Reviews page
A Bittersweet Life - 2005
When Mr Kang suspects that his girlfriend is cheating on him, he asks Sun-woo to look after her while he's away on business, to take her out and drive her around and generally keep an eye on her. Unsurprisingly, Sun-woo develops a soft spot for the girl, and so when he discovers her with another man, he makes them promise to end the affair rather than informing his boss or 'dealing with it' himself as per Mr Kang's orders.
It transpires that Mr Kang does not take kindly to being disobeyed, nor does he forgive easily, and when he finds out how Sun-woo has handled the situation he is far from happy. So begins a violent and thrilling ride, as our hunted protagonist fights for his life against various criminal factions, all of whom seem to want him dead. All of the gunfights and hand-to-hand scraps are beautifully choreographed and performed with skill, while splashes of dark humour stop proceedings from becoming too bogged down in the film's cynical 'do good and get punished for it' message.
While all of the actors deliver excellent performances, Lee's assured turn as the quiet but deadly enforcer is the focus of the whole story and holds the film together. His character's sartorial elegance and implacable cool imply the sharp mind and physical agility that get severely tested as the film progresses. Sun-woo is the kind of character that an audience can root for; despite everything that's thrown at him, he remains as hard as nails and gob-smackingly resilient, especially when things really kick of towards the end of the film.
A Bittersweet Life is exciting cinema: visually rich, thematically intriguing and great fun to watch. It's violent, sure, but this is stylish, grown-up film-making, and should be seen by everyone, not just Asian cinema buffs. Recommended.
by Catherine Leopold - 2008-12-09
An act of mercy has dire repercussions for a South Korean gangster's enforcer in this violent and stylishly shot thriller from writer-director Ji-woon Kim. Byung-hun Lee stars as Sun-woo, a hotel manager who works for underworld boss Mr Kang (Kim Young-Chul), fixing whatever problems that need to be fixed. Sun-woo is a man who gets things done and is trusted to do so with minimum fuss and maximum efficiency.When Mr Kang suspects that his girlfriend is cheating on him, he asks Sun-woo to look after her while he's away on business, to take her out and drive her around and generally keep an eye on her. Unsurprisingly, Sun-woo develops a soft spot for the girl, and so when he discovers her with another man, he makes them promise to end the affair rather than informing his boss or 'dealing with it' himself as per Mr Kang's orders.
It transpires that Mr Kang does not take kindly to being disobeyed, nor does he forgive easily, and when he finds out how Sun-woo has handled the situation he is far from happy. So begins a violent and thrilling ride, as our hunted protagonist fights for his life against various criminal factions, all of whom seem to want him dead. All of the gunfights and hand-to-hand scraps are beautifully choreographed and performed with skill, while splashes of dark humour stop proceedings from becoming too bogged down in the film's cynical 'do good and get punished for it' message.
While all of the actors deliver excellent performances, Lee's assured turn as the quiet but deadly enforcer is the focus of the whole story and holds the film together. His character's sartorial elegance and implacable cool imply the sharp mind and physical agility that get severely tested as the film progresses. Sun-woo is the kind of character that an audience can root for; despite everything that's thrown at him, he remains as hard as nails and gob-smackingly resilient, especially when things really kick of towards the end of the film.
A Bittersweet Life is exciting cinema: visually rich, thematically intriguing and great fun to watch. It's violent, sure, but this is stylish, grown-up film-making, and should be seen by everyone, not just Asian cinema buffs. Recommended.