slapstick

“No Other Choice” exhibits spasms of taut thriller and family melodrama, but its bare-knuckled satire, sprinkled with slapstick, plays as Park’s funniest film.

It can seem an overused device, but it often produces good results, and, based on the two episodes out for review, the results here, rich in slapstick and silliness, are very good.

Park handles this dark subject with all the delicacy of a whoopee cushion, aiming for outsized, slapstick laughs that will appeal to both Korean and international audiences.

It’s an ingeniously choreographed slapstick routine, but the bit is even funnier after Francis conscripts a plant in the audience to assist him in hoarding food.

For a defence that had conceded six in Europe during the week and had given up multiple opportunities via slapstick moments in domestic football, this was welcome respite.