After losing his job, things are getting increasingly desperate for Yoo Man-su (Lee Byung-hun)… who decides to eliminate two men who stand in his way of getting a job at a papermaking plant.

Park Chan-wook’s ambition was to make the masterpiece of his career, and fans of his will surely feel right at home. This is a socially relevant story about the challenges of a market where jobs are scarce, leading up to a bitterly ironic ending with a future where we are all expendable.

Before that, there’s an absurdly amusing, dark and handsomely filmed romp where Man-su tries to dispose of his competitors; expect a lot of clumsiness, a few surprises and a severely tested marriage.

2025-South Korea. 139 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Park Chan-wook. Screenplay: Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar, Lee Ja-hye. Novel: Donald Westlake (”The Ax”). Cinematography: Kim Woo-hyung. Cast: Lee Byung-hun (Yoo Man-su), Son Ye-jin (Lee Mir-ri), Park Hee-soon (Choi Seon-chul), Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, Cha Seung-won. 

Trivia: Original title: Eojjeolsuga eobsda. Co-produced by the director. The novel was previously filmed as The Axe (2005).

Last word: “A film like Modern Times is a perfect example of tragedy and comedy working together. I’ve never considered it as mixing two different elements together – I’ve always considered tragedy and comedy to be one thing. The comedy comes from the foolishness of Man-su’s decision, in the way that he wants to resolve his problems, in the clumsiness and the execution of his decision. These are the elements that lead to comedy, and that’s inherently connected to how tragic his situation is. The comedy can never be separated from his tragedy, nor from the sympathy that the audience may feel towards Man-su.” (Park, Letterboxd)