Wow. Unlike most other movies I’ve seen. More real than reel. More spoke than spoken. Leonard Maltin would say it’s as fresh and insightful as ever. Then he would let out a faint dying gasp as I contemplated removing my boot from his just strangled neck. The slowly building sense of desperation, morality and tragedy is masterful, like a more subtle version of High Noon. The Bicycle Thief embodies simple beauty and relies heavily on identification with its characters. The film is so natural and engrossing that you completely forget you’re watching a movie. This is truly a great film.