Movie: A Bittersweet Life (18)Rating: 4/5I'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 excited 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.

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

Crime, melodrama, and vengeance. Three elements presented here that blend in twisted harmony. A Bittersweet life is a character study of a young man that has been warped by the mob's emphasis on money/power/violence, and portrays his subsequent inner struggle to uncover a moral compass. Byung-hun Lee with an excellent performance, plays a young and cocky mobster who at the peak of his profession becomes love-struck, slowly shattering his realm of immortality, insecurity, and grim outlook towards society. Longing to feel human, he makes a decision which has the potential to not only destroy his career, but also his life. The added elements of action and martial arts are especially well done, with sound so crisp and choreography so genuine you'll jump with each confrontation. I recommend the Blu-ray version as it highlights the dreamlike state of the protagonist and hypnotizes you into this flashy yet hollow crime underworld. Director Jee-woon Kim really knows how to capture the interest of the audience, the storytelling here is top notch and suspenseful all the way through. It pulls out all the familiar stops of the Heroic Bloodshed genre and much more. The movie earns a strong R rating, however the violence supplements the material unlike many similar films today. If you enjoy the films The Killer and Infernal affairs, A Bittersweet life should come as a real treat. -10/10

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.