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A Bittersweet Life (Director's Cut Edition) DVD

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

In the same vein as "Oldboy" comes "A Bittersweet Life," a movie so good it shocked me when watching it for the first time. It's a violent revenge movie with a gripping story with some fantastic actors such as Byung-hun Lee. He stars as Seon-woo, an enforcer for President Kang, a very dangerous man and if he wants to get rid of people, Seon-woo is the one taking care of it. The most interesting thing about this movie besides the story being so great is Seon-woo himself. The way Byung-hun Lee has captured the character sure tells that he's a great actor and what's keeping the movie alive from beginning to end. Seon-woo seem to know nothing about what it's like to have a "normal" life, as the world he lives in is only filled with evil and violence. He has a hard front, can be violent and nasty without remorse, but its fairly easy to see through all that and see that he has a gentle side as well, and that makes him interesting.

For instance with all the violence going on in the movie it sometimes seems like he has no conscience and couldn't care less about what happens to other people. His face is like stone with no expressions to reveal what he really feels, if anything. But at the same time you know that there's something more underneath it all, like when he's around the mistress you really get to see that there's more than one side to him, and that makes him a really likable character. Actually, the further the movie goes, the more likable he becomes and you can't help but feeling sorry for him which is a really effective part of the overall experience.

As reviewer K. Jones has put it, this movie does mixes violence and emotions in an excellent way, and even if the violence is a bit too brutal at times, you still have a lot of "nice" things to fall back on. There are a lot of action elements and the movie is quite stylish to say the least, but the most important thing is that it's not the least bit shallow and while its entertaining eye candy at times; you still really care about the characters and what's going on. This is easily one of the best Korean movies I've seen this year, and a movie that I will probably enjoy watching many times in the future. If you're a fan of "Oldboy," you're most likely to find "A Bittersweet Life" to be pretty sweet, both dealing with the concept of revenge but very different from each other. I also recommend "A Tale of Two Sisters" which is also fantastic.

A BITTERSWEET LIFE is a dazzling neo-noir gangster film from director Kim Jae-woon(A Tale of Two Sisters). It is a pretty much a perfect example on how to follow the basics in making an entertaining gangster film, like the old adage goes: " If it ain't broke, don't fix it". It may not have the most original plot in existence, but believe me; it works. The film is terrific; Revenge has never looked so darned Good!

Sun-woo(Lee Byung Hun, J.S.A.) is an impeccably dressed enforcer for a notorious crimelord called Kang(Kim Yeong-Chul). Sun-woo is instructed to to watch over his mistress Hee-Soo( Beautiful Shin Min-ah, Volcano High) to find out if she's making whoopee with another man. His orders are crystal clear: if he catches her cheating on Kang with another man, he is to contact Kang at once or finish them off himself.
The plot takes off when Sun-woo does catch her with her lover and as an act of mercy, he decides to let them both live. (On the condition they stop their affair) This gesture of pity brings a world of pain onto Sun-woo as the entire organization sets its goals to punishing him for his "act of betrayal". Beaten, bloodied and kicked out of the gang, Sun-woo survives the brutal ordeal. Sun-woo embarks on a brutal, bloody trail of vengeance from which no one is likely to survive, each kill brings him closer to a final confrontation with Kang. But a strange fact remains; Sun-woo has been a faithful servant to Kang for years, why would he suddenly have a change of heart? (it wasn't something as simple as love or lust, although lust may have played a small part at their meeting )

"A Bittersweet Life" is a beautiful, wholly engaging cinematic masterpiece. It blends the "hardboiled cool" of classic film noir with highly stylized action reminicent of a John Woo film. (But not overly stylized like Woo's films)
Before Sun-Woo decides to ignore his boss's orders we watch as he slowly comes to an epiphany. However, we're not quite privy to the depth of this realization until the final scene of the film, in which everything that has come before soon makes simple, perfect sense. The film becomes a visceral, wall-to wall action film when Sun-woo goes against Kang; the carnage goes to overdrive. The movie is also very cool and fresh; with nice touches, like a quiet moment wherein Sun-woo placidly savors a slice of chocolate cake before `going to work', adds a load of style, at the same time sets a moody atmosphere.

