Walking on the Wild Side

2006 1h 29m ZH

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 8

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Han Jie’s feature debut draws on his own experiences growing up in a desolate mining district in northern China’s Shanxi province. A Chinese road movie, Walking on the Wild Side charts a young gang’s continuous flights from one kind of trouble to the next. Mirroring the stark and barren landscape, the film relays the grim story of these delinquents’ dreams of liberty and easy money. Played by nonprofessional actors who are real life troublemakers, the film offers a realism that is at once oppressive, cruel, and sympathetic.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Bai Paijiang
Guo Qiang
Lu Jie
Zhao Tao

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Han Jie
Writers: Han Jie
Languages: Mandarin
Countries: China, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 20 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: China, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Han Jie, shot by Xu Wei. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bai Paijiang and Guo Qiang and Lu Jie carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0495135 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 8 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Han Jie directs. Xu Wei behind the camera. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in China, France. Dialogue in Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 20 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: China, France.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Han Jie, shot by Xu Wei. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Bai Paijiang and Guo Qiang and Lu Jie carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0495135 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 8 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.