This no budget film is shot with a hand held camera. It shows, but this does not affect the quality of the film. The director has made an intense movie about, Chinese street life. However the culture in China is very different from the west, we can see that the problems of little Wu are universal.
18 Reviews
A film that explores the back streets of Beijing from the bottom rung of criminality
Robert_Woodward12 May 2008
Xiao Wu is a pickpocket in Beijing. Stuck on the bottom rung of the criminal ladder despite his advance into adult years, he heads a small group of thieving street urchins who haunt the back streets of the city. Xiao Wu is a surly character, prone to throwing away his cigarette ends when in other people's homes. His time is whiled away with games of Mahjong and American pool played out in the street and he has few close friends.
Xiao Wu's brother, Xiao Yong, once himself a petty thief, is now a cigarette trader and brothel-owner. Xiao Yong, shamed by his criminal roots and his brother's failure to move on from the same position, excludes Xiao Wu from his wedding invitations and refuses to accept his wedding gift of ill-gotten money. Later on, Xiao Wu also discovers the shame that his hardworking parents feel for their pickpocket son.
A sense develops that the world is moving on and that Xiao Wu is being left behind; this is increased by the ongoing police-led evictions from the street where he spends much of his time a new building project is on its way. Xiao Wu finds a glimmer of hope in his encounters with Mei Mei, an employee at the local brothel. The taciturn pickpocket opens up a little in her presence and the two of them bond, somewhat oddly from a Western perspective, through karaoke singing. Xiao Wu suddenly finds his singing voice when alone in a bathhouse; his plain voice resounds poignantly in the large, grimy, empty room. It is a rare moment of beauty.
When Xiao Wu buys a pager (state of the art in 1997) to keep in touch with Mei Mei it seems that he is starting to open up just a little to the changing world. But Mei Mei's sudden disappearance, along with his alienation from his family, leaves Xiao Wu without direction. A grim lack of purpose takes hold again. In the final frames of the film he is publicly humiliated, bringing the story to a sad end.
The footage in this film is much grainier than many people made be used to, but this is not necessarily a weakness: the image quality suits the grey, dilapidated city streets. The hand-held camera adds intimacy to the karaoke scenes and captures the distance between the two brothers as they walk separately through the same streets. The muffled state of the soundtrack takes some getting used to, but writer-director Zhang Ke Jia was clearly working on a limited budget for his first feature. The non-professional cast, however, is surprisingly effective; Hong Wei Wang is a real find, exuding a seedy charm in the lead role.
The Artificial Eye DVD which I watched this film on did not provide subtitles for many of the voices on radio and television, nor for some of the secondary characters, but there is an enormous amount of visual detail to take in as well. China simply does not feature enough on cinema screens, but this fine film suggests hope for the future.
Xiao Wu's brother, Xiao Yong, once himself a petty thief, is now a cigarette trader and brothel-owner. Xiao Yong, shamed by his criminal roots and his brother's failure to move on from the same position, excludes Xiao Wu from his wedding invitations and refuses to accept his wedding gift of ill-gotten money. Later on, Xiao Wu also discovers the shame that his hardworking parents feel for their pickpocket son.
A sense develops that the world is moving on and that Xiao Wu is being left behind; this is increased by the ongoing police-led evictions from the street where he spends much of his time a new building project is on its way. Xiao Wu finds a glimmer of hope in his encounters with Mei Mei, an employee at the local brothel. The taciturn pickpocket opens up a little in her presence and the two of them bond, somewhat oddly from a Western perspective, through karaoke singing. Xiao Wu suddenly finds his singing voice when alone in a bathhouse; his plain voice resounds poignantly in the large, grimy, empty room. It is a rare moment of beauty.
When Xiao Wu buys a pager (state of the art in 1997) to keep in touch with Mei Mei it seems that he is starting to open up just a little to the changing world. But Mei Mei's sudden disappearance, along with his alienation from his family, leaves Xiao Wu without direction. A grim lack of purpose takes hold again. In the final frames of the film he is publicly humiliated, bringing the story to a sad end.
