Watch the
Trailer for Bittersweet Life
Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
|
Reviews
DVD Description
Highly anticipated revenge thriller from the director of A Tale of Two Sisters – Kim Jee-woon. A loyal worker is devoted to his crime boss who asks him to kill his girlfriend’s lover. Daring to defy him, his actions lead to terrible personal consequences and set in motion a torrent of blood and mayhem. Stylish balletic violence, but a brutal masterpiece. A pulse-racing powerhouse that serves as a Korean Point Blank., John Woo-style. Unforgettable film noir for the modern day.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: LANGUAGES: Korean ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), Korean ( Dolby Digital Stereo ), Korean ( Dolby DTS 5.1 ), English ( Subtitles ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Cast/Crew Interview(s), Featurette, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: Coining the new term 'action noir' in Korea, director Kim Ji-woon follows up his extraordinary features A Quiet Family and A Tale Of Two Sisters with this blackly comic thriller. Lee Byeong-heon stars as Sun-woo, a unique character with a curious lifestyle; he's not only a valued gang member and the proprietor of a hotel bar but also the right-hand man to the powerful gang leader, Mr. Kang (Kim Yeong-chul). When Kang suspects that his beautiful young mistress Hee-soo (Shin Min-ah) might be messing around with another man, he enlists Sun-woo's help to resolve the matter, commanding him to follow her around to see what information he can dig up. Sun-woo's orders are explicit: if he catches Hee-soo cheating, he is to execute her. However, when Sun-woo spies Hee-soo with her boyfriend, he makes a fateful decision, one that will have major consequences for all involved... ...A Bittersweet Life ( Dalkomhan insaeng ) ( A Bitter sweet Life )
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Without a doubt I can say that A Bittersweet Life is one of the best revenge movies I've seen and is just as captivating as Park Chan Wook's Old Boy or Tarantino's Kill Bill. The story follows Sun-woo, a hotel manager who has managed to get where he is by carrying out certain jobs for a gang leader called Kang. Just before Kang goes out of town for a few days he asks Sun-woo to keep an eye on his girlfriend as he suspects she's being unfaithful. However when Sun-woo catches the girlfriend with another man he can't bring himself to finish the job. When Kang finds out about his defiance Sun-woo soon finds himself fighting for his life against the people he once called family.
You can probably tell by the plot that this isn't the most complex film ever made and is nothing like Old Boy where you have to follow the clues right up to the very end. In fact A Bittersweet Life is the exact opposite of this; from the beginning you know that the story is heading down a vengeful path of bullets and corpses that can only end in tears. I have no doubt that when people watch this they'll be comparing it to Old Boy but although they are both stylish Korean revenge movies I'd have to say that's where the similarities stop. Old Boy was an extreme new take on the revenge genre that mixed action with a brilliant psychological story but A Bittersweet Life has a much simpler straight forward story with slightly more emphasis on the action and a style that pays homage to classic noir thrillers. That's not to say that A Bittersweet Life isn't as good but just different.
Kim Jee-Woon (A Tale of Two Sisters, The Quiet Family) has done an excellent job at directing this and for me is his best film I've seen so far. Every frame is filled with the type of style that other directors dream of (I literally found myself in awe after only watching the first five minute opening sequence). Byung-Hun Lee (JSA, Addicted) also has to take credit for playing the character of Sun-woo perfectly and is definitely one of the main aspects that make this film great.
The DVD is alright with good picture and sound but the extras do seem to be a bit lacking with only trailers, premiere footage and interview. Overall this is one of the best revenge films I've seen that's filled with style, depth and above all else class. With a perfect mix of Korean drama and bloody action there is enough here to please everyone.
You can probably tell by the plot that this isn't the most complex film ever made and is nothing like Old Boy where you have to follow the clues right up to the very end. In fact A Bittersweet Life is the exact opposite of this; from the beginning you know that the story is heading down a vengeful path of bullets and corpses that can only end in tears. I have no doubt that when people watch this they'll be comparing it to Old Boy but although they are both stylish Korean revenge movies I'd have to say that's where the similarities stop. Old Boy was an extreme new take on the revenge genre that mixed action with a brilliant psychological story but A Bittersweet Life has a much simpler straight forward story with slightly more emphasis on the action and a style that pays homage to classic noir thrillers. That's not to say that A Bittersweet Life isn't as good but just different.
Kim Jee-Woon (A Tale of Two Sisters, The Quiet Family) has done an excellent job at directing this and for me is his best film I've seen so far. Every frame is filled with the type of style that other directors dream of (I literally found myself in awe after only watching the first five minute opening sequence). Byung-Hun Lee (JSA, Addicted) also has to take credit for playing the character of Sun-woo perfectly and is definitely one of the main aspects that make this film great.
