A bitter tomorrow
Brooding, loyal and highly-efficient hotel manager-cum-gangster Sun Woo (Korean heartthrob Lee Byung-Hun) is ordered by his boss to spy on his unfaithful mistress Hee-soo. Mesmerised by too many close-ups of Hee-soo’s nubile figure and inviting neckline, Sun decided to ignore orders and spare Hee-soo and her boyfriend’s lives. Bloody consequences ensued.
There’s a good reason to watch A Bittersweet Life. Director Kim Ji-Woon previously wrote and directed the brilliant horror flick A Tale Of Two Sisters. In his latest offering, Kim indulges in the criminal underworld fantasy genre spawned by John Woo, where all the hoods wear black Armani suits and it takes more than a few bullets to kill a man.
Sad to say A Bittersweet Life is let down by a simplistic and underwhelming story of betrayal and vengeance, not what you would expect after Sisters’ intelligent thriller. There are also a number of self-conscious John Woo references including gratuitously bloody squibs, slo-mo and a non-speaking assassin character. On the plus side, Life is well-executed for its kind of genre. The elegant photography, reasonable acting performances and sudden outbursts of violence keep your attention riveted until the disappointing ending where you would be prone to ask: what’s so bittersweet about Life? - BMF |
