Sorry, this movie sucks

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Ah...the Korean revenge genre. I only recently got into it so I'm not even going to attempt posting character or actor names. Way too exotic for me.The thing about a good K-Revenge movie, is that you put all your sympathies into the character. Even in Oldboy, you mostly retain your sympathy for Oh Dae Su (there...I got one right).With this film, the model looking protagonist plays the cat and mouse game just as he eventually did in I Saw the Devil (the "villain" play by Choi-Min Sik..maybe I'm not as bad at this as I thought).However, there is a phrase uttered in one of the scenes that implies him to not be without blood on his own hands.Regardless, you sympathize with him for most of the movie and can't help but root him on. His touching monologue to the man he's seeking revenge against is a great emotional forebearing of the final fist, leg and gunfight show.Being an older movie, I'll forgive it's flaws. Even with them, it's still worth watching if you're into this fascinating subgenre of foreign film.

A Bitter Sweet life adds a hardcore blood fest to the list of films under the revenge flick genre. It's a pretty stereotypical revenge film about mobsters and the backstabbing behind the scenes. If A Bittersweet Life was to add anything new to the formula it would be the 'how big is a mistake' question into play, which ultimately starts the onslaught of gangsters in all sorts of gory fun fashion.Though nothing truly original, A Bittersweet Life adds a Korean twist on all things gory and revengey. You wont be telling your friends about this one in too much of a hurry, but for the most part it does it's job, despite some off-paced story.

(78%) Kim Ji-woon's super cool crime thriller is one of style, delicate beauty, combined with touches of harsh violence. The plot overall is a pulpy gangster staple, yet it's still very well told as every single scene actually is and feels important, and for something as polished and slickly flash there's very little excess fat or filler anywhere to be seen. Byung- hun Lee fits the role of a wronged icy cool, take-no-nonsense, manager of a gangster run restaurant like a glove; while the sweet romantic touches are brilliantly incorporated in this hard-edged tale of blood and revenge. The pacing during the first half is a touch too limp, but once it gets going this is hugely involving, entertaining, and satisfying watch.

Crime, melodrama, and vengeance. Three elements presented here that blend in twisted harmony. A Bittersweet life is a character study of a young man that has been warped by the mob's emphasis on money/power/violence, and portrays his subsequent inner struggle to uncover a moral compass. Byung-hun Lee with an excellent performance, plays a young and cocky mobster who at the peak of his profession becomes love-struck, slowly shattering his realm of immortality, insecurity, and grim outlook towards society. Longing to feel human, he makes a decision which has the potential to not only destroy his career, but also his life. The added elements of action and martial arts are especially well done, with sound so crisp and choreography so genuine you'll jump with each confrontation. I recommend the Blu-ray version as it highlights the dreamlike state of the protagonist and hypnotizes you into this flashy yet hollow crime underworld. Director Jee-woon Kim really knows how to capture the interest of the audience, the storytelling here is top notch and suspenseful all the way through. It pulls out all the familiar stops of the Heroic Bloodshed genre and much more. The movie earns a strong R rating, however the violence supplements the material unlike many similar films today. If you enjoy the films The Killer and Infernal affairs, A Bittersweet life should come as a real treat. -10/10