A Bittersweet Life

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A Bittersweet Life

2005

2h 0m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

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12 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

A gangster (Lee Byung-hun) starts a violent feud after he refuses to kill his boss's (Kim Yeong-cheol) cheating girlfriend.

Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

scenes of Tarantino-esque mayhem, messy rebirth and ultra-violent destruction serve to dramatise Sun-woo’s conflicting inner desires as he shadow-boxes with himself as much as taking down everyone else.

Apr 11, 2024

Full Review

Panos Kotzathanasis

HanCinema

The film is filled with cliches of the category, starting with the script and continuing with the characters. However, Kim Jee-woon seems to realize the fact, and does not take the film so seriously, in a tactic that adds to the entertainment it offers

Dec 16, 2018

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

The worst things about it are still awfully solid, and the best things are deep and probing far beyond what you'd ever naturally expect from a film of this model.

Rated: 8/10

Mar 4, 2015

Full Review

Adam Lippe

Examiner.com

It's all artifice. No matter how good the acting, how stylish the visuals, or efficient the screenplay, A Bittersweet Life never convinces us that it's not a movie.

Dec 17, 2011

Full Review

Don Willmott

Filmcritic.com

What's great about all this isn't just the gloriously choreographed violence (among the best I've ever seen) but also Lee Byeong-heon's bravura and surprisingly profound performance

Rated: 4/5

Mar 10, 2009

Full Review

Beth Accomando

KPBS.org

The story revolves around Sun-woo (Lee Byung-hun), a sleek and elegant mobster whose cat-like grace recalls Alain Delon in Le Samourai.

Rated: 10/10

Oct 28, 2006

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Mark C

Heavily romanticized gang film saved by Lee's magnetism.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/08/25

Full Review

Audience Member

It's a very sad movie, so much going on in the movie. The lead actor can't shoot, they portray him as the quiet, mysterious and a ruthless man and still he can't fight three guys that jumped hum. The mafia guys hardly have any guns, there is no police at all...

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/02/25

Full Review

Will S

Simply outstanding. Gratuitous without being excessive. Mean, but with a great sense of humor. Extremely awesome John Wooish modern gangster film.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/05/25

Full Review

Dani G

It's one of those cases where you are watching a very enjoyable (and sometimes gratuitous) non-stop violence and bloody fest that's not ok, but you don't have a problem watching it again to enjoy once more. I wonder if John Wick took some elements from this one

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/18/25

Full Review

b s

又是一部有强烈韩国风格，荷尔蒙爆满，但却脱离现实的电影。作者在满足商业片爽感的前提下，通过佛经和回忆植入了自己的思想，多少会带来一点抽离和不协调。

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/11/25

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K Y

Forever Classic In My heart

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/06/25

Full Review

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Kim Jee-woon

Director

Lee Byung-hun

Seon-u

Kim Yeong-cheol

Boss Kang

Shin Min-a

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Synopsis

A gangster (Lee Byung-hun) starts a violent feud after he refuses to kill his boss's (Kim Yeong-cheol) cheating girlfriend.

Director: Kim Jee-woon
Producer: Oh Jeong-wan
Screenwriter: Kim Jee-woon
Production Co: Bom Film Productions
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Korean
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 22, 2019
Runtime: 2h 0m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital Surround EX