As brutally, violent this film is, it's quite refreshing that the filmmakers didn't lose their sense of humor. To its credit, the film pitches in its share of comedic moments in the screenplay with all the blood and gore. A Bittersweet Life can be oddly funny at times with its share of cleverly paced moments of black humor.

Lee Byung-hun does a very convincing job in his portrayal of Sun-woo's character. The actor brings a certain depth and dynamic charisma to his anti-hero role, which is very impressive when we consider that a fully-realized characterization of Sun-woo hampered by the fact that his motivations MUST NOT be revealed until the film's climax. Even so, Lee conveys a sense of his character's life, even if it isn't something readily apparent by the script. Viewers will have to also take into account that the film is a (Sunwoo's)character study (of sorts) of a person who lived most of his life in the shadow of violence which in turn may make one an empty shell. The things that most people may take forgranted may be considered so "fulfilling" to someone with Sun-woo's life.

I have the (Region-3, Korean release) 2- DISC Director's cut of A Bittersweet Life that clocks in at about 122 minutes. I cannot make a statement how it differs from the Theatrical cut since I haven't seen the "shorter" cut of the film in theaters.
PICTURE: 2.35 Anamorphic Widescreen. The transfer is very decent but not without a few flaws. There is a small amount of grain in some scenes and some heavy edge enhancements. On the plus side, it does have nice colors, accurate skin tones and strong (but detailed)black levels. Overall, still a good transfer.
AUDIO: Korean 6.1 DTS-ES, 6.1 Dolby Digital, 2.0 surround language mix. If you're equipped, the DTS track is the way to go as it provides intense and immersive listening experience that really brings the action and gunplay to life. The 6.1 Dolby digital is not bad, but it does have a lower bass level. The English subtitles are clean and clear, very easy to read.
EXTRAS; COMMENTARIES/Interviews, Making of feature, Set/production designs, "CANNES Film Festival Footage"..many more.
IN CLOSING:
A Bittersweet Life is a visual and aural feast for its audience. Beautifully shot, some folks may find it superficial. Thankfully, that impression actually seems to be based on how the film is made, as everything is meant to build towards the film's conclusion in which the TRUE motivation behind Sun-woo's quest for revenge is revealed. Quite visceral, sometimes lyrical and even comical, "A Bittersweet Life" is a complete cinematic experience and contains a climax to bring it to a "bittersweet" close. To sum it up, it is magnificent!
A BITTERSWEET LIFE is among my top 25 favorite films. ( I have 600 dvds)
HIGHEST Possible RECOMMENDATION!! (4 ½ stars)

I usually buy my own films and then review them later. There are only a couple reviews where I rented the film first. This is one of them, but I plan on buying this particular DVD. After reading several reviews of this film, I decided to rent it at my local video store. Some of the reviewers such as Jenny J.J.I, K. Jones and Woopak have given excellent reviews of this film, and I would recommend others to take a look at those reviews. I have recently run the gamut in viewing different genres of film as of late. From the Korean drama "The Way Home," to the Japanese romantic comedy "Train Man," and now this very violent, but highly recommended revenge film from Korea.

"A Bittersweet Life," was directed by Kim Ji-woon, and stars (Lee Byung-hun) as the character Sun-woo. Sun-woo is one vicious killer, and as the right hand man of a mob boss named Kang, (Kim Yeong-Chul) his job is to make those who displease his boss vanish. And he is very effective as the bosses enforcer. The life of Sun-woo is one of a world of violence. And in this life of violence where Sun-woo lives in there can be no mistakes. There are no second chances. Moreover, the consequences of making one can be fatal. However, we all make mistakes, and as such, so does Sun-woo. I don't wish to spoil this film for you, however, I will write that Lee Byung-hun gives a riveting performance in his role, and this is an excellent film.