The footage in this film is much grainier than many people made be used to, but this is not necessarily a weakness: the image quality suits the grey, dilapidated city streets. The hand-held camera adds intimacy to the karaoke scenes and captures the distance between the two brothers as they walk separately through the same streets. The muffled state of the soundtrack takes some getting used to, but writer-director Zhang Ke Jia was clearly working on a limited budget for his first feature. The non-professional cast, however, is surprisingly effective; Hong Wei Wang is a real find, exuding a seedy charm in the lead role.
The Artificial Eye DVD which I watched this film on did not provide subtitles for many of the voices on radio and television, nor for some of the secondary characters, but there is an enormous amount of visual detail to take in as well. China simply does not feature enough on cinema screens, but this fine film suggests hope for the future.
Karma always catches up
moviesknight8 October 2021
He is talented pickpocket but also sends the ids back to police. On the outside he is a boring persona but he has multitude of charisma. He falls in love, which was his chance to get out of all this but couldnt. He isnt ready to let go of his talent until the karma catches up with him. Will he beat the karma or get sucked of even the last bit of conscience he has left. The hiring of non-professional actors makes this film much better.
Realistic depiction of chinese small-towners
cd179320 June 2002
Xiaowu is an average young man in a typical small town in China. He is shy, stubborn, values friendship, sometimes vanity-driven, sometimes even romantic. And he is a pick-pocket.
It is surprising that although hundreds of millions of people lead their lives like xiaowu, "Xiao Wu" is the first candid depiction of their life in the many years of chinese filmmaking. I was particularly struck by the camera's honesty: run-down buildings along littered streets, filthy public bath places, hidden brothels camouflaged as karaoke shops...
As the country opens up for economical changes, some people have "their own ways" to take advantage of the change and became rich, while the rest struggle to make a living. The film provided vivid portraits of people you probably know or have heard of: the former pick-pocket buddy of xiaowu who became a famous entrepreneur and grew ashamed of having a friend who picks pockets; the girl who works at a Karaoke but tells her mom that she's at school, who dreams of becoming a star and fell in love with xiaowu but eventually "contracted" herself to a rich man from Shan Xi...
Even if you are not particularly interested in the setting of the film, the universal conflict of dignity and making a living, vanity and friendship, dream and reality, makes this film very interesting to watch.
Bravo, Jia ZhangKe! I give this film a 10/10 for being the first of a genre that will shine in chinese cinema.
It is surprising that although hundreds of millions of people lead their lives like xiaowu, "Xiao Wu" is the first candid depiction of their life in the many years of chinese filmmaking. I was particularly struck by the camera's honesty: run-down buildings along littered streets, filthy public bath places, hidden brothels camouflaged as karaoke shops...
As the country opens up for economical changes, some people have "their own ways" to take advantage of the change and became rich, while the rest struggle to make a living. The film provided vivid portraits of people you probably know or have heard of: the former pick-pocket buddy of xiaowu who became a famous entrepreneur and grew ashamed of having a friend who picks pockets; the girl who works at a Karaoke but tells her mom that she's at school, who dreams of becoming a star and fell in love with xiaowu but eventually "contracted" herself to a rich man from Shan Xi...
Even if you are not particularly interested in the setting of the film, the universal conflict of dignity and making a living, vanity and friendship, dream and reality, makes this film very interesting to watch.
Bravo, Jia ZhangKe! I give this film a 10/10 for being the first of a genre that will shine in chinese cinema.
very realistic
Moviespot28 January 2010
Xiao Wu is to me an incredible lively film.It's like the viewer is totally a part of the scenes he is seeing.the director is a genius in giving you the real-life sense.The raw way of the photography gives you an honest picture of a certain time in China's history... we follow a petty thief Xiau Wu in his 'struggle 'to survive.... everyone around him , his mates from the scenes have all sworn off their criminal pasts and are on the road to be normal citizens...not Xia Wu however.He seems not to be able to break with his 'old'life. What this film shows us in an incredible way to is a piece of Recent Chinese history...the emerging of private enterprise...filmed in the mid 90-ies we as viewers are made very much part of these developments. an excellent and very capturing film in every way ! great job done by the all amateur actors cast.Zhang Ke Jia did an unique job here !
