A Bittersweet Life (2005)

I really can't see why no one has written a review of this movie!
I'm not very good with reviews but I thought I had to write one anyway 'cause this is the best movie I have ever seen!

Watched this movie 'cause it is directed by Kim Jewoon and I have always liked his movies.

The story might not be original, but who get's tired of revenge stories?
Really, who does?
For you who likes great action scenes, amazing fighting and bloody tourture scenes mixed with beautiful soundtracks, this is really something for you!

The acting is superb, with two of the best actors I know of. Lee Byung Hun and Kim Yeong Cheol. (Some of you might know the two of them from the IRIS Drama where they have a similar relationship.) They do not act, they ARE their characters in my point of view. That is how good their acting is.

The music is great and really thought trough. Not just some b-class composers work.

I have rewatched this movie four times now and it is still my favorite!

So all in all, it's a huge piece of fantastic art!

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This movie is all Lee Byung Hun. Yes, he's the real thing, does all these incredible action scenes from beginning to end. The violence rivals I Saw the Devil, but it is a revenge mafia movie. There is one scene that is unique and is something worth watching...LBH coming out of the ground! You have to see watch the movie to understand this. It is really horrifying!

Besides possessing handsome looks and gladiator strength, LBH is an extremely talented and expressive actor with natural portrayals of a character. His romantic portrayals such as in Addicted are over the top also. J

The only reason this did not rate a perfect 10 was the last scene went on a bit excessive and overkill.
But this is an excellent short version of a Korean Godfather.

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Total let down

Aish!! I did not like this at all. I wanted too. I really did and I watched or added to my list because RM said it was one of his favorite movies, but there is no there there!

I thought the beginning of the film was good and started out well and because of that I thought the story was going to be something it wasn't. I envisioned a John Woo type classic Hong Kong action film but it wasn't; so that's on me.

The first fight scene was done really well and Lee Byung Hun as Sun Woo is really good and charismatic. The cast is pretty good. The problem is that the story is lacking and/or not fully done. Especially at the middle to end. It was a total mess and Sun Woo asking why kinda pissed me off. Like, WTF am I watching. Also, Sun Woo was supposed to be a hit man/enforcer but the shooting scenes were laughable. The ending while mostly satisfying fizzled. There is a scene where the "Boss" says to Sun Woo are you really going to take it this far and I screamed at the TV like dude you are the one who took it this far. I was glad he finally killed him.

At any rate I will still seek out movies with Lee Byung Hun.

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I've previously said this: Kim Jee-Woon is my favourite South Korean director and Lee Byung-hun, my favourite South Korean actor. Thus seeing their combo once again after the mindblowing action thriller I SAW THE DEVIL, I was eager to see this movie. And I was highly impressed with this standard of filmmaking. Not every director manages to achieve what Kim has, through this film.A BITTERSWEET LIFE is an example of cinematic excellence which is beyond imagination. The film's quite entertaining, of course but it touches a chord down there in your heart: eventually making you feel for the lead character. Lee Byung-hun plays it very well like he does in most of his films. He's a master actor and this needs to be said again and again as everyone knows.Director Kim's direction deserves a special mention as without his powerful, imaginative and creative vision, the film won't have achieved what it did. From the screenplay to editing to action to dialogues to performances: there's nothing that will disappoint you actually. The action sequences are mindblowing and have the "classic" tag all over them. You'll love to play them on loop, and I'm not joking. Seriously. The film's dialogues too are a major strength and there are many you'll remember forever. A BITTERSWEET LIFE is indeed a masterpiece and Kim's gift to the entire world. Watch it, you'll love this action drama for sure. Make sure to catch it on a Blu-ray.

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Having a good dream should I smile or cry, if I know it will not come true?

This was highly recommended by a favorite Korean movie channel of mine, great cast, and acclaimed director therefore I had high expectations though I did not get disappointed but I do have complaints
Story: we follow a hitman who succeeds in everything with ease gaining the trust of his boss, he was ordered to eliminate the boss's girlfriend if caught cheating but when he decides to let the girl off, this is where everything goes wrong and a irreversible war with the gang begins. Everything mentioned is exactly what happens in the film, personally it was a bit slow for my taste but i did expect that considering it was directed by Kim Jee Won. What was lacking was that adrenaline factor, in tale of two sister we got a surprising plot twist and in i saw the devil we had so much violence, therefore i think it was underwhelming for me. Though do think it it did things good in some factors for example is missile the human side of our protagonist even when he is a hitman it shows that you can also love and not the cold person we see throughout.
Acting: our task consists of a list superstars main protagonist is lee byung-hun and our main antagonist kim yong-cheol we also add a stunning supporting cast of shin min ah, oh dalsu, and hwang Jung min. Leave your hand was as always amazing. He show us the nuances of the hitman Kim Sun Woo not even in cold demeanor you felt love for someone. Veteran Kim yong cheol was also great as always but I did hope Shin Min ah more screentime.
Music: the music in me the suite life was amazing the high pumping music during the action sequences that leveled up from the original
Rewatch Value: i gave a rewatch value there wasn't anything to rewatch it was a movie that is straight to the point and will understand in 1 watch. However it still an okay rewatch to see the transformation of our protagonist and the amazing action sequences

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