A Major Disappointment

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

"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.

I really enjoyed watching this film for a second time recently. A story of a young peasant from the outskirts of town (Beijing) struggle against societal oppositions, finding work, keeping bike from preying thieves, and learning survival skills. Beijing is not an easy town to tame! At times very funny! At times very violent, makes you want to turn your head in disgust. The violence is to prove a point. No good comes from it, whatsoever! I think this film is well made. The pace is smooth. The acting is superb. I especially like the acting of the employer who hires the main character as a messenger boy. He is what you would call a prudent business man with heart! Please take some time out of your day and watch this tense movie with moralistic themes: rich versus poor, right versus wrong, bullying versus stubbornness. A winner in my book!

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.

Beijing Bicycle plays out as "how not to be (stomped)". Two similarly flawed characters clinging desperately to one bicycle, which causes them so much suffering. Neither of them knowing when to let go. Both characters going to extremes of passivity and stubborn attachment, failing again and again to practice the pan-Eastern "middle-way". Meanwhile we watch Guo's level-headed/level-hearted boss and Jian's father, dealing well with both his son's failure and his own - and in the background an older man practices Qi Gong. It would be a "coming of age" movie, if there were any development in the main characters, toward the maturity of their elders. But in the end we see each of them battered and bruised, the trio of Guo, Jian and the Beijing Bicycle - last camera shot focusing on the latter, busted-up, a booby prize floating through crowded streets... the message is clear, Just Let Go!