DVD Review: Beijing Bicycle
Written by: Kage Alan

Film Rating: A-
DVD Special Features: N/A

It's extremely difficult not to be reminded of De Sica's "The Bicycle Thief"
when watching "Beijing Bicycle".  "Thief" was an Italian neo-realistic
classic that relied on non-actors and very common incidents to drive the film
along.  While "Bicycle" has some similarities, it consciously updates the
social and economic situations to fit modern day China while still
demonstrating the universality of what people will do in circumstances they
perceive as desperate.  Right!  I think I just thoroughly confused myself
writing all that.  Please bare with me.  It's been years since I was in one
of my film classes.

There are three major characters in "Beijing Bicycle".  The first is a
country boy named Guei (Cui Lin) who manages to land a job as a bicycle
messenger.  The company gives him a haircut, uniform and a bike that he must
work to pay off before he can call it his own.  Fortunately, Guei is an
extremely stubborn young man and his determination to own the bike and earn a living is paramount.  He considers nothing less.  The second character is
Jian (Lee Bing), an extremely intelligent post high school student who needs
a bike to meet the status expected of him by his peers.  Unfortunately,
Jian's father has only delivered empty promises to him about buying a bike.
It's not that his father isn't a man of his word so much as it is the family
isn't particularly rich and has necessities that must come first.  The third
character is the bicycle itself.

While out on a delivery, Guei's bike is stolen, leaving him heartbroken and
without a job.  He is determined to find it, though, and the fact that he
marked the bike will help him determine which one is his.  Meanwhile, Jian,
tired of his father's broken promises, steals money his family has been
saving and buys a secondhand bike, the very same bike that used to belong to
Guei.  Both boys need the bike, one for his livelihood and the other for
status, yet both reasons are portrayed as being equally important and valid.  
I found that point extremely interesting because Guei is an innocent trying
to make his way in life and Jian is a major brat, yet director Wang Xiaoshuai
manages to pull it off and I'm not quite sure how.

Guei decides to steal his bike back, which only incites Jian to come after
him with friends and retaliate.  It's a huge tug of war and it's not long
before the truth about the bike's origins come out.  Since they both need the
bike, they come to a grudging compromise of trading off every other day.  
While not exactly ideal, it does solve the immediate problem.  When Jian
watches his girlfriend running with another young man with a bike befitting
of his status, his primal urges get the better of him and he plunges both
himself and Guei into a violent confrontation with the rival biker.

"Beijing Bicycle" is a beautifully shot movie that showcases a great deal of
the city that we might not otherwise have seen as tourists.  Not only are the
busier and more technologically advanced areas shown, but so are the lesser
developed areas.  It offers a unique comparison.  All of the actors make the
situations look and feel genuine and the violence, which can be quite brutal,
will have you gripping your seat.  I'm just glad that these kids didn't think
to get a hold of guns, so they rely on their fists and whatever else is at
hand instead.

Sony has delivered a beautiful Widescreen transfer of the film, which I'm
grateful for since this just wouldn't have worked as Full Screen.  The audio
is a Dolby Surround track in Mandarin and is both crisp and clear.  English
subtitles are provided and are very easy to read and follow.  I'm pleased to
see that subtitles on foreign films have continued to improve over the last
couple of years.  As for extras, there are three trailers and that's it.

At just shy of a 2 hour running time, "Beijing Bicycle" might seem to be a
little long, but once you become immersed in the story, you won't even notice
that it's gone by.  While Italy had the whole neo-realism movement going on
for them, it has spread to other countries and Chinese films seem to be
making the most of it.  If you've never seen "Not One Less", then I suggest
you check that one out as well.  In the meantime, this film will leave you
questioning just how profound a simple thing such a bicycle can be to people
we don't know in a place we may have never been.