One of the best films of the 90s
howard.schumann13 January 2003
"This is a film about our worries and our uneasiness. Having to cope with a dysfunctional society, we take refuge in solitude which is a substitute for dignity
It is finally a film about my native town and about contemporary China." - Jia Zhangke
A sense of longing permeates Xiao Wu, a 1997 film by the acclaimed independent Chinese director Jia Zhangke (Platform, Unknown Pleasures). Set in Jia's home city of Fengyang in Shanxi province, the film is basically a series of incidents in the life of petty thief and pickpocket, Xiao Wu. It is a compelling portrait of an individual in free-fall and, like other films by the director, shows the corrupting influence of Western values on an entire generation of Chinese. The film is reminiscent of the works of Robert Bresson in its use of non-professional actors, environmental sound, and in its spare cinematography by Yu Lik-Wai.
Xiao Wu (Hong Wei Wang) wanders about aimlessly with lots of money to spend and little to spend it on except call girls at the local karaoke bar. He befriends Mei Mei (Hao Hongjian), and they start to develop a tentative relationship but his social awkwardness leads to ultimate rejection. Wu's friends have given up the life of crime and do not want to have anymore to do with him. His best friend, Jin Xiao Yong has just been voted a "Model Entrepreneur" for his activities in cigarette trafficking and does not invite Wu to his wedding. He even returns Wu's gift of money because it is "tainted". The scene between the two old friends discussing the wedding is heartbreaking in the look of rejection on Wu's face.
With no other work to fall back on, Wu is forced to continue his petty crimes, constantly running afoul of the police. In the background, the government has issued an order to round up street criminals. Wu seems bewildered by the fact that his friends do not want to associate with him and he is unable to grasp the meaning of the police crackdown. He grows increasingly alienated and lonely as he loses his friends who go straight, his girl friend Mei Mei who leaves town, and his family who eject him after an argument over a ring.
Jia captures the rhythm and feel of day-to-day life in Fengyang. This is life as it is actually lived, not as a series of dramatic events forced into a narrative structure. His film succeeds not only as social commentary but also as an acutely perceptive realization of the psychology of a self-absorbed individual. One of the most revealing scenes is when Wu stubbornly refuses to sing with Mei Mei at the karaoke bar but instead goes to a bathhouse and, alone and naked, sings a plaintive song to the empty room. After Mei Mei leaves him, things seem to spiral downward for Wu. In a final sequence, he is shown after his arrest, not as a victim or hero, but as an off-screen object to be gazed at and mocked by people in the street. It is a scene of personal tragedy, but in the universality of its compassion, it becomes a spiritual revelation. Xiao Wu is one of the best films of the 90s.
A sense of longing permeates Xiao Wu, a 1997 film by the acclaimed independent Chinese director Jia Zhangke (Platform, Unknown Pleasures). Set in Jia's home city of Fengyang in Shanxi province, the film is basically a series of incidents in the life of petty thief and pickpocket, Xiao Wu. It is a compelling portrait of an individual in free-fall and, like other films by the director, shows the corrupting influence of Western values on an entire generation of Chinese. The film is reminiscent of the works of Robert Bresson in its use of non-professional actors, environmental sound, and in its spare cinematography by Yu Lik-Wai.
Xiao Wu (Hong Wei Wang) wanders about aimlessly with lots of money to spend and little to spend it on except call girls at the local karaoke bar. He befriends Mei Mei (Hao Hongjian), and they start to develop a tentative relationship but his social awkwardness leads to ultimate rejection. Wu's friends have given up the life of crime and do not want to have anymore to do with him. His best friend, Jin Xiao Yong has just been voted a "Model Entrepreneur" for his activities in cigarette trafficking and does not invite Wu to his wedding. He even returns Wu's gift of money because it is "tainted". The scene between the two old friends discussing the wedding is heartbreaking in the look of rejection on Wu's face.
