Beijing Bicycle

PG-13

Released Jan 25, 2002

1 hr. 53 min.

Drama

List

62%

61 Reviews

Tomatometer

73%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A young country boy, Guei (Cui Lin) comes to the big city determined to make it. He soon finds a job as a bike messenger in which he gets a percentage of each delivery, working hard to build up enough credit to own the bike for himself. The bike is stolen and winds up in the hands of Jian (Li Bin), a poor city boy who sees the bike as his way to make friends and impress the girl he loves. With both boys claiming the bike is theirs, a series of fights ensue over what is more than just a bike.

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Critics Consensus

Though rather repetitive in its plot, Beijing Bicycle provides an interesting look at the economic and social changes that have occurred in China.

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Audience Member

Sad film in a lot of respects as the bicycle passes between the two boys, a symbol of social divides and the clasping onto hopes and dreams

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Pretty good movie, really. Worth a viewing. I've been seeing a lot of Chinese films over the past few months and they've all been great, so... no complaints from me. This movie is depressing as sin, but really good and the development of the characters is solid.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpHgZgFBfJ0

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Un film ou personne n'est capable de prendre une decision intelligente...

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Slow moving and not a whole lot of action. It's basically daily life of two boys and the dramas they experience, the only connection a bike. I'll still watch it despite the slowness of the movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

depressing, but shows you the value of a simple bike to the urban poor in the developing world

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

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Wang Xiaoshuai

Director

Lin Cui

Guei

Li Bin

Jian

Xun Zhou

Qin

Yuanyuan Gao

Xiao

Li Shuang

Da Huan

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Great tale of two boys' struggle over a bicycle.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 14, 2010

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 4/5

Dec 30, 2006

Full Review

Marrit Ingman

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 2.5/5

Mar 10, 2003

Full Review

Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

Even more than 20 years on, it is an exceptional film.

Rated: 8/10

Jan 4, 2023

Full Review

Film Threat

Rated: 3/5

Dec 6, 2005

Full Review

Daniel Kasman

d+kaz. intelligent movie reviews

Rated: C-

Aug 7, 2004

Full Review

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Synopsis

A young country boy, Guei (Cui Lin) comes to the big city determined to make it. He soon finds a job as a bike messenger in which he gets a percentage of each delivery, working hard to build up enough credit to own the bike for himself. The bike is stolen and winds up in the hands of Jian (Li Bin), a poor city boy who sees the bike as his way to make friends and impress the girl he loves. With both boys claiming the bike is theirs, a series of fights ensue over what is more than just a bike.

Director: Wang Xiaoshuai
Screenwriter: Wang Xiaoshuai, Tang Danian, Peggy Chiao, Hsiao-ming Hsu
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Eastern Television, Public Television Service Foundation, Asiatic Films
Rating: PG-13 (Some Violence|Brief Nudity)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 25, 2002, Original
Box Office (Gross USA): $157.3K
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)