A Bittersweet Life

2005

2h 0m

Crime

Drama

List

100%

12 Reviews

Tomatometer

90%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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

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Daniel M

Good movie with a story that felt original and done well

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/13/23

Full Review

JJJJJJ J

Its hard to find much fault with this film. Maybe know watching it for the second time maybe I am seeing it with rose-tinted glasses but I really think this film is incredible. The story, music, shots, editing everything is exceptionally done. The most important thing though is the plot and story. This film is a great character study about a singular man, his thoughts, feels, life, struggle. Just truly incredible.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

sam s

10/10. Filmaço com uma excelente história e com grandes cenas de ação. A great movie with an excellent story and with great action scenes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Liam D

Packs more of a Punch than you think because Kim Jee-woon (The Quiet Family, Doomsday Book) draws you into this gruesome but touching Thriller

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/21/21

Full Review

Audience Member

The best Korean movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

william d

Lee Byung-hun is pretty cool as a revenge minded and apparently almost invincible gangster seeking revenge in this decent if rather implausible action flick.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Kim Jee-woon

Director

Lee Byung-hun

Seon-u

Kim Yeong-cheol

Boss Kang

Shin Min-a

Huisu

Kim Roe ha

Munseok

Lee Ki-young

Oh Museong

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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

Empire Magazine

Rated: 4/5

Apr 1, 2006

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

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