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A Bittersweet Life

Play trailer Poster for A Bittersweet Life 2005 2h 0m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 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.

Critics Reviews

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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 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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Full Review K Y Forever Classic In My heart Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/06/25 Full Review Read all reviews
A Bittersweet Life

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Movie Info

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