Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8023 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-04-24
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 120 minutes

DVD Description
Highly anticipated revenge thriller from the director of A Tale of Two Sisters – Kim Jee-woon. A loyal worker is devoted to his crime boss who asks him to kill his girlfriend’s lover. Daring to defy him, his actions lead to terrible personal consequences and set in motion a torrent of blood and mayhem. Stylish balletic violence, but a brutal masterpiece. A pulse-racing powerhouse that serves as a Korean Point Blank., John Woo-style. Unforgettable film noir for the modern day.

Synopsis
Gangland boss Kang suspects his girlfriend of being unfaithful and sends Sunwoo, his right hand man, to sort out the problem. But when he finds the girl with another man Sunwoo does not kill them. This infuriates Kang and Sunwoo finds that he now has to fight against the gang and finally face Kang alone.

Empire
"Truly Thrilling"

Customer Reviews

You can't know sweet until you've tasted bitter
Without a doubt I can say that A Bittersweet Life is one of the best revenge movies I've seen and is just as captivating as Park Chan Wook's Old Boy or Tarantino's Kill Bill. The story follows Sun-woo, a hotel manager who has managed to get where he is by carrying out certain jobs for a gang leader called Kang. Just before Kang goes out of town for a few days he asks Sun-woo to keep an eye on his girlfriend as he suspects she's being unfaithful. However when Sun-woo catches the girlfriend with another man he can't bring himself to finish the job. When Kang finds out about his defiance Sun-woo soon finds himself fighting for his life against the people he once called family.

You can probably tell by the plot that this isn't the most complex film ever made and is nothing like Old Boy where you have to follow the clues right up to the very end. In fact A Bittersweet Life is the exact opposite of this; from the beginning you know that the story is heading down a vengeful path of bullets and corpses that can only end in tears. I have no doubt that when people watch this they'll be comparing it to Old Boy but although they are both stylish Korean revenge movies I'd have to say that's where the similarities stop. Old Boy was an extreme new take on the revenge genre that mixed action with a brilliant psychological story but A Bittersweet Life has a much simpler straight forward story with slightly more emphasis on the action and a style that pays homage to classic noir thrillers. That's not to say that A Bittersweet Life isn't as good but just different.

Kim Jee-Woon (A Tale of Two Sisters, The Quiet Family) has done an excellent job at directing this and for me is his best film I've seen so far. Every frame is filled with the type of style that other directors dream of (I literally found myself in awe after only watching the first five minute opening sequence). Byung-Hun Lee (JSA, Addicted) also has to take credit for playing the character of Sun-woo perfectly and is definitely one of the main aspects that make this film great.

The DVD is alright with good picture and sound but the extras do seem to be a bit lacking with only trailers, premiere footage and interview. Overall this is one of the best revenge films I've seen that's filled with style, depth and above all else class. With a perfect mix of Korean drama and bloody action there is enough here to please everyone.

great revenge flick from South Korea
Gotta give this film top marks! I really enjoyed last years Oldboy but this is just in a different League. Funny, smart, exciting, this film is just amazing. Perfectly cast and with some of the most stylish action ever seen on screen, i highly recommend this! It isnt your typical blockbuster, though it has some amazing action scenes, it is in fact a thinking mans film. And dont be put off by the subtitles! Also, it wasnt quite as violent as another viewer had suggested. Yes it contains some strong bloody violence, but there is some effective humour to accompany it and isnt anywhere near as bad as some of the scenes seen in Oldboy.

Eastern Western
This truly is a noodle western, as opposed to one of the spaghetti variety.

A Bittersweet life plays like a modern Good Bad & Ugly, or even Wild bunch. Long lingering shots, close pained expressions, quietly spoken anti heros. It has the lot. To me the setting of modern day Seoul is just as interesting as the American old west, and in this movie it looks even better. This film is beautifully put together, you can watch it for the visuals alone. Luckily there is also far more. The lead performane from Byun-Hun Lee is excellent. He exudes cool while remaining human. He is also very ably assisted by a multitude of character actors.

The story is simple, a man who is wronged seeks revenge, but also answers. Much of his feeling of hurt may relate to loyalty and relationships between employers, and father figures in Korea which to me seem stronger than in the UK. Still though, in this case revenge seems necessary. When you view in disbelief the terrible torture of the main character at the hands of the one he loved, and his internal torture after viewing something he could never have you will understand his need for retribution, and absolution.

This movie is at times very dark, but has enough excitement and kinetic energy to keep the action fan happy, enough depth and emotion for the intellectual and more than enough stylised cinematography for the most die hard cineaste.