A Bittersweet Life (2005) Poster
MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Down 652 this week

A Bittersweet Life (2005)
"Dalkomhan insaeng" (original title)

 -  Action | Crime | Drama  -  1 April 2005 (South Korea)
7.7
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.7/10 from 15,008 users  
Reviews: 67 user | 66 critic

After doing a morally good thing, which conflicts with his boss's orders, Kim Sun-woo gets banished from the gang and escapes death narrowly, just so he could come back and avenge.

Director:

Writer:

Stars:

, , |
0Check in
X Beta I'm Watching This!
Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends.
If your account is linked with Facebook and you have turned on sharing, this will show up in your activity feed. If not, you can turn on sharing here .
0Share...

Quick Links

Explore More
Show Less

Related News

Watch Kim Jee-woon's New Short One Perfect Day for Free!
| Twitch
Exclusive The Last Stand Bonus Clip Shows How Action Transcends Language
| cinemablend.com
‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ Featurette On Storm Shadow
| The Hollywood News
See all 9 related articles »
Create a list »

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

My All-Time Favorite Movies
a list of 445 titles created 28 May 2011
 
MY ULTIMATE BEST MOVIES: 2000-2013
a list of 703 titles created 03 May 2011
 
Revenge
a list of 40 titles created 1 month ago
 
The lots of my films
a list of 1228 titles created 02 May 2012
 
Watchlist 1
a list of 1488 titles created 03 Sep 2011
 
See all related lists »

Connect with IMDb

Share this Rating

Title: A Bittersweet Life (2005)

A Bittersweet Life (2005) on IMDb 7.7/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of A Bittersweet Life.
4 wins & 1 nomination. See more awards »
Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

0 Next »
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003)
Action | Comedy | Crime
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

The blind masseur/swordsman comes to a town in control of warring gangs, and while bunking with a farming family, he meets two women with their own agenda.

Director: Takeshi Kitano
Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Ohkusu
0 Next »
The City of Violence (2006)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

Tae-su, a detective fighting organized crime, returns to his hometown for his high school friend Wang-jae's funeral. At the funeral, he meets his old friends Pil-ho, Dong-hwan and Seok-hwan... See full summary »

Director: Seung-wan Ryoo
Stars: Jae-mo Ahn, Kil-Kang Ahn, Seok-yong Jeong
0 Next »
Running Out of Time (1999)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

Police inspector and excellent hostage negotiator Ho Sheung-Sang finds himself in over his head when he is pulled into a 72 hour game by a cancer suffering criminal out for vengeance on Hong Kong's organized crime Syndicates.

Director: Johnnie To
Stars: Andy Lau, Ching Wan Lau, YoYo Mung
0 Next »
Breaking News (2004)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

When an ambulatory TV news unit live broadcasts the embarrassing defeat of a police battalion by five bank robbers in a ballistic showdown, the credibility of the police force drops to a ... See full summary »

Director: Johnnie To
Stars: Richie Ren, Kelly Chen, Nick Cheung
0 Next »
The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

Will Thomas still lead a life of crime and cruelty, just like his thuggish father, or will he pursue his dream of becoming a pianist?

Director: Jacques Audiard
Stars: Romain Duris, Niels Arestrup, Aure Atika
0 Next »
Elite Squad (2007)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

1997, Captain Nascimento has to find a substitute for his occupation while trying to take down drug dealers and criminals before the Pope comes to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Director: José Padilha
Stars: Wagner Moura, André Ramiro, Caio Junqueira
0 Next »
A History of Violence (2005)
Crime | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

A mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, which sets off repercussions that will shake his family to its very core.

Director: David Cronenberg
Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris
0 Next »
Batman Begins (2005)
Action | Adventure | Crime
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.3/10 X  

After training with his mentor, Batman begins his war on crime to free the crime-ridden Gotham City from corruption that the Scarecrow and the League of Shadows have cast upon it.

Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson
0 Next »
The Killer (1989)
Action | Crime | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

A disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded, only to be double-crossed by his boss.

Director: John Woo
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh
0 Next »
Taken I (2008)
Action | Crime | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

A retired CIA agent travels across Europe and relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been kidnapped while on a trip to Paris.

Director: Pierre Morel
Stars: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Leland Orser
0 Next »
Man on Fire (2004)
Crime | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

In Mexico City, a former assassin swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.

Director: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Marc Anthony
0 Next »
Infernal Affairs II (2003)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

In this prequel to Mou gaan dou (2002), Chan Wing Yan has just become an undercover cop in the triads while Lau Kin Ming joins the police force. Both the triads and the police find an enemy in a rival crime boss.

Directors: Wai-keung Lau, Alan Mak
Stars: Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Francis Ng, Edison Chen
Edit

Cast

Credited cast:
...
President Baek
Yu-mi Jeong
Ku Jin ...
Min-gi
Hae-gon Kim ...
Weapon smuggler
Roe-ha Kim ...
Mun-suk
Yeong-cheol Kim ...
Mr. Kang (as Kim Young-Chul)
...
Gi-yeong Lee ...
Mu-sung
Mu-yeong Lee
Eric Moon ...
Gun Dealer's Brother (as Eric)
Dal-su Oh ...
Myung-gu
Kwang-rok Oh
Min-a Shin ...
Hee-soo
Sang-Jeon Woo
Full cast and crew »
Edit

Storyline

After doing a morally good thing, which conflicts with his boss's orders, Kim Sun-woo gets banished from the gang and escapes death narrowly, just so he could come back and avenge... Written by marinanic

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

revenge | gun dealer | knife | shadow boxing | buried alive | See more »

Taglines:

When doing right goes very, very wrong.

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama
| See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

|

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

1 April 2005 (South Korea)  »

Also Known As:

A Bittersweet Life  »

Filming Locations:

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

|

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The narration that opens and closes the film are Buddhist parables. See more »

Goofs

Toward the end of the film, when Kim Sun-woo is walking down the corridor searching for his former boss, a guard sitting and reading a newspaper gets up to stop him. Kim Sun-woo shoots him but his gun is not pointed at the guard. Rather, it is clearly pointed at the wall where fake blood appears after the shot like a paint gun. See more »

Quotes

Mr. Kang: You can do a hundred things right, but it takes only one mistake to destroy everything.
See more »

Connections

Remade as Awarapan (2007) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the differences between the Theatrical Version and the Director's Cut?
See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Spectacular-South Korea does it again
11 February 2006 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

This masterpiece comes from the director of Tales of Two Sisters and he delivers an epic tale of revenge.

I can't urge you enough to see this movie. The gun battles are reminiscent of Scarface, the martial arts are gritty and realistic, the poignancy of unrequited love is painful, there is a deep philosophical current that underlies this film, and the camera work is superb-but that's not what carries the movie. The actor who plays the main character is what sets this magnificent movie apart from the trash put out by Hollywood. He's a man's man-sharply dressed in well tailored suits driving in a BMW sedan (like the transporter)through beautiful Seoul (showing what a beautiful, spotless, and vibrant city it is). He reaches the point of no return and his vengeance and determination are a tour de force.

Magnificent. Bravo. South Korean films reign supreme.
66 of 78 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?
Review this title | See all 67 user reviews »

Message Boards

Recent Posts
any other korean films like this? yokojakomoko
Hollywood remake is being developed hkchohk-1
Great ending scene thingoleros
Two Scorsese References delaraza8604
heres my take, btw am i just missing something everyone else sees? Serenit-y
Dalkomhan insaeng = The Sweet Life ? literbomb
Discuss A Bittersweet Life (2005) on the IMDb message boards »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Write review
Create a character page for:
?