A Bittersweet Life Reviews

Bittersweet masterpiece

Korean Cinema for the past few years have produced some of my favourite ever films and this is a prime example of why.

Ji-woon Kim, director of the great horror mystery 'A Tale of Two Sisters', takes a story that has been told a dozen times before - an anti-hero criminal wronged by his associates and out for revenge, and yet it feels completely new and fresh.

Without giving too much away Byung hun lee plays a henchman for a local crime boss who is given orders to watch over the much younger girlfriend of his boss, who is suspected of having an affair.

Finding himself liking the girl Sun woo keeps his discoveries to himself - which lands him in trouble with the boss who leaves Sun woo for dead.

While the plot is as simple as that, its also so much more.

With all the drive for revenge of Mel Gibson in Payback or Marvin in Point Blank, Sun Woo goes all out for retribution against the entire crime syndicate that wronged him.

It's not the story here that makes it seem so fresh its the way its executed. Dark humour that breaks up the bleak tone nicely, wonderful music and fantastic camera work and use of colour really set the mood.. it's a great looking film, the slow pace of the first act builds the character well, the 'Snatch'-like plot threads and great action of the final 2/3rds. The ending is absolutley magnificent.

Sun Woo is also effortless in being one of the coolest characters on film. Kicking obscene amounts of butt while still looking sharp in his business suits, unflappable and completley focused. He is completely believable as an every day business man with a talent for violence. In fact it reminded me of the Tom Cruise character in Collateral, in the nightclub hit, in terms of how he gets down to business with ruthless efficiency and calm. The difference between these characters being it's hard not to like Sun woo as he goes about his work with the motto that actions speak louder than words. The mini car chase scene is a great example of how badass this guy is.

If you like revenge movies, if you like a little action with your drama, or drama with your action or your a fan of noir or gangster flicks or even Korean cinema then this is a must see.

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet...

Quite simply one of the most entertaining movies of the year. A new film from the director of A tale of two sisters and a welcome shot to the head of gangster movie making.

Not that A Bittersweet Life offers anything new at the table, pretty much everything you'll see echoes another movie and another director but that's not to say A Bittersweet Life doesn't hold its own. It's a movie that feels both familiar and refreshing at the same time.

Things start quite slowly as the charaters are introduced but it isn't long before the film erupts into an orgy of bloodshed, violence and revenge.

Anyone who loves Eastern gangster movies, Tarantino movies and plenty of dark humour will certainly get a kick out of A Bittersweet Life.

Great film. Great director. Great night in.

[Highly rated reviewer]

An incredible film

From the Director of A Tale of Two Sisters, A Bittersweet Life tells the story of Sunwoo who is the trusted right hand man of underworld boss Kang. When Kang plans to goes away for three days he asks Sunwoo to keep an eye on his young girlfriend whom he suspects may be cheating on him. Sunwoo keeps an eye on the girl who begins to intrigue him, while keeping things under control at his boss’s hotel. Sunwoo is a man who likes to remain in control at all times, using whatever means are necessary. One day he makes an uncharacteristically merciful decision, the result of which changes his life completely.

The film has a pretty straightforward plot, but it works in its favour as the film always feels to-the-point, building slowly throughout. The cast is great - Lee Byung-Hung is great in the lead role as Sunwoo, looking sharp in his tailor-made suits, performing the action scenes with great energy, and always looking believable in the part throughout. Kim Young-Chul is very good as boss Kang, putting in a confident and again believable performance that only experienced actors can really pull off. All the other performances in the film are good as well.

The director should also be praised for his great camera work and equally great soundtrack. Every shot in the film seems to have been meticulously planned and painstakingly created.

If you liked the way A Tale of Two Sisters gave a different view to its genre, then A Bittersweet Life does the same for gangster films. Simple on the surface but complex underneath, it is just , which is extremely entertaining, very violent and bloody, has great action scenes, and is very well filmed with some very solid acting. One of the best films I have watched in 2006 (both on DVD and at the cinema) and highly recommended.

Excellent!

Saw this at the cinema knowing absolutely nothing about it apart from the fact that the director's previous film was the superb Tale of Two Sisters. And I was blown away - the cinematography is excellent, the sound was crisp (and in places deafening) and the action brutal and well choreographed.

The main character is a little reserved which makes him difficult to connect with at first, but his actions (or poorly judged decision - you decide) twenty minutes into the film display him as a sympathetic character, and you can't help but root for the guy as he acts out his bloody revenge on his ex-boss.

This is, however, more than a simple bloody actioner. More like an updated John Woo / Hong Kong zen-flick. Repeated viewing is essential.

I love this film

Sweet boy.........................................

contender

for best rent of the year

Blood will spill...

An astonishingly engaging film that explores both love and revenge as enduring themes. 'A Bittersweet Life' was immensely powerful with what it communicated emotionally, telling the story of a hitman who angers his boss and then has to seek vengeance. The premise has been done before but this picture does it right, with a bloody pay-off and plenty of superb violence throughout. Very enjoyable stuff, particularly if you enjoy rooting for the anti-hero.

A Study in Style

This was one of the most sumptuously filmed movies I’ve seen for a long while. Asia cinema excels in juxtaposing style and restraint against violence and desire and this film exemplifies how to balance those apposing factions without detracting from the substance of the film. The acting is restrained to point of making the characters one dimensional, but the narrative ensures that when emotion is required it is expressed with vehemence.

Western Cinema could and should learn from films such as this that manage so well to balance violent imagery with thought provoking stories, instead of pointless blood letting and over-sentimental narratives.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Excellent Gangster Film

I really enjoyed this. It had a good story, brutal violence and a cool as f*ck main character. This is everything I expect from Korean cinema.

Hands Down

A Tale Of Two Sisters was exceptional, harshly beautiful and grimly fascinating, combining a bizarre mixture of melancholic evocation and poignant dread...and the follow-up, so to speak, does something very similar, whilst cannibalising the likes of Pulp Fiction, Sergio Leone, Sam Peckinpah and countless others almost entirely effectively. Compulsive and effortlessly superior to 95% of the flimsy action fodder you'll come across this year.