3.8 update with support for the Steam Machine. It’s also been importing a lot of hardware into the US as of late.
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