A Bittersweet Life
Seen it?2005 | 119 min | Action, Drama, Crime
Sunday Safe BetWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Critics loved it (100% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had a box office flop. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for crime-drama fans and action fans. If you loved Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Dark and gritty.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 59 min.
- What might put you off
- It's in Korean, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
Kim Sun-woo is an enforcer and manager for a hotel owned by a cold, calculative crime boss, Kang who assigns Sun-woo to a simple errand while he is away on a business trip; to shadow his young mistress, Hee-soo, for fear that she may be cheating on him with a younger man with the mandate that he must kill them both if he discovers their affair.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
100% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesSolid
7.4 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Box office & staying powerWeak
$10 million worldwide
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 127K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Kim Jee-woon
- Lee Byung-hunSun-woo
- Kim Yeong-cheolMr. Kang
- Shin Min-aHee-soo
- Kim Roi-haMoon-seok
- Lee Ki-youngOh Moo-seong
- Hwang Jung-minMr. Baek
- Eric MunTae-goo
- Oh Dal-suMyeong-goo
- Kim Hae-gonTae-woong
- Kim HanSe-yoon