Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

soniaandree The movie was screened two years ago, on my recommendation, and mainly to a UK and some foreigners' audience. Reception and comments about the movie were not as expected: "rubbish!" was heard from an old member, "great!" by some other. There is no in-between when it comes to this movie, most UK people have found it too realistic, most foreign ones saw it as a clear depiction of Ho Chi Minh City's decadence and corruption. In my opinion, this movie has got the merit of showing how things are, and how characters are not so clear-cut in their badness or goodness. It feels like everyone is looking for a form of forgiveness by trying to redeem themselves of past/current actions. In the end, I recommend the movie regardless, though British viewers may find some scenes upsetting. It is not often that the viewer can find such a mix of feelings in a movie's characters. A movie which should not leave you indifferent, that's for sure.

omar5 Cyclo introduce us to the though reality of life. In this case the slums of Saigon are taken as an example, however, it's obvious that there are not concrete references to the country itself as any other low income area could be taken as environment. The movie is rather rational structured, as it begins with tough but still normal lives of the main characters. As the plot unfolds, this first normal situation is suddenly shaken and everyone's life is completely changed in worse by those who impose their ruthless force upon others. During this unhappy experience, the two main characters experience how mean can people be to one another and they see how tough can life be, even worse than the way they were used to before, though one was an housekeeper and the other a bike-taxi driver. As the movie slings to its end, the two wretches are finally redeemed and they both go back to their normal life. "A normal life, which everyone deserves to lead". At the very end we hear this words, said by one of the pimps. Perhaps this is the real core of the movie. It's always better to lead your life the way it is, as long as the situation does not give you too pain. Furthermore, a change of life, both in better or in worse doesn't always bring more happiness. Thus, the movies ends in exactly the same situation it begins, however, everyone is much happier sticking to this way, rather than trying to change his situation going through all the troubles they have experienced.

mifunesamurai The pressure of modern day life is on and Nineteen year old Cyclo dives into the deep end in order to survive. This is far beyond the gentle stream flow of Tran's previous film, SCENT OF GREEN PAPAYA. This film is bloody and confronting, boldly told with minimal dialogue.

George Parker "Cyclo" tells of an impoverished Saigon family whose son (Cyclo) turns to crime and whose daughter turns to prostitution as a matter of economic survival. A magnificent accomplishment in cinematography, there's little new to be found in the film's somewhat muddled story which is told almost exclusively with the camera as Oscar winning director Anh Hung Tran demonstrates mastery over the lens in delivering this tapestry of pictures which captures the beauty and blight of a bustling Vietnamese city. Not for everyone, "Cyclo" will play best with those who appreciate true artistry in film.