A Bittersweet Life (2006) Movie Information:

A Bittersweet Life (2006) Directed by: Ji-woon Kim A Bittersweet Life (2006) Written by: Ji-woon Kim A Bittersweet Life (2006) Cast: Lee Byung-Hun, Kim Young-Cheol, Shin Mina, Hwang Jeong-Min, Kim Roi-Ha

A Bittersweet Life (2006) U.S. Distributor: CJ Entertainment A Bittersweet Life (2006) U.K. Distributor: CJ Entertainment

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A Bittersweet Life (2006) Synopsis:

An elegant sky lounge floating like an island in the sky above Seoul, it's like Sun Woo's own little castle. After 7 years he has climbed to the top, managing the upscale lounge and restaurant. An intelligent, cool-headed perfectionist, Sun Woo has earned the absolute trust of his boss with his undivided loyalty and by adeptly managing the business. His boss, Mr. Kang, is a callous man with a secret -- his young love, Hee-soo. When Mr. Kang suspects Hee-soo might have another boyfriend, he orders Sun-woo to keep a close eye on her and to kill her if she has betrayed him. After following her for a few days, Sun-woo barges in on Hee-soo and her boyfriend with a clear mission -- but to his own surprise, he lets them go. Sun-woo hopes everything will just go back to the way they were. But his decision has launched an irreversible war with the whole gang, guys who were like brothers just the day before.

A Bittersweet Life (2006) Movie Review:

Stylish and full of attitude, this elegant revenge thriller has worms itself under our skin with vivid characters and jolting emotions. It's ultimately rather indulgent, but filmmaker Kim Ji-woon has enough skill to make it work.

Sun-woo (Lee Byung-hun) is a loyal employee of mob boss Kang (Kim Young-chul) who, when he goes on a business trip, asks Sun-woo to watch over his young girlfriend (Shin) and "take care of things" if he discovers she's having an affair. She is, and the coolly efficient Sun-woo has a moment of conscience, letting the guy leave if he promises never to return. But this decision seems to unleash the powers of hell against him--namely a vindictive rival gang and Sun-woo's ambitious colleague (Kim Roi-ha).

As the film gets increasingly violent and intense, the director maintains a dry, sardonic tone that makes the gruesome bloodletting almost comical. The character inter-reactions are sharply witty and timed to perfection, and the fight scenes show true inventiveness that never undermines the realism (unlike most Hollywood studio fight choreography). It's all so believable that we find ourselves drawn into Sun-woo's absurd situation.

Performances are equally realistic, layering world-weariness with tenacious arrogance. These people are so sure of themselves that they'd rather fight to the death than admit they might be wrong. And even when they should lie down and die of their injuries, they keep going. Kim uses everything he can think of (hair, costumes, glasses, sheer attitude) to make sure we know exactly who each character is from scene to scene. Even when he springs a mystery man (Moon) on us near the finale, we know this is someone from outside the gang world.

This is thrillingly entertaining cinema--gripping, ingenious, moving. When Sun-woo's world implodes due to a moment of emotional empathy, we find ourselves locked with him as the situation escalates beyond all sense of reason. Kim takes a few unnecessary sideroads in the final act, so the film feels overlong and a bit muddled at the very end. But as Sun-woo's quest for vengeance (or justice) inevitably leads to a surreal apocalypse, he beautifully pushes home the central theme of suppressed, unreachable dreams.

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A Bittersweet Life (2006) review written by: Rich Cline