With no other work to fall back on, Wu is forced to continue his petty crimes, constantly running afoul of the police. In the background, the government has issued an order to round up street criminals. Wu seems bewildered by the fact that his friends do not want to associate with him and he is unable to grasp the meaning of the police crackdown. He grows increasingly alienated and lonely as he loses his friends who go straight, his girl friend Mei Mei who leaves town, and his family who eject him after an argument over a ring.
Jia captures the rhythm and feel of day-to-day life in Fengyang. This is life as it is actually lived, not as a series of dramatic events forced into a narrative structure. His film succeeds not only as social commentary but also as an acutely perceptive realization of the psychology of a self-absorbed individual. One of the most revealing scenes is when Wu stubbornly refuses to sing with Mei Mei at the karaoke bar but instead goes to a bathhouse and, alone and naked, sings a plaintive song to the empty room. After Mei Mei leaves him, things seem to spiral downward for Wu. In a final sequence, he is shown after his arrest, not as a victim or hero, but as an off-screen object to be gazed at and mocked by people in the street. It is a scene of personal tragedy, but in the universality of its compassion, it becomes a spiritual revelation. Xiao Wu is one of the best films of the 90s.
3.20.2024
EasonVonn20 March 2024
English title had given (Bresson's treasure) this prominent Jia Zhangke's iconic Chinese rural magical realism masterpiece a kind of tone of obsessional Heimlich in our hero Wang Hongwei, who graduated from the same film school as Jia Zhangke, but credited as a "non-professional actor", it's weird, but pretty rarefied.
I don't know how Jia Zhangke created the perfect grotesque atmosphere between the two estranged or intimate conversations. His bravura handle of trims of pickpocketing details, with the remaining of Xiao Wu's personal life is brilliant.
He is a bad, quotidian-stolen pickpocket, but he never lost his soul as a generous, wholehearted Valentine and a brother.
The shaking camera is aptly combined with the realistic setting and crew. The performance is divine, especially Wang Hongwei, he looks fun and mysterious, charismatic.
The blackout of the romantic scene is a bravura technique. Wang Hongwei ascends.
I don't know how Jia Zhangke created the perfect grotesque atmosphere between the two estranged or intimate conversations. His bravura handle of trims of pickpocketing details, with the remaining of Xiao Wu's personal life is brilliant.
He is a bad, quotidian-stolen pickpocket, but he never lost his soul as a generous, wholehearted Valentine and a brother.
The shaking camera is aptly combined with the realistic setting and crew. The performance is divine, especially Wang Hongwei, he looks fun and mysterious, charismatic.
The blackout of the romantic scene is a bravura technique. Wang Hongwei ascends.
great story, great cast, great film
vero_6001 December 2004
Unlike a lot of other contemporary Chinese films, Xiao Wu succeeds in gaining viewers empathy for the title character. We never really find out how the so-called "artisan pickpocket" got himself into the state he's in; it's almost as if he woke up one morning to find that he was alone and jobless at an age when he should be settling down like all of his friends. However, not knowing how he arrived at this point makes his growing desperation more tangible as we see him reaching out to everyone he can, only to be rejected.
Wang Hongwei is amazing as the title character, he makes it easy to relate to the character's loneliness and longing. Considering the actors in Xiao Wu are all amateurs, Wang's performance is even more amazing. Granted, he was given a great character to work with: in spite of his occupation, Xiao Wu is a nice guy. (His beautifully awkward relationship with the karaoke hostess is a fine example of this).
All in all, I think this is one of the best Chinese films from the past decade. The characters are better developed than in other contemporary films, and the story is neither contrived nor simplistic. Xiao Wu would seem to be a lot more accessible than other Chinese art films because it lacks the slow bits characteristic of that genre. I would highly recommend Xiao Wu to anyone interested in Chinese cinema.
Wang Hongwei is amazing as the title character, he makes it easy to relate to the character's loneliness and longing. Considering the actors in Xiao Wu are all amateurs, Wang's performance is even more amazing. Granted, he was given a great character to work with: in spite of his occupation, Xiao Wu is a nice guy. (His beautifully awkward relationship with the karaoke hostess is a fine example of this).
