A Bittersweet Life backdrop
ACTION . 2005 . 1h 59m . Korean . 7.4/10

A Bittersweet Life_

"When doing right goes very, very wrong."

Kim Sun-woo is an enforcer and manager for a hotel owned by a cold, calculative crime boss, Kang who assigns Sun-woo to a simple errand while he is away on a business trip; to shadow his young mistress, Hee-soo, for fear that she may be cheating on him with a younger man with the mandate that he must kill them both if he discovers their affair.

Director Kim Jee-woon
Starring Lee Byung-hun, Kim Yeong-cheol, Shin Min-a
Box Office $7.6M
7.4/10
Rating
$7.6M
Box Office
1h 59m
Runtime
2005
Year
Updated Feb 16, 2026
A Bittersweet Life poster
When doing right goes very, very wrong.

Kim Sun-woo is an enforcer and manager for a hotel owned by a cold, calculative crime boss, Kang who assigns Sun-woo to a simple errand while he is away on a business trip; to shadow his young mistress, Hee-soo, for fear that she may be cheating on him with a younger man with the mandate that he must kill them both if he discovers their affair.

WHERE TO WATCH

Prime Video P Prime Video 4 countries
Rakuten TV R Rakuten TV FREE 2 countries
BFI Player B BFI Player 1 country
Shudder S Shudder 1 country
A ARROW 1 country
Joyn Plus J Joyn Plus 1 country
ALL REGIONS

DROPTHE_ GOSSIP

Director
A Bittersweet Life was directed by Kim Jee-woon.
Kim Jee-woon →
Cast
Lee Byung-hun stars as Sun-woo in A Bittersweet Life.
Lee Byung-hun →
Year context
A Bittersweet Life was released 21 years ago in 2005.
A Bittersweet Life is a Action, Drama, Crime film with a runtime of 1h 59m.

CAST (20)

Lee Byung-hun
Lee Byung-hun
Sun-woo
Kim Yeong-cheol
Kim Yeong-cheol
Mr. Kang
Shin Min-a
Shin Min-a
Hee-soo
Kim Roi-ha
Kim Roi-ha
Moon-seok
Lee Ki-young
Lee Ki-young
Oh Moo-seong
Hwang Jung-min
Hwang Jung-min
Mr. Baek
Eric Mun
Eric Mun
Tae-goo
Oh Dal-su
Oh Dal-su
Myeong-goo
Kim Hae-gon
Kim Hae-gon
Tae-woong
Kim Han
Kim Han
Se-yoon
Jin Goo
Jin Goo
Min-gi
LH
Lee Hang-soo
Chairman Won
Oh Kwang-rok
Oh Kwang-rok
Gangster
Jeon Kuk-hwan
Jeon Kuk-hwan
Chairman Baek
Lee Seung-ho
Lee Seung-ho
Mr. Park
Kim Seung-o
Kim Seung-o
Moo-seong's Subordinate
Lee Han-sol
Lee Han-sol
Moo-seong's Subordinate
Vadym Domashchenko
Vadym Domashchenko
Mikhail
S
Sonny
Filipino Gang
N
Nico
Filipino Gang

CREW

Director
Writer

BOX OFFICE

$7.6M
Revenue

STUDIOS (2)

Bom Film Productions CJ Entertainment

DETAILS

Release
Status
Released
Runtime
119 min (1h 59m)
Language
Korean
Country
Rating
7.4/10 (964 votes)
Popularity
4
Box Office
$7,600,000
IMDB

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is A Bittersweet Life about?
Kim Sun-woo is an enforcer and manager for a hotel owned by a cold, calculative crime boss, Kang who assigns Sun-woo to a simple errand while he is away on a business trip; to shadow his young mistress, Hee-soo, for fear that she may be cheating on him with a younger man with the mandate that he must kill them both if he discovers their affair.
How long is A Bittersweet Life?
A Bittersweet Life has a runtime of 119 minutes (1h 59m).
Who directed A Bittersweet Life?
A Bittersweet Life was directed by Kim Jee-woon.
Who stars in A Bittersweet Life?
The cast of A Bittersweet Life includes Lee Byung-hun, Kim Yeong-cheol, Shin Min-a, Kim Roi-ha, Lee Ki-young.
How much did A Bittersweet Life make at the box office?
A Bittersweet Life earned $7,600,000 worldwide at the box office.
What is the rating of A Bittersweet Life?
A Bittersweet Life has a rating of 7.4 out of 10 based on 964 votes on TMDB.

GENRES (3)

Action Drama Crime

KEYWORDS (5)

buried alive handlanger revenge fugitive extramarital affair
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