A Bittersweet Life (2005)

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

yes, how! how can this man, Kim Jee-Wong be the same man who made The Last stand?I wish I would have discovered it sooner, my goodness, better later than never right? I became a huge fan of Lee Byung Hun only recently, not only because of his martial art skills, certainly because of his amazing acting skills, this guy is absolutely great in any part he play;I was looking for something else than Terminator, aha-ha.. and found ''I saw the Devil'' which for me is, from now on, a masterpiece, then I look forward and finally get ''Bitter Sweet life''. It's better in so many ways than any American action flick, a total blast, Well, i've discovered Korean cinema, in the best way i suppose

usually i don't go for movies when i have college and work both in my hands, thats why when i first started on this movie(recommended by a friend) i was thinking "why am i wasting my time watching this?" After seeing this for while i realized that everything is going to get more interesting as the movie proceeded. The action literally took me out of my seat, I've seen a lot of action movies but this one had the simplicity and also the brutality of a fight when it happens in real life. Some movies you just see and realize its good and then you carry on with whatever you're gonna do next. But this movie got me thinking deep of how beautiful and innocent love is........a movie i would recommend to all who r always in search of good movies....

I sat down to A Bittersweet Life wondering how long I would be able to watch it. Not being a big Korean film aficionado and having not watched a huge amount of subtitled films, I didn't know what I would make of this. It didn't take me long to realise I was watching something special...Gripping, clever, dramatic and sometimes funny (in a dark way) this film has clever action scenes, grit and more emotion than you could shake a stick at. From very early on you actually care about Kim Sun-Woo even though we don't find out all that much about him. His motives are always driven by events around him and conflict with everything he had ever experienced and that makes him vulnerable, even as he breaks more than a few bones.This film is right up there among the best I've ever seen and it sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it. Watch it if you love watching true class.

A dark story of revenge from South Korea, this film manages to be effortlessly cool while at the same time full of suppressed emotion and, eventually, complete chaos. Yes, it's another sometimes devastating Korean gangster story, made with all the slickness and style of far eastern cinema.It's a downbeat and depressing film that explores the very depths of the human condition, and I have to say that I found the main character's journey to be pretty upsetting. Lee Byung-hun went on to bigger things after this (a Hollywood career and I SAW THE DEVIL) and it's no surprise, because he's excellent in the central role: extremely subtle and yet with his eyes brimming with feeling.As the title would indicate, A BITTERSWEET LIFE isn't a feel-good action film with the hero blasting away various well-dressed criminals: this is a crime film in which every action has a consequence, and you can guarantee there won't be a happy ending. It's occasionally disturbing, sometimes blackly funny, and gripping throughout. All of the gangster action you could wish for is here, in spades, and it's very bloody too; however, there's plenty of visual artistry too, and some scenes of breathtaking and touching beauty which transcend the film's genre to reach out and touch the viewer's very heart. The ending, in particular, is quite stunning.