A Bittersweet Life (2005)

Without a doubt the most vibrant cinema on offer to us nowadays hails from Korea, or perhaps we are just fortunate that the cream of their crop reaches these shores.  Here's another one which is hard to describe and which like so many others centers on revenge.  I don't know what the Koreans call their organised crime syndicates comparable to the Japanese Yakuza, but this was a tale of a young enforcer incurring the wrath of his Godfather (for want of a better word) after having served him unquestioningly for some seven years. The hero is an incredibly beautiful man, cool and collected, very reminiscent of the young Alain Delon.  When he is dealt with violently he doesn't understand why, but he can only retaliate in kind; and, my god, the director even makes the violence a thing of beauty here.  Again we have lashings of rain to create an atmosphere; the rain also helps wash away the buckets of blood that are shed for probably no good reason other than a warped sense of honour.  Stylishly directed and presented, one doesn't have to like the characters to involve oneself in their vendetta and wonder at their singlemindedness.