All in all, I think this is one of the best Chinese films from the past decade. The characters are better developed than in other contemporary films, and the story is neither contrived nor simplistic. Xiao Wu would seem to be a lot more accessible than other Chinese art films because it lacks the slow bits characteristic of that genre. I would highly recommend Xiao Wu to anyone interested in Chinese cinema.
Forlorn emptiness
gbill-748774 April 2024
A 20-something in rural China who makes his small time living being a pickpocket faces two changes which pressure his life: a very public crackdown on crime, and a childhood friend having moved on to a respectable life, soon to be married, but not inviting him to the wedding. China itself seems to be changing, with signs of construction and modernization everywhere, but the main character, Xiao Wu (Wang Hongwei) is not progressing along with it, stubbornly sticking to his ways, despite the warnings from others.
There is a sense of forlorn emptiness here, as Xiao Wu starts falling for a karaoke girl, desperately seeking more meaning out of their relationship than she is. He returns home to his family, who are peasant farmers, and finds that his brothers are also moving on in life, and his father is angry to the point of casting him out. There are glimmers of him wanting to be a good person, like when he gives his mother a ring, or when he anonymously returns ID cards from the wallets he's stolen because they're hard for the owners to replace, but he continues stealing and seems hopelessly non-aspirational, thus making him a tough character to like.
Gandhi once said that "the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members," and while you could argue that Xiao Wu himself has preyed on the vulnerable, when he's publicly chastised on TV and later handcuffed to a post and surrounded by people gawking at him, the feeling of vulnerability is intense. We get the conflicting sense of it being just for him to punished, but at the same time, pity for him arriving at this place in life, and what his prospects might be. Therein lies the power of the film, and I certainly admired it.
The reason for not giving the film a higher rating was just a lack of personal enjoyment for what was a dreary story, centered exclusively on the main character, who was stuck in one gear. I would have loved a contrast in the development of his friend's or family's characters, those getting on in the world as best they can. Certainly a solid debut film from Jia Zhangke though.
There is a sense of forlorn emptiness here, as Xiao Wu starts falling for a karaoke girl, desperately seeking more meaning out of their relationship than she is. He returns home to his family, who are peasant farmers, and finds that his brothers are also moving on in life, and his father is angry to the point of casting him out. There are glimmers of him wanting to be a good person, like when he gives his mother a ring, or when he anonymously returns ID cards from the wallets he's stolen because they're hard for the owners to replace, but he continues stealing and seems hopelessly non-aspirational, thus making him a tough character to like.
Gandhi once said that "the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members," and while you could argue that Xiao Wu himself has preyed on the vulnerable, when he's publicly chastised on TV and later handcuffed to a post and surrounded by people gawking at him, the feeling of vulnerability is intense. We get the conflicting sense of it being just for him to punished, but at the same time, pity for him arriving at this place in life, and what his prospects might be. Therein lies the power of the film, and I certainly admired it.
The reason for not giving the film a higher rating was just a lack of personal enjoyment for what was a dreary story, centered exclusively on the main character, who was stuck in one gear. I would have loved a contrast in the development of his friend's or family's characters, those getting on in the world as best they can. Certainly a solid debut film from Jia Zhangke though.
Half of China's Reform and Opening History
u-703237 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of Jia Zhangke's poorest films. It is said that the cost of the film is only 300,000 yuan, and the actors including Xiao Wu are also his classmates in Beijing Film Academy.
This is a story about a small person in the historical background of China's reform and opening up. Jia Zhangke's method is very ingenious, cutting in from a subtle angle to describe the influence of the torrent of the times on individuals. The film was shot in Jia Zhangke's hometown, Fenyang, Shanxi. Jia Zhangke witnessed the vicissitudes of his hometown, and also witnessed the silent reality of countless individuals being swallowed up by this huge era.
Xiao Wu is a thief, even from today's point of view, he is a gangster and a hooligan. The time span of the movie is not long. It mainly tells the story of him attending a friend's wedding and wanting to pay for his share. However, his friend who was a thief with him has turned into a rural entrepreneur. He alienates Xiao Wu for his own benefit and rejects him. He also tried to get rid of the relationship with him, and then Xiao Wu found a lady in ktv, and fell in love with her when he got along with her, but in the end the girl left without saying goodbye. During the theft, he was caught by the police by accident, and he was shackled on the street in full view of the public.
