Having never seen the original Italian movie The Bicycle Thief on which this film is based, I am unsure of how to compare the two, but Beijing Bicycle, remake or not, is very good. Camera-work and images so gorgeous that almost every individual frame is worth hanging on a wall, this movie captures you with its beautiful visual style and exceptional pace. The music adds to the overall beauty of this movie and the acting, though amateur, is nearly flawless. The story of a triangle of thievery and survival is the motif played with here, as a youth confronted with frustration with his own father seeks out a bicycle of his own. The cinematographer plays with his beautiful atmosphere of Beijing to express the characters' emotions and frustrations in a very realistic sense and very often either slight ambient noise or the brilliant original score is heard in the background. A movie that is just as much felt as it is seen, it's a good choice, but I can't speak for fans of the original. Recommended.
Review of Beijing Bicycle
