Cyclo

Synopsis: A "cyclo" is a bicycle-drawn taxi similar to a rickshaw, and, in this story, the nickname of an 18-year-old boy trying to scrape together a living in the desperate poverty of Ho Chi Mihn City. Cyclo lives with his grandfather (Le Kinh Huy) and two sisters (Tran Nu Yen-Khe and Pham Ngoc Lieu), and drives his taxi for a bitter woman (Nhu Quynh Nguyen) who devotes most of her time to her mentally unstable son (Bjuhoang Huy). When the pedal-cab is stolen, Cyclo is forced into a life of crime to repay the debt and falls in with a group of petty thugs led by a self-styled poet (Tony Leung Chiu Wai). What Cyclo doesn't know at first is that the poet is also a pimp, and he's been using his romantic wiles to lure Cyclo's older sister into a career as a prostitute. Cyclo was directed by Tran Anh Hung, whose breakthrough film was the acclaimed drama The Scent of Green Papaya. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Starring:  Le Van Loc, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Tran Nu Yên-Khê 

Director:  Anh Hung Tran

Writer:  Trung Binh Nguyen, Anh Hung Tran 

Released:  1995 (theater)

Rating:  NR

Country:  Vietnam, France

Language:  Vietnamese, Italian

AKA: Xich lo (original title)