This movie will feel very real when you watch it, so it is also banned in the mainland. It seems that it has not been submitted for review, nor has it been released in the mainland. From the movie, we can see the general poverty in mainland China at that time, whether it is spiritual or material, Xiao Wu is also In this way, he is a poor idealist, he fantasizes that he can live like a character like an ancient Chinese robber, he is affectionate and righteous, and he is angry that he was not notified of his friend's wedding. Even so, he would save enough money to participate and congratulate his friends. For the girl Xiaomei, although he was embarrassed and wanted to hide his feelings for her, the other party never regarded him as his destination. A text message, that's all.
Xiao Wu is constantly being abandoned in the movie, from his friends, to Xiaomei, whom he has a crush on, to being publicly shown as a thief at the end of the film, everything is trying to explain the fact that the changes of the times are destined to be some people as victims, who are killed by this Abandoned by everyone in society.
This is a story about a small person in the historical background of China's reform and opening up. Jia Zhangke's method is very ingenious, cutting in from a subtle angle to describe the influence of the torrent of the times on individuals. The film was shot in Jia Zhangke's hometown, Fenyang, Shanxi. Jia Zhangke witnessed the vicissitudes of his hometown, and also witnessed the silent reality of countless individuals being swallowed up by this huge era.
Xiao Wu is a thief, even from today's point of view, he is a gangster and a hooligan. The time span of the movie is not long. It mainly tells the story of him attending a friend's wedding and wanting to pay for his share. However, his friend who was a thief with him has turned into a rural entrepreneur. He alienates Xiao Wu for his own benefit and rejects him. He also tried to get rid of the relationship with him, and then Xiao Wu found a lady in ktv, and fell in love with her when he got along with her, but in the end the girl left without saying goodbye. During the theft, he was caught by the police by accident, and he was shackled on the street in full view of the public.
This movie will feel very real when you watch it, so it is also banned in the mainland. It seems that it has not been submitted for review, nor has it been released in the mainland. From the movie, we can see the general poverty in mainland China at that time, whether it is spiritual or material, Xiao Wu is also In this way, he is a poor idealist, he fantasizes that he can live like a character like an ancient Chinese robber, he is affectionate and righteous, and he is angry that he was not notified of his friend's wedding. Even so, he would save enough money to participate and congratulate his friends. For the girl Xiaomei, although he was embarrassed and wanted to hide his feelings for her, the other party never regarded him as his destination. A text message, that's all.
Xiao Wu is constantly being abandoned in the movie, from his friends, to Xiaomei, whom he has a crush on, to being publicly shown as a thief at the end of the film, everything is trying to explain the fact that the changes of the times are destined to be some people as victims, who are killed by this Abandoned by everyone in society.
it's about life in Chinese small town in beginning of 90's
seamouse22 June 2001
I have seen the movie,but the quality of videotape is very bad,and cause the conversation is shangxi(a north province in china),so thought i am a chinese,i can't hardly hear it clearly.speak generelly,this movie reflect ture life condition in small town of china.many of people in town like xiaowu liang had been influenced deep by pop culture from Hongkong or China itself.and xiaowu is a poor low class in China.we are laughing when the movie play,but we are also shocked after the movie over.
this movie could have had a duration of 10 minutes and be more enjoyable
pippolomeo19 August 2014
I understand the will of description of the Chinese rural/urban society and stuff.. but this movie is simply incredibly *BORING*. It is boredom to the highest level. I have seen many boring movies in my life, but this probably ranks at the podium.
if you really want to watch people smoking and performing dialogs such as: "are you OK?" (smokes) *30 seconds pause* "yes I am" (lights a cigarette) *30 seconds pause* "are you sure?" (smokes) *30 seconds pause* "yes I am" (smokes)
then this is your movie, otherwise avoid it.
is there really the need for such a sequence of uninteresting, boring, utterly slow scenes in order to describe the degradation of a society? I believe that, even in this degraded society, interesting stories may happen?
if you really want to watch people smoking and performing dialogs such as: "are you OK?" (smokes) *30 seconds pause* "yes I am" (lights a cigarette) *30 seconds pause* "are you sure?" (smokes) *30 seconds pause* "yes I am" (smokes)
then this is your movie, otherwise avoid it.
is there really the need for such a sequence of uninteresting, boring, utterly slow scenes in order to describe the degradation of a society? I believe that, even in this degraded society, interesting stories may happen?
