In the violent modern crime noir A Bittersweet Life from director Kim Jee-woon, a gangster, Sun-woo (Lee Byung-hun, I Saw The Devil) is asked by his boss to watch the boss’ young girlfriend while he is away for three days. The crime boss is afraid his young girlfriend, Hee-soo (Shin Min-a), a beautiful classical cellist, is cheating on him with a younger man. Sun-woo is tasked with keeping an eye on her and, in the event his fears are true, “taking care of them.” When Sun-woo meets Hee-soo, he develops a fondness for her, so when he does eventually uncover her betrayal of the boss, he is unable to carry out his assignment, opting to let them go providing they promise to never see each other again. This leaves him running afoul of his boss and his gang, which now want him dead, but he will not go down without a fight.
This film pulsates with style and visceral violence from the opening’s gorgeous hotel restaurant scene disrupted by the unexpectedly brutal brawl in a tiny room to the very end’s gritty, bloody, almost balletic gunplay. Kim Jee-woon does not hold back on the violence, but his stylized flair elevates it beyond simple brutality, as does the point perfect performance from Lee-Byung-hun who is icy cold yet unleashes unlocked emotion when needed. Shin Min-a is underused in this film, being nothing more than pretty window dressing in this muscular, testosterone-driven romp. The character arcs and the visuals are riveting and this is an excellent film that stacks up well against Kim’s I Saw the Devil.
Lee Byung-hun and Shin Min-a in A Bittersweet Life (2005)
A Bittersweet Life (2005)
Lee Byung-hun in A Bittersweet Life (2005)
Lee Byung-hun in A Bittersweet Life (2005)
A Bittersweet Life Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Combo (Second Sight)
A Bittersweet Life Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Combo (Second Sight)
The Video
A Bittersweet Life was scanned and color graded in 4K by the Korean Film Archive from the original 35mm negative under the supervision of director Kim Jee-woon. It comes to 4K Ultra HD in a 2.35:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) Dolby Vision encodement. The grain looks quite gritty but fits with the Super 35 format. The HDR grading does add a bit of pop to the highlights, but in this high contrast modern noir, that means some whites are a little blown out, but this seems to be part of the style of the film rather than a serious issue with the encodement. There are scenes with flames, for instance, where they look brilliant and nearly three-dimensional, without any blow-out. Shadows have a hint of crush, but mostly there is good, nuanced detail.
The Audio
The Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio mix for A Bittersweet Life comes from digital sound files obtained in 2010 and 2018 respectively. This is a good, atmospheric mix with just the right amount of solid effects in the surrounds. The fight scene in the rain surrounds you with rain hitting on surfaces through all the channels. It is dynamic but does not necessarily extend far into the low end. The dialogue is clear apart from a few scenes where some loud yelling distorts just a little.
The Supplements
Second Sight once again gives film lovers and collectors a beautiful collection with lots of bonus features in gorgeous packaging. There are three full commentaries and one scene specific commentary, plus numerous archival interviews and a 120-page book with essays in this limited edition.
Limited Edition Contents:
Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Michael Bolland
120-page book with new essays by Dr Lindsay Hallam, Rich Johnson, Michael Leader, Daniel Martin and Alison Peirse
Six collectors’ art cards
Bonus Features:
Scene specific audio commentary with director Kim Jee-woon and film academic Areum Jeong (NEW)
Audio commentary by Pierce Conran and James Marsh (NEW)
Audio commentary with director Kim Jee-woon and actors Kim Young-chul and Lee Byung-hun
Audio commentary with director Kim Jee-woon, director of photography Kim Ji-y, and production designer Yoo Seong-hee
The Making of A Bittersweet Life w/optional director’s commentary or optional crew commentary (1080p/60; 00:25:38)
The Style of A Bittersweet Life (1080p/60):
Art (00:12:55)
Music (00:07:59)
Sound (00:04:38)
Action (00:13:50)
Gunsmith (00:08:57)
Special Art (00:04:54)
Special Effects (00:04:57)
CG (00:10:17)
Tell Me Why (1080p/60; 00:21:25)
A Bittersweet Life in Cannes (1080p/60; 00:38:13)
Deleted and Alternate Scenes w/ optional commentary (1080p; 00:23:29)
Sweet Sleep Music Video (1080p; 00:03:34)
Yangpa Music Video (1080p; 00:02:48)
Teaser (1080p; 00:01:26)
Trailer (1080p; 00:02:04)
TV Spot (1080p; 00:00:34)
The Final Assessment
Beautiful, visceral, powerfully balletic violence, with icy cold bad guys that blur the lines between good and evil, A Bittersweet Life looks and sounds superb in this new director-approved 4K restoration. Highly recommended.
A Bittersweet Life (Limited Edition) is out on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Dual Format in the UK July 22, 2024 from Second Sight Films
Studios & Distributors: CJ Entertainment | B.O.M. Film Productions Co. | CJ Venture Investment | Centurion Technology Investment | Ilshin Capital Investments | Second Sight Films
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A gangster runs afoul of his gang and crime boss when he fails to complete his mission of killing his boss' unfaithful young mistress and her lover. A Bittersweet Life (Limited Edition) 4K Ultra HD Review
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