Lee Byung-hun

No Other Choice

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Man-su with a heavy plant pot he's ready to drop on someone's head

Park Chan-wook probably hit peak cultural clout with 2003’s Oldboy. No Other Choice reminds us yet again that he’s still here, and has been knocking out good films ever since. If The Handmaiden and Decision to Leave and a clutch of others don’t quite get the coverage that Oldboy and the other two films of the “Vengeance” trilogy did, that’s more our problem than his. In fact Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance would better be described as the “Sympathy” trilogy, since that’s their currency. But in the crazy-busy world of the attention economy Vengeance sells and Sympathy comes across as a bit wafty, so Vengeance it is. Which brings us … Read more

A Bittersweet Life

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Profile shot of Seon-woo holding a gun

Tragic, ironic, thoughtful, romantic and bloodthirsty, A Bittersweet Life is a dramatic change of direction by writer director Kim Jee-woon, and a demonstration that he’s as good at action and martial arts as he was at horror and comedy in films like A Tale of Two Sisters and The Quiet Family. Kim’s cool, Alain Delon-esque “hero” is an enforcer called Seon-woo (Lee Byung-hun). And in a cool opening sequence we learn all we need to know about him as he goes at three badass gangsters with a spectacular display of martial arts bravado – here is a man who’s ruthless, efficient, unemotional and loyal to his boss. Seon-woo is more carapace than character, a … Read more