I just finished watching Ji-woon Kim's A BITTERSWEET LIFE.

I'm still in awe.

Probably one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen.

No doubt about it.

I was completely engulfed by the story, as it unfolded before my eyes. I was absorbed entirely throughout the movie. It was so moving, mere words will not do it justice.

A BITTERSWEET LIFE in essence is presented to the viewers through the eyes of Sun-woo (Byung-hun Lee) A middle ranked Korean Mafia grunt who is a trusted enforcer of the head of his Korean Mafia family. President Kang (Yeong-cheol Kim) entrusts Sun-woo to do a certain...job for him before he leaves for Shanghai on a business trip.

This job requires Sun-woo to sort of watch over Kang's very attractive, very young girlfriend Hee soo (Min-a shin) This will be the turning point of Sun-woo's life. Prior to accepting the job. Kang tells Sun-woo that he can do 1,000 things right, but sometimes it only takes 1 mistake, and his whole life can come crashing down.

Hence, Kang instructs Sun-woo to watch Hee-soo just for 3 days in order to see if she's cheating on him. If so, then Sun-woo should either give Kang a call in Shanghai, China. Or finish the job himself. Sun-woo has faithfully served Kang for seven years.

He has become the most trusted man out of President Kang's whole entire organization. Kang is so impressed of Sun-woo's faith, and loyalty that he gave him a posh restaurant to manage. The restaurant is aptly named "LA DOLCE VITA" which means 'A sweet life' in Italian. Isn't that just beautiful?

Sun-woo is the ultimate cool guy, because he never tends to lose his cool. Even at the most intense scenes, he manages to stay calm, and collected. He shows his relaxed yet volatile mannerisms by being extremely calm. It's almost as if Sun-woo's thinking to himself: "I know I can take you down, but why bother!"

Human beings unfortunately, have the tendency to lose their cool in the end. The same goes for Sun-woo. At the beginning of the movie, we are introduced immediately to Sun-woo's character. We are also introduced to his type of job, and what type of 'special' requirements it takes to do the kind of profession he does every single living day.

It's safe to say it ain't easy. He quickly disposes of the three troublemakers that's attempting to disturb, and disrespect his line of work, and his restaurant. That's when we the viewers realize even after a life and death situation like that, all Sun-woo does is wipe off debris, and dirt from his perfectly altered suit, and goes on about his daily routine.

Like I said, he's the ultimate cool guy!

Sun-woo is human, and he's not without weakness. Unfortunately for him this weakness of his will ultimately change his life. Forever. A decision he will make that will bring him on a journey of betrayal, violence, and self discovery.

Sun-woo will discover something within him that he's been yearning for so long, but didn't know nor was he aware of it. But because of one special person, he will in the end find himself.

Again, unfortunately for Sun-woo, there's people who will stand in his way. After all of the past beatings, and shakedowns he has done for his organization, in the name of President Kang. Where his loyalty is without question. He has given all of himself to President Kang's organization. Sun-woo has been the top enforcer of Kang. The most trusted out of all of Kang's men.

Is going to be betrayed beyond belief.

A BITTERSWEET LIFE, is very graphic, and very bloody. It is executed however with artistic grace. Even the squeamish will not look away, because in the end. We'll all feel Sun-woo's agony during his torture scenes, and his rage during his revenge scenes. Oh yeah, this is definitely a revenge flick. But I don't think that's the central theme. I believe the theme is Sun-woo's self discovery of that special something that's been missing in his life, and ultimately discovered within him, however too late.

The pace is moderately fast. It's the type of movie that you'll have to watch, and pay attention to. It's never boring. All of the slower scenes contains vital information, and important dialogue that you'll have to know in order to understand what's going on. Unlike movies like BANLIEUE 13 that's fast paced action from beginning to end. A BITTERSWEET LIFE requires your full-undivided attention.

As mentioned before, the movie is very graphic. But never distasteful. The action scenes will not disappoint either. There's quite a bit of straight fisticuffs here. Sun-woo being the ultimate cool guy, is also the ultimate bad-ass when it comes to street fighting. He uses anything from baseball bats, to enflamed 2x4's, guns, and his very own lethal weapon...himself.

The movie is also gut-wrenching, to the point of uneasiness, because there's no doubt you'll care for what happens to Sun-woo. He will win your compassion in the first scenes of the movie. Being that the director's cut is 120 minutes, the span of events Sun-woo goes through from one difficult predicament to the next is unbelievably painful to watch. The fact that you never know what might happen to him, there's always a constant threat in the background.

The fact that both his own men, and his organization's opponent. The local rival gang leader Baek, a ruthless man is after him as well. You never know who might show up at any moment to put Sun-woo's life in danger. The suspense, and thrill of watching Sun-woo deal with problem, after problem is such a joy to watch, because you can almost feel what he's going through at the moment.

It sort of forces you to ask yourself: "What would I do in a situation like Sun-woo's?" It's really an absorbing storyline, and a very intriguing look at the lives of real-life professionals similar to Sun-woo's fictional character.

The use of classical music is a very wise choice. Classical music is a very rich texture of sounds that can become very personal to ones' feelings. It can evoke emotions that cannot be expressed otherwise. Just by the expression of their faces you'll see and understand their current state. Adding a classical music score only adds a very rich dynamic effect. Thus, enriching the storytelling experience.

The events that unfold in the last half of A BITTERSWEET LIFE is like a rollercoaster ride. As Sun-woo sets out on a journey of redemption. A sort of penance for his dark and forgettable past. He unleashes the fury, and rage that's been the key tool of his successful crime family, unto his betrayers.

A BITTERSWEET LIFE, questions the very essence of loyalty, and betrayal of ones' own humanity, and the consequences thereof. A masterful storytelling, this is what Korean Cinema is known for.

A BITTERSWEET LIFE should not be missed. It is without a doubt a very intoxicating experience. A perfectly made masterpiece, no doubt another Korean Cinematic gem!!!

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)