Sun-Woo (Lee Byung Hun, "J.S.A.") is an impeccably dressed enforcer for a notorious crimelord called Kang (Kim Yeong-Chul). Sun-woo is instructed to watch over his mistress Hee-Soo (Sin Min-Ah, "Volcano High") to find out if she’s making whoopee with another man. His orders are crystal clear: if he catches her cheating on Kang with another man, he is to contact Kang at once or finish them off himself.

The plot takes off when Sun-Woo does catch her with her boyfriend and he decides to let them both live. This gesture of pity and goodwill brings a world of pain onto Sun-Woo as the entire organization sets its goals to punishing him for his “act of betrayal”. Beaten, bloodied and kicked out of the gang, Sun-Woo survives the brutal ordeal. Hee-Soo convinces him that he had made the right choice, and Sun-Woo embarks on a brutal, bloody trail of vengeance from which no one is likely to survive. But a strange fact remains; Sun-Woo has been a faithful servant to Kang for years, why would he suddenly have a change of heart? Love and lust had nothing to do with it.

“A Bittersweet Life” is a beautiful, wholly engaging cinematic masterpiece. It blends the “hardboiled cool” of classic film noir with highly stylized action reminiscient of a John Woo film.

Before Sun-Woo decides to ignore his boss's orders we watch as he slowly comes to an epiphany. However, we're not quite privy to the depth of this realization until the final scene of the film, in which everything that has come before soon makes simple, perfect sense. The film becomes a visceral, wall-to wall action film when Sun-Woo goes against Kang; the carnage goes to overdrive. Nice touches, like a quiet moment wherein Sun-Woo placidly savors a slice of chocolate cake before ‘going to work’, adds a load of style, at the same time sets a moody atmosphere.

As brutally, violent this film is, it’s quite refreshing that the filmmakers didn’t lose their sense of humor. Interestingly enough, it contains a variety of comic moments interspersed throughout all the blood and gore. "A Bittersweet Life" can be oddly funny at times with its share of cleverly paced moments of black humor.

Lee Byung-Hun does a convincing job inhabiting the character of Sun-Woo. The actor brings a certain depth to his anti-hero role, which is an achievement considering that a fully-realized characterization of Sun-Woo hampered by the fact that his motivations must not be revealed until the ending. Even so, Lee conveys a sense of the character’s life, even if it isn’t something readily apparent by the script. Viewers will have to also take into account that the film is a (Sun-Woo's) character study of a person who lived most of his life in the shadow of violence which in turn may make one an empty shell. The things that most people may take for granted may be considered so "fulfilling" to someone with Sun-Woo's life.

IN CLOSING: "A Bittersweet Life" is a visual and aural feast for its audience. Beautiful as it is, some folks may find it superficial. Thankfully, that actually seems to be based on how the film is constructed, as everything is meant to build towards the film’s conclusion in which the TRUE motivation behind Sun-woo’s quest for revenge is revealed. Quite visceral, sometimes lyrical and even comical, “A Bittersweet Life” is a complete cinematic experience and contains a climax to bring it to a “bittersweet” close. To sum it up, it is terrific.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! (4 ½ stars)