Overview
A young man's struggle for survival leads him into the dark underbelly of crime and drugs.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- brooding
- visceral
- oppressive
- arthouse film night
- international cinema evening
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a formally accomplished and atmospheric crime drama with a powerful portrait of urban poverty and moral disintegration.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The cyclo driver's descent into drugs and organized crime is presented through stylized, impressionistic images of Saigon, violence, bodies, and urban decay.
The protagonist's stolen bicycle-taxi and struggle for survival draw him into a criminal network offering money and coercive opportunities.
The cyclo driver, Poet, Madam, and other criminals occupy intersecting strands within Saigon's drug and prostitution networks.
Bicycle taxis, crowded streets, slaughterhouses, criminal meetings, and impoverished neighborhoods form the film's recurring urban geography.
Films like Cyclo, and why
City of God
shared poetic crime drama, urban poverty, and atmospheric depiction of criminal underworlds
Pickpocket
shared austere crime storytelling, social marginality, and morally corrosive violence
The Mission
shared Southeast Asian urban setting, lyrical visual style, and criminal desperation
Movie Details
- Director
- Trần Anh Hùng
- Release Date
- 1995-09-27
- Runtime
- 123 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (123)
Cast
- Le Van Loc
- Tony Leung Chiu-wai
- Như Quỳnh
- Hoàng Phúc
- Ngo Quang Hai
- Tuyết Ngân
- Doan Viet Ha
- Bjuhoang Huy
- Vo Vinh Phuc
- Le Kinh Huy
Common questions
- What is Cyclo about?
- A young Saigon cyclo driver is pulled into a criminal underworld where survival, violence, and exploitation blur together.
- What is Cyclo like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Cyclo as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Cyclo violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Cyclo as brutal.
- What did critics think of Cyclo?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a formally accomplished and atmospheric crime drama with a powerful portrait of urban poverty and moral disintegration.
- Which films are like Cyclo?
- Films with a similar feel include City of God, Pickpocket, and The Mission.
- How long is Cyclo?
- Cyclo runs 123 minutes.
