Overview

• Park Chan-wook adapts Donald E. Westlake’s novel The Ax into a contemporary South Korean black comedy about a laid-off paper executive who hunts professional rivals for a job.
• The film stars Lee Byung-hun as You Man-soo and Son Ye-jin as his wife, with critics praising their performances alongside Park’s precise staging.
• Reviewers highlight Kim Woo-hyung’s crisp cinematography, inventive framing, and stylized transitions as key strengths.
• Coverage underscores the film’s pointed critique of corporate downsizing and technology-driven job insecurity, delivered through mordant humor.
• The TIFF screenings mark the North American premiere, and one outlet reports a limited U.S. theatrical opening on Christmas Day with a wider rollout in January 2026.