"Beijing Bicycle" has been described as a Chinese "Bicycle Thieves". This kind of plot is easy to poach if not always that easy to bring off but Xiaoshuai Wang manages it beautifully helped by a couple of wonderfully naturalistic performances from Lin Cui as the young courier whose bicycle is stolen and from Bin Li as the young thief, as well as by the superb cinematography of Jie Liu. This time the plot is less predictable and handled with a touch more humor than you might expect. It's also a great 'city' film with Wang handling the milieu of a large, and to Western eyes, a virtually unknown metropolis with all the brio of a Lumet but also with a freshness of approach and, like Lumet, he manages to balance the comic and the tragic in equally brilliant measure. This is a truly terrific film that simply shouldn't be missed.

For anybody who has ever considered class differences or what it means to be poor or felt the injustices of modern economics. They should watch this movie to see how the reality of the situation actually is.The movie paints a modern portrait of the emerging China, with sky scrapers and yuppie elite juxtaposed with the dirt poor country folks and the urban beggars trying to make ends meat in this city of contrasts.This movie can work as a case study for modern China, as it contains many biting satirical scenes depicting the unfair economics and distribution of wealth in China, for example, how a simple bicycle - which are a dime a dozen in the west - is used as a down payment for the couriers and is then fought over by the two protagonists for the rest of the movie. However this movie also works on a purely entertaining level. I was moved by the actors and their plight, I was exhilarated by the bike rides through the city. I like the fact that the dialogue was kept to an absolute minimum, yet so much emotion was evident on the screen.These are clear indications of classic movie making, and one that warrant repeated viewings. Overall, this is thought provoking and enriching cinema.

"Beijing Bicycle" the interesting Chinese film directed by Xiaoshuai Wang, has been compared with Vittorio DeSica's masterpiece of the Italian cinema, "Bicycle Thief". In fact, we suspect this director is telling a story that seems to mirror the other film, but it's Chinese to the core.Young Guo, who has arrived in Beijing from a rural area, is hired as a messenger for an agency that delivers important packages and mail throughout the city. Part of the deal is a shiny new bicycle that will be paid by the new hires after being in the job for a while. The bicycle for Guo means the improvement of his lot in life, as well as freedom to go everywhere and be his own master.Jian, on the other hand, is a student that is seen hanging out with a rough bunch of school mates. Jian is excelling academically, but in order to fit, he must have a bicycle. The film doesn't make clear if Jian himself steals the bicycle, or as he claims, he bought it at the second hand market, with the money he stole from his father, which seems to be the case. He views the bicycle as a sign of status and of belonging; a means to have been accepted by his peers. Young Guo shows a stubbornness that seems to be a trait with people from the area where he comes from. Instead of accepting the fact that his bicycle has been stolen, he decides to investigate on his own, something that must be a super human task given the millions of bicycles one sees in that city, and a mode of transport for the masses. One can't follow Guo's logic in not going to the police, or when he realizes who has stolen his bicycle, he never challenges the thief. In fact, Jian and his friends show a cruelty for the newly arrived country bumpkin that is scary. In fact, Jian shows a stubbornness himself that is unusual for a city boy that should have known better and who should have realized the plight of Guo."Beijing Bicycle" shows a side of city living in a city that is crowded and can be cruel to anyone trying to make a life in a decent way. We watch at the end a defeated Guo walking with his mangled bicycle on his way back home, perhaps.The film will not disappoint, in spite of some repetitious sequences thanks to the strength of the two principals and the direction by Xiaoshuai Wang.

What made this movie particularly interesting to me was how, within the framework of a fast-moving and reasonably exciting story, it highlighted the deep differences between Chinese and "Western" cultures . I believe that Westerners in general, and Americans in particular , tend to gloss over these disparities in worldview, especially since the emergence of Deng's "capitalism with Chinese characteristics" has resulted in greater superficial similarity. In "The Bicycle Thief," to which this film is automatically compared, there is an overriding sense of right and wrong, of justice violated and restored, of "higher purpose" -- all consistent with Western philosophy, from ancient Greece to modern Christianity. In "Beijing Bicycle" contrariwise the persistent theme, overt and implied, is that of "joss," luck or fate. There is no implied necessity that misdeeds will be punished, that "good will triumph," or that there will be any closure to matters at all. Over and above being entertaining, I would recommend this movie as required viewing for those engaged in commerce and diplomacy with our Eastern brethren.