IMDb RATING
7.2/10
5.5K
YOUR RATING
When a poor bicycle-taxi driver has his cyclo stolen, he is forced into a life of crime. Meanwhile, his sister becomes a sex worker.When a poor bicycle-taxi driver has his cyclo stolen, he is forced into a life of crime. Meanwhile, his sister becomes a sex worker.When a poor bicycle-taxi driver has his cyclo stolen, he is forced into a life of crime. Meanwhile, his sister becomes a sex worker.
- Awards
- 4 wins & 1 nomination
Tony Leung Chiu-wai
- Poet
- (as Tony Chiu Wai Leung)
Nu Yên-Khê Tran
- Sister
- (as Tran Nu Yên-Khê)
Thinh Trinh
- Foot Fetishist
- (as Trinh Thinh)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMade and banned in Vietnam. Criticised as too 'westernised' in its gritty and unrelenting portrayal of urban poverty in the country. The film has nevertheless received international acclaim, winning the Golden Lion Award in Venice in 1995.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Dog Park (1998)
- SoundtracksCreep
Written by Albert Hammond, Mike Hazlewood, Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway
Performed by Radiohead
Featured review
Cinematically Marvelous, But...
Another reviewer correctly pointed out this film's weakness: the script. The story starts out strong then about a third of the way through it hops the track.
After that, if you can tell what is going on and above all WHY, you're pretty good--or friends with the author.
The government of the People's Republic of Vietnam cooperated in making this film for, I suspect, political reasons. Specifically, to paint the Chinese and China in a bad light. The setting is Cholon, the Chinatown section of the old city of Saigon, the former capital of the Republic of (South) Vietnam. Saigon is now Ho Chi Minh City of course and the Chinese are almost all gone, fled from the persecution that preceded and followed the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese border war. Even in 1994 when the picture was shot relations between China and Vietnam were tense. This movie depicts Cholon as a center of drug trafficking, vice, thievery and murder in which the U.S. dollar is the most desired currency.
The camera work by Frenchman Benoit Delhomme is pure artistry. Production values are high. The leading lady Tran Nhu Yen-Khe is absolutely riveting--her exotic beauty the best thing by far about the picture. There are some interesting backgrounds, particularly a short interlude where Poet, played by Hong Kong actor Tony Leung, and Sister (Ms. Yen-Khe) escape the filthy and impoverished inner city and spend a day in the countryside. It is no accident I am sure that some of the French architecture that still stands is featured.
The minor roles are convincingly played, the characters sharply defined for all their brief appearances. It is at the center that the film's weaknesses are most evident.
After that, if you can tell what is going on and above all WHY, you're pretty good--or friends with the author.
The government of the People's Republic of Vietnam cooperated in making this film for, I suspect, political reasons. Specifically, to paint the Chinese and China in a bad light. The setting is Cholon, the Chinatown section of the old city of Saigon, the former capital of the Republic of (South) Vietnam. Saigon is now Ho Chi Minh City of course and the Chinese are almost all gone, fled from the persecution that preceded and followed the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese border war. Even in 1994 when the picture was shot relations between China and Vietnam were tense. This movie depicts Cholon as a center of drug trafficking, vice, thievery and murder in which the U.S. dollar is the most desired currency.
The camera work by Frenchman Benoit Delhomme is pure artistry. Production values are high. The leading lady Tran Nhu Yen-Khe is absolutely riveting--her exotic beauty the best thing by far about the picture. There are some interesting backgrounds, particularly a short interlude where Poet, played by Hong Kong actor Tony Leung, and Sister (Ms. Yen-Khe) escape the filthy and impoverished inner city and spend a day in the countryside. It is no accident I am sure that some of the French architecture that still stands is featured.
The minor roles are convincingly played, the characters sharply defined for all their brief appearances. It is at the center that the film's weaknesses are most evident.
helpful•63
- kayaker36
- Dec 14, 2007
- How long is Cyclo?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Xích Lô
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $284,692
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $38,109
- Aug 4, 1996
- Gross worldwide
- $284,692
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