The DVD is alright with good picture and sound but the extras do seem to be a bit lacking with only trailers, premiere footage and interview. Overall this is one of the best revenge films I've seen that's filled with style, depth and above all else class. With a perfect mix of Korean drama and bloody action there is enough here to please everyone.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I mainly read these reviews to find hidden gems that Amazon reviewers recommend. I can now return the favour. Beginning quite slowly I pondered what was so bitter or sweet? However, the pace and action picks up at a certain point in the movie and then doesn't let up. Want to learn about the Korean genre? Definately recommended but clue is in the title.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This truly is a noodle western, as opposed to one of the spaghetti variety.
A Bittersweet life plays like a modern Good Bad & Ugly, or even Wild bunch. Long lingering shots, close pained expressions, quietly spoken anti heros. It has the lot. To me the setting of modern day Seoul is just as interesting as the American old west, and in this movie it looks even better. This film is beautifully put together, you can watch it for the visuals alone. Luckily there is also far more. The lead performane from Byun-Hun Lee is excellent. He exudes cool while remaining human. He is also very ably assisted by a multitude of character actors.
The story is simple, a man who is wronged seeks revenge, but also answers. Much of his feeling of hurt may relate to loyalty and relationships between employers, and father figures in Korea which to me seem stronger than in the UK. Still though, in this case revenge seems necessary. When you view in disbelief the terrible torture of the main character at the hands of the one he loved, and his internal torture after viewing something he could never have you will understand his need for retribution, and absolution.
This movie is at times very dark, but has enough excitement and kinetic energy to keep the action fan happy, enough depth and emotion for the intellectual and more than enough stylised cinematography for the most die hard cineaste.
A Bittersweet life plays like a modern Good Bad & Ugly, or even Wild bunch. Long lingering shots, close pained expressions, quietly spoken anti heros. It has the lot. To me the setting of modern day Seoul is just as interesting as the American old west, and in this movie it looks even better. This film is beautifully put together, you can watch it for the visuals alone. Luckily there is also far more. The lead performane from Byun-Hun Lee is excellent. He exudes cool while remaining human. He is also very ably assisted by a multitude of character actors.
The story is simple, a man who is wronged seeks revenge, but also answers. Much of his feeling of hurt may relate to loyalty and relationships between employers, and father figures in Korea which to me seem stronger than in the UK. Still though, in this case revenge seems necessary. When you view in disbelief the terrible torture of the main character at the hands of the one he loved, and his internal torture after viewing something he could never have you will understand his need for retribution, and absolution.
This movie is at times very dark, but has enough excitement and kinetic energy to keep the action fan happy, enough depth and emotion for the intellectual and more than enough stylised cinematography for the most die hard cineaste.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Painfully funny!
Initially, I saw this in China (film being Korean) without subtitles and it looked absurd, on the brink of hysterical. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Show off!
Simply Outstanding
Very rarely a film comes along that 'changes' you. I don't mean to sound melodramatic here, but 'A Bittesweet Life' grabs you by the neck, plunges your head into a sink full of... Read more
Published 6 months ago by The Dandy Highwayman
A Bittersweet Life
A Classic film not to be missed the story line is full of twists and turns, to the point of the main star getting his ass kicked ! Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr. D. WALTERS
Brilliant
As a collector of asian movies this would be in my top 5. A slick powerfull movie with brilliant action scenes and superb acting. well worth the cash.
Published 11 months ago by Codai Duffy
A superb Korean revenge thriller.
This is an excellent tale of an up and coming gangster who due to a minor act of mercy has a dramatic fall from grace. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Ernie
Good but overated
This movie is well paced, stylish, and emotive. All great qualities. Most importantly however - as other reviews have noted - it lacks plot. Read more
Published on 27 April 2009 by 3-Styler
Korean masterpiece
I was amazed by this film, although I agree with some comments that the translation may have roughed up the finer points of the plot. Read more
Published on 17 Aug 2008 by Radley
Enjoyable but not sufficiently original to stand out
"A Bittersweet Life" is very stylish and feels like a well-crafted gangster movie but it doesn't quite stand out on any front: the plot is a little simplistic (I suspect some of... Read more
Published on 20 May 2008 by DaveW
Loved it
This was right up my street. It has an edge with some great acting. Must be one of my favourite Korean offerings and at under a fiver it is a bargain!
Published on 21 April 2008 by Shun Yao
Elegant and Cool
If subject called revenge, absoluteley Korean movies Best....
i can see some similiraties between old boy, some scenes(fight), the way of music.... Read more
i can see some similiraties between old boy, some scenes(fight), the way of music.... Read more
Published on 7 April 2008 by ciko the kid
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
