The Korean Cinema

"A Bittersweet Life," starring Lee Byung-hun from "Everybody Has a Little Secret" and Shin Mina from "Madeleine," portrays the desperate and brutal revenge of Sun-woo (played by Lee) after he is expelled from his gang and comes close to being killed by his boss. Lee Byung-hun is a hitman who falls for the girlfriend of his boss in the stylishly violent "A Bittersweet Life." Conventional ideas of causation are put into doubt in director Kim Jee-woon's twist on film noire. "A Bittersweet Life (Talkomhan Insaeng)" is what Korean critics are describing as 'Action Noire.' In it, he tweaks the traditional Korean gangster story line, presenting a work with film noire undertones and stylish cinematography.