Diary of a loser
harry_tk_yung23 May 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Interesting to discover director Jai Zhangke not in a Chinese film festival, but in the "Le French May" program. Sharing my time between him and Alain Delon, I ended up watching only two of his movies shown in this series, his latest "Shijie" (2004) and earliest "Xiao Wu" (1997), in that order. I'll catch "Zhantai" (Platform) (2000) and "Ren Xiao Yao" (Unknown Pleasure) (2002) on some other occasions.
I agree with some of the views expressed in IMDb that Shijie has become somewhat commercialized, losing some of the rough innocence of the earlier three, which could be collectively referred to as the Fengyang trilogy, Fengyang being director Jia's hometown.
With a perpetual expression of "I don't give a damn" written on his face, Xiao Wu is a loser personified. Hidden behind this mask of force field (apologies for a really inappropriately borrowed term but I'm just too caught up with the second coming of the Force) is the young man's insecurity, frustration and alienation.
Xiao Wu makes a big deal out of not being invited to a ex-fellow-pickpocket-buddy's wedding because he can't understand why somebody no better than he can all of a sudden become a role model of a successful entrepreneur. He spends fifty yuans on a karaoke girl and insists on getting full value, not for sex, but just for her time to accompany him all over town. Actually he ends up accompanying her to her hairdresser. Her sickness provides an opportunity to bring out the hidden kindness in Xian Wu and, for a moment, what looks like a tender romance seems promising, until she goes away, unannounced, with a rich man from Shanxi. Later we also get to see his complete alienation with his family.
The last scene, the petty thief picked up by the impersonal but reasonable authority, appears on the surface to be quite inconsequential but is deep down most heart-breakingly tragic.
I agree with some of the views expressed in IMDb that Shijie has become somewhat commercialized, losing some of the rough innocence of the earlier three, which could be collectively referred to as the Fengyang trilogy, Fengyang being director Jia's hometown.
With a perpetual expression of "I don't give a damn" written on his face, Xiao Wu is a loser personified. Hidden behind this mask of force field (apologies for a really inappropriately borrowed term but I'm just too caught up with the second coming of the Force) is the young man's insecurity, frustration and alienation.
Xiao Wu makes a big deal out of not being invited to a ex-fellow-pickpocket-buddy's wedding because he can't understand why somebody no better than he can all of a sudden become a role model of a successful entrepreneur. He spends fifty yuans on a karaoke girl and insists on getting full value, not for sex, but just for her time to accompany him all over town. Actually he ends up accompanying her to her hairdresser. Her sickness provides an opportunity to bring out the hidden kindness in Xian Wu and, for a moment, what looks like a tender romance seems promising, until she goes away, unannounced, with a rich man from Shanxi. Later we also get to see his complete alienation with his family.
The last scene, the petty thief picked up by the impersonal but reasonable authority, appears on the surface to be quite inconsequential but is deep down most heart-breakingly tragic.
Review
garveyxin25 November 2019
Couldn't fall asleep last night. This kind of theme that is related to the marginal group, alienation and loneliness really attracts me. The characters were built very well. It would be hard to imagine how they could create such a role without a prototype. I'm happy to see that there are some people who want to tell the story about the people from marginal group. If we hadn't gotten such an observation channel, it would have been very likely that they would only have a stereotypical impression based on what they did. However, when i saw the situation where they were living, i felt a strong sense of powerlessness. Maybe everyone has his or her own fate. A good society should allow people like Xiaowu to live more decent though.
Unpleasant in every way
Pro Jury25 April 2005
USA's AZN TV purchased the rights to this film and the network is showing it using the English title THE PICKPOCKET.
