MOVIE REVIEW - A Bittersweet Life (2005 / S Korea)

aka Dalkomhan insaeng (Korean title)

Director: Ji-woon Kim
Starring: Byung-hun Lee, Min-a Shin, Jeong-min Hwang, Kim Young-Chul

Revenge tales are nothing new to Korean cinema so with every new one the creators have to look to ways of injecting something fresh into a genre that could go stale very fast. With A Bittersweet Life it can be safely said that Ji-woon Kim is more than capable of doing that.

The source of the film's vengeance is Sun-woo (Byung-hun), he by outward appearance is neatly presented hotel manager but as we find out in the opening few minutes he is a deadly and seemingly emmotionless enforcer. When his boss, President Kang (Young-chul), asks him to keep a eye on his girlfriend Hee-soo (Min-a) to see if she is being faithful to him alos telling him if she is cheating that he must kill her and her lover. But all this does not go to plan as Sun-woo's feelings get in the way of his job and his loyalty to his boss, now he has to deal with the repercussions of his actions.

Firstly let it be said that on screen the city of Seoul is striking in it's outward cleanliness and beauty whilst under the surface seems to be a vicious underworld. It works as a match to the character of Sun-woo who is clean cut and smart in his business but underneath the sharp veneer is a potential for violence which when unleashed becomes an unstoppable machine.

I loved how the story didn't try to pretend to be anything more than a revenge tale, the plots moves along in a linear fashion, thankfully avoiding alot of the cliches or potential twists. It is enjoyable in it's simplicity. Yes you can tell where the story is going and to what ends it may bring, but in the case of this film is completely satisfying. I suppose it could be equated with going to a restaurant, ordering great food, getting what you wanted and it tasting just as you expected.

Although having said that the final shot of the film does suggest something but you can take it as you want. As with most Korean or other eastern movies it sows seeds for discussion and gives the viewer more of a choice in deceiding what they have just seen.

Visually, like the story, it is simple, stark yet rich and easy on the eye. When the blood does flow, and it flows alot, it is bold and in your face. The fight scenes are fantastic especially the final shoot out in the hotel restaurant. The acting is equally good Byung-hun Lee makes Sun-woo a believeable, likable guy through all his violent outbursts and his chemistry with his unrequited love Hee-soo is great.

Overall: Another winner for Korean cinema. 9/10