Mr. Kang, has sent Sun-woo on an important mission: Find out if his mistress is cheating on him, and if so, take care of things. Does he? I won't give out details of the film that will ruin it for you, however, expect a lot of violence, as Sun-woo refuses to bend to Mr. Kang, and must endure one hell of an ordeal. End of film? No way! Sun-woo's revenge after what he endures at the hands of his Mr. Kang's minions veers the film into one violent crime drama. [But then it already was in the beginning] This is a dark world Sun-woo lives in, and so is his occupation, and as such the film delivers more than its share of violent scenes. I thought the film was great, and especially the cinematography. The ending as pointed out by others is different, but effective I believe. Sun-woo's life truly is bittersweet! This is a very good crime-noir film. Highly recommended. [Stars: 4.5]

Here's the lowdown: if you had to be really picky about it, A Bittersweet Life has a flimsy story. Despite this shortcoming, this sort of movie doesn't need an incredible story. In a nutshell, A Bittersweet Life is a revenge film. A really well-crafted revenge film that centers around the life of a man born and raised to be a brutally efficient killer. The main character, Sunwoo, is an enforcer for a Korean crime lord. One day he opts to hold back on one of his hits in an attempt to save a girl he's fallen in love with. This uncharacteristic act of kindness is Sunwoo's downfall.

Sunwoo is a wizard with unarmed combat (forget the wire-happy fake fu, this is no-holds-barred fistfighting we're talking about) and a proficient gunman. If you're a fan of no-nonsense action sequences or thought OldBoy had cool fights, you're about to see the higher end of the spectrum.

It's light on plot, but the cinematography and action scenes in A Bittersweet Life are gorgeous. Toss in a some black humor and you have a demmed good movie, start to finish.

This the most unrelenting violent and bloody film I have ever seen, and amazingly, at the end, it still left me with a feeling of sweetness and sadly missed love. There were only five good moments in this film, and those five minutes overpowered the rest.
The provider of the sweetness was my favorite Shin Min-ha, and the recipient was another favorite, Lee Byung Hun.
How do they do that, in film after film? I don't have a clue.

This is an excellent movie. I will never view Korean film, 'fighting' films, or even action and/or suspense films the same. This movie has truly raised the bar. Right after watching it, through my search for a new movie, I wanted to watch it again. I wanted to buy it and watch all the special features. I wanted to get to know the characters more, and see the process this film took. After watching this movie, I was an instant Lee Byung Hun fan. And, as of now, I've seen all of his films. Perhaps that generates a deeper appreciation for this film, for me - the fact that I've now seen everything he's done.

The story is just perfect - it's not overly cliche, and despite being something probable/seen-before (girl taken); that's the ONLY part that's 'cliche'. Every step leading up to, and every step away from that moment; you're completely held hostage by this movie, on the edge of your seat. The story is well-done, too - not overly developed/obviously explained.. and you're not left wondering/guessing. The characters are one-hundred percent realistic - if you were them, you'd do the same things (if you had their skills/mentality, at least).

I loved every minute of this movie.

Was a bind buy in a way, but total was worth it. It would think that the movie should be coming back in to print for the US here soon.
Man from Nowhere, Is a newer movie that's up the same ally as this one that is getting a lot of positive reviews, but in my opinion that movie was rather lame and this one blows it out of the water. I don't like reviewing things but had to say something about this little know flick.

When I finished watching Dalkomhan Insaeng one of my first thoughts was where are the American filmmakers who are making movies like this? If this movie had been made here, which it never would/could, my guess is there would have been a dozen cars blown up, a city destroyed, a billion additional bullets fired, a gratuitous sex scene, a blazingly loud techno-rock score, an eye toward high fashion and merchandise tie-ins and an ending that was overly sentimental and unrealistic. When it was over people would have commented that Bruce Willis was getting a little too old for these types of roles and life would go on and the movie would be forgotten. Life still goes on, but hopefully A Bittersweet Life will get wider recognition and notice.

Sun-woo is an enforcer for the mob who receives a simple assignment from his boss: watch his much younger girlfriend while he leaves town because he's suspicious that she might be seeing someone else. If Sun-woo discovers that the girlfriend is cheating, his instructions are to kill both the girlfriend and her lover. In the meantime, a rival gang is trying to move in on Sun-woo's boss' territory and its Sun-woo's job to deal with that. Sun-woo finds himself enjoying the company of the woman he's been told to watch and maybe kill. A master of martial arts, Sun-woo soon finds himself in need of a gun. That's a very, very small thumbnail sketch; the plot is much deeper and intricate than that.