1997's THE PICKPOCKET takes amateur home-movie style movie making to amazing levels of unpleasantness. The movie depicts a long-winded series of boring wanderings of an uninteresting, confused guy. This lead character, Xiao Wu, does not simply walk about aimlessly. Viewers will unfortunately soon realize that Xiao Wu has an unsurpassed talent to seek out, and remain dormant near the most obnoxious noises to be found in China. Clanging empty tin buckets being beaten with a stick -- he is there. Every old motor in China clunking in agony -- he is there. A crying baby? Yes, you guessed it, he is there! According to THE PICKPOCKET, China is the most irritating unpleasant sounding place on planet Earth.
The only element worse than the sound of THE PICKPOCKET is the photography. The camera shakes, shakes and shakes some more. Finally, the camera stills, but then it falls to the actor's knees and just stays there until someone in the crew realizes the mistake and begins to shake the camera again. Most of the shaky film is framed in distant, long, long, long shots. The few times when the camera gets somewhat close, nothing compelling ever takes place to connect the viewer with what is happening.
The photography is murky, faded and often blurry. The use of color is -- well, there is no sign of intelligence controlling the use of color. Most every shot is held 20 times too long. Few movies are so painful to sit through. This film is painful to watch, and painful to hear. And then it simply ends.
John Woo fans might enjoy being able to hear part of the soundtrack to DIE XUE SHUANG XIONG (THE KILLER) as the lead character is hanging outside of a video store for many minutes. Anyway, be warned -- THE PICKPOCKET will steal away your good time.
1997's THE PICKPOCKET takes amateur home-movie style movie making to amazing levels of unpleasantness. The movie depicts a long-winded series of boring wanderings of an uninteresting, confused guy. This lead character, Xiao Wu, does not simply walk about aimlessly. Viewers will unfortunately soon realize that Xiao Wu has an unsurpassed talent to seek out, and remain dormant near the most obnoxious noises to be found in China. Clanging empty tin buckets being beaten with a stick -- he is there. Every old motor in China clunking in agony -- he is there. A crying baby? Yes, you guessed it, he is there! According to THE PICKPOCKET, China is the most irritating unpleasant sounding place on planet Earth.
The only element worse than the sound of THE PICKPOCKET is the photography. The camera shakes, shakes and shakes some more. Finally, the camera stills, but then it falls to the actor's knees and just stays there until someone in the crew realizes the mistake and begins to shake the camera again. Most of the shaky film is framed in distant, long, long, long shots. The few times when the camera gets somewhat close, nothing compelling ever takes place to connect the viewer with what is happening.
The photography is murky, faded and often blurry. The use of color is -- well, there is no sign of intelligence controlling the use of color. Most every shot is held 20 times too long. Few movies are so painful to sit through. This film is painful to watch, and painful to hear. And then it simply ends.
John Woo fans might enjoy being able to hear part of the soundtrack to DIE XUE SHUANG XIONG (THE KILLER) as the lead character is hanging outside of a video store for many minutes. Anyway, be warned -- THE PICKPOCKET will steal away your good time.
student project
qqml21 September 2020
Awful filmmaking
TheBigSick20 March 2019
The sound mixing is garbage, with a substantial amount of noise. The dialect cannot be understood. The camera is shaky. The performance is pretty amateurish. The pace is slow. All in all, this film is an unwatchable mess.
Bleak but profound
breadandhammers30 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Quiet and subdued, but never boring. Xiao Wu paints a profoundly bleak picture of a changing China that is leaving people behind. I can imagine, 1997's Xiao Wu foreshadows the many aimless men today that drift along in Chinese society. Quiet and subdued, but never boring. Xiao Wu paints a profoundly bleak picture of a changing China that is leaving people behind. I can imagine, 1997's Xiao Wu foreshadows the many aimless men today that drift along in Chinese society. Quiet and subdued, but never boring. Xiao Wu paints a profoundly bleak picture of a changing China that is leaving people behind. I can imagine, 1997's Xiao Wu foreshadows the many aimless men today that drift along in Chinese society.
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