A Bittersweet Life (2005)

Kim Jee-woon's gorgeous, ecstatically violent A Bittersweet Life doesn't have the haunting psychological resonance of his previous film, the chilling A Tale of Two Sisters, but fans of stylish action films are unlikely to complain. Owing a great deal to the inventive gunplay of John Woo's Hong Kong films (with nattily dressed, implacable Lee Byeong-heon standing in for Chow Yun-Fat) and the storyline of the Coen brothers' Miller's Crossing, A Bittersweet Life occasionally seems to strain for portent, as in the "philosophical" narrations that bookend its relatively routine revenge plot, and its use of pretty music in ironic counterpoint to the gory battles onscreen. Still, it's impeccably acted -- with Lee Byeong-heon taciturn, dour performance convincingly enhanced by one brief unexpected moment of happiness -- and stunningly shot and edited, both in its impressive action set pieces (the one in which Sun-woo [Lee] digs his way out of a shallow grave to do battle, and the one in which two unarmed combatants race to assemble their respective pistols are particularly memorable -- the kind of scenes that get genuine action fans buzzing about a film) and in its more contemplative moments, as it builds its way to unfettered mayhem. Throughout the movie, characters urge each other to "be reasonable," but it's not going to happen. If it did, the movie would be over rather quickly. Wounded pride, bruised egos, and a universal refusal to acknowledge that one may have acted or spoken rashly seem to precipitate the carnage, more so than any "sweet dream" anyone might have had. Things repeatedly spiral out of control, with hubristic aggressors frequently shocked to find themselves the victims of brutality. As with so many revenge movies, all the bloodshed leads to emptiness rather than justice. It's a familiar theme, but perhaps it's a necessary one for our age. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide