A Bittersweet Life

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A Bittersweet Life

2005,

2h 0m,

Drama

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Watchlist

100%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

90%

10,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

11 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

Apr 11, 2024

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.

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Panos Kotzathanasis

HanCinema

Dec 16, 2018

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

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Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

Mar 4, 2015

8/10

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.

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Adam Lippe

Examiner.com

Dec 17, 2011

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.

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Don Willmott

Filmcritic.com

Mar 10, 2009

4/5

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

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Beth Accomando

KPBS.org

Oct 28, 2006

10/10

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

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Jan 21, 2019

The movie contains a lot of hidden message that will blow your mind. And no one can portray a stoic character as well as Lee Byuing Hun, whereby his presence alone can convey the character's feeling to the audience. Crazy focus level of acting.

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Poe P

Jul 5, 2018

The silly story about a gangster and trusting his teenage girlfriend to his 30 year old right hand man. Keep an eye on her he says. While I'm out of town he says. You can probably guess what happens. Awkward script, all been done before, and better than this. I loved I saw the devil. One of the best revenge movies I've seen in awhile. But this fluffy violent Tale comes nowhere close to that masterpiece. I still love Jee-woon Kim. But not today.

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Han G

Jan 1, 2018

This is my dad's favorite film of all time. A single film of all that he's watched. Said enough.

Han W

Oct 29, 2017

Definitely well-made and with good acting, but it seems a bit shallow.

Kylo L

Sep 29, 2017

One of my favourite movies of all time. A fantastic movie.

Poe P

Jul 23, 2017

Slow yet the action is good. And a very a bittersweet twist at the end.

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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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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

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