The writer and director filled the movie with obvious nods to Taxi Driver, Kill Bill, Sam Peckinpah and probably others that I didn't get, but what sealed the fact in my mind that this was a magnificent crime drama was the character depth of Sun-woo. Maybe I'm wrong, but in a lot of movies we have heroes who are bad guys doing bad things for good reasons and because they're doing something good it's all okay. Dalkomhan Insaeng we have a hero who's a bad guy doing bad things for pretty much bad reasons and you can't help but care for him and feel for him because he wants to do the right things, but, for reasons, can't. In many movies characters seek revenge for a wrongdoing, but never that I've ever seen on the level of this movie, and I don't mean physically, but emotionally.

I think the ending of the movie was just brilliant icing on a flawless cake and about as close to a perfect ending as I can imagine for the movie. Even the movie's imagery (stuff that usually goes over my head) worked and didn't seem forced or pretentious and it added to the overall beauty. Add to all of that a wonderful acting job by Byung-hun Lee and this is top-notch movie-making and entertainment.

The movie is in Korean with English subtitles. I recommend Dalkomhan Insaeng to anyone with a warning for extreme and graphic violence.

I just can't get enough of these Korean revenge films because they're just so different and unique from your normal revenge plot. Now of course a film like this or one of the films from Park Chan-wook's "Vengeance trilogy" won't be appreciated by all simply because some may think they go to far with the amount of violence. It really depends on what your limit is but I had no problem with any of these films.

Sun-woo is a mob enforcer and a darn good one, as you'll see in the beginning. While eating desert in the restaurant he manages Sun-woo is alerted that there is a disturbance downstairs. Sun-woo quickly grabs someone (Min-gi) to help handle the situation. Three men are refusing to leave so Sun-woo tells them they have three seconds to leave and starts counting down. When he gets to 1 he tells Min-gi to lock the door. It's a little hard to explain what happens after the door is locked but let's just say Sun-woo handles the situation. Sun-woo has been working for his boss Kang for seven years and has not made a mistake in all those years but everyone makes a mistake at least once in their life. Being in the mob he knows that he can't mess up but what happens is something that he couldn't help.

Come to find out the three men Sun-woo beat up were men from a rival mob family. This was not Sun-woo's only problem; actually this situation only provides half of the story's plot. While avoiding to talk to the boss of the rival family Sun-woo is asked to do something important for his boss. Kang has a mistress (Hee-soo) and suspects that she is seeing another man. Because of the age difference Kang believes that she is tired of him and is seeing a younger man. He asks Sun-woo to watch her for three days while he is away on business. Not only does he have to watch her but also he has to drive her and basically be attached to her hip. If he does find that she is seeing someone else Sun-woo is to either call Kang or take care of it himself. Sun-woo starts to fall for the girl and when he finds that she was unfaithful he can't finish the job.

After all this Sun-woo is caught by the rival family and that's when the good stuff starts. The film just goes crazy, after a few events I won't tell cause I don't want to spoil the film but after them Sun-woo goes on a revenge spree. No matter how bad the pain gets Sun-woo refuses to say sorry or show any remorse for any of the things he's done. He won't stop until he sees the situation to the end and let me tell you he definitely does. For the rest of the film it gets very nasty and bloody for Sun-woo and the men that have wronged him.

I was amazed to see Lee Byung-Hun (Addicted, Everybody Has Secrets) in this film, he did great fight sequences and just an overall perfect performance. The acting in this film was great, very realistic and believable but not over the top. The settings and picture were beautiful, great camera work and very good sound quality. I liked that Sun-woo felt like a real person. At the end when he confronts everyone he seems like a person that has been very hurt and insulted over the reasons he's been attacked. I didn't really see any flaws in A Bittersweet Life but some people will for their own reasons, which I do understand. I do hope that nobody takes this film as trying to bite off of Chan-wook's trilogy because you'll miss out. It's definitely not as complex as the trilogy but at the same time it has its own style and feel to it. Anyone that just wants to see a good film with a simple plot then I definitely encourage you to see this.

I saw this movie some time ago, did not have any expectations, but was extremely surprised as what i found.Firstly this movie gives the viewer a feeling on the Korean Mafia, their rules, "morals", and how the main character finds himself in conflict with them, by just falling prey to feelings.

Initially you think the movie is going to fall into a classic cliche that has been done many times, but it does not at all and is very unique in it's approach of the situation the main character is in. This guy does a great job in this role, he achieves something that is not easy, he appears cold and ruthless, which he is, but also gives you the hint that there is something more which he keeps under control.

Conclusion, great movie, do watch.