City of God
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Movie Reviews of City of God
Movie Review: Voted Best Film 2003 - Empire Magazine
Summary: 5 Stars
Having best film 2003 from the British Film Magazine "Empire" is not a bad acclaim to have on your curriculum vitae. Neither is it such a bad thing to have that when not one member of your cast is known to anyone or the fact that subtitles bumble along at the bottom of your screen. For a director that can only spell one thing - Fernando Meirelles must be quite a gifted auteur... and he is.City of God deserves it "Goodfellas" status and certainly many parallels can be drawn between the two - story spans decades across various family criminal lines, protagonist is trying to get out of his predicament with violence around every corner from both the mob and the cops. The premise is complex. City of God is a slum in Rio De Janeiro where murder, theft and police corruption is a way of life. Several children's stories are covered as they grow up to take their paths as either drug dealers, hit-men, gun sellers, armed robbers or just nobodies trying to get out of the nightmare city. Each kid has his own effect on the City of God which for one decade looks like drug disco paradise and then the next, a hell-hole worse than some outpost of the Vietnam War. However what is most frightening here is that there are hardly any adults in sight. The average age of a hoodlum in this film is five years of age with a "Godfather" being about eighteen. Kids can get hold of an AK47 quicker than they can get hold of a packet of sweets and they will use their guns in a bat of an eyelid.
The truth is that this film covers roughly twenty or so characters in depth and at times may seem slow, but these dull moments which last only a few minutes can certainly be forgiven for the dynamics that are on display here. Our main protagonist is basically a youth becoming a "war correspondent" with the local news media and he gets himself right in on top of the action with his camera. Meirelles manages to capture some awe-inspiring scenes and cuts the film together in an amazing fashion with lots of extremely moving cinematography. The actors and their acting is also strikingly real, many of whom actually feel as if they carry some real City of God genes in their blood. This movie looks as good as, if not better than, most Hollywood blockbusters.
The film is shocking in parts with children shooting and torturing other children in order to get their piece of the city. It is mostly grim and upsetting. Adults seem resigned to the background where they can do little more than just sit back and watch their kin rip the world apart. The problem is that the US has basically outlawed drugs in their city which is enforced by the police (unless on the take) and so this is how everybody makes a living - selling marijuana and cocaine, but at the same time COLT company is pumping out those weapons like no tomorrow. Soon enough the teens have collected enough ammo to make each one look like an upgraded version of Rambo.
This is art house cinema with a hell of a bite and many social morals to enlighten us. It is a tour de force to be reckoned with and certainly one of the most surprising and energetic films you will likely see this year. DVD ownership is a must and even more amazing is the fact that this is based on a true story and the events in this film actually happened.
Movie Review: an intense look into a life we never knew
Summary: 5 Stars
A film by Fernando Meirelles and Katia LundRoger Ebert has heaped praise upon praise for "City of God" and all of it is warranted. The City of God slums are an offshoot of Rio de Janeiro that were created to keep the poor and the homeless away from the tourist centers of Rio. The result was a slum that is brimming with violence and pain. One can almost feel the hopelessness just bubbling up in the City of God, and that is not an exaggeration. The film is narrated by, and ultimately focuses on a young man named Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues). Rocket reveals the lore of City of God, what the slum is and how it became so. Rocket tells us the story, moving backwards and forwards in time to tell the story in the way it should be told. He tells us of an event, but rather than going into detail about that event, Rocket will then show us what we need to know to understand that event in context. He will introduce a character, but then say "but now is not the time to tell his story." Rocket is a master storyteller and the entire film is his canvas, revealing bits and pieces at the perfect time.
To tell the story of the City of God slums, we have to be told the story of L'il Ze (Leandro Firmino). L'il Ze began as a child wanting to run with one of the local gangs, but in time he grew up and was strong enough (and quick enough) to start eliminating and taking over rival gangs until L'il Ze had to be acknowledged the true king of the City of God. With the advise of his only true friend Benny (Phellipe Haagensen), L'il Ze did permit one gang to survive, that of Carrot (Matheus Nachtergaele), and it is the uneasy peace between these two gangs that provides much of the tension inside the City of God. This is rough, violent, and poor slum with desperate men and all that is needed is just one tiny spark to start another turf war.
"City of God" is powerful, stunning, violent, beautiful, stark, and it is one of the best films of the past decade. The acting is raw, and rough and it feels authentic. While we do not see the day to day life of the slum, we see the greater danger where there is always a risk of a raid or a shootout and just by trying to live their lives; people can be dragged into a war. "City of God" is not violent for the sake of being violent, nor is it gratuitous. I would say that the violence is portrayed in a realistic manner and reflects the reality of the actual City of God slum. The violence, while important to the film does not overpower the story being told and it is not overly graphic. Directors Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund do not give any easy answers but only reveal a way of life that is alien to everything I know. Being born into the City of God, a child grows up into something that he cannot control and can only hope to survive in by any means that he can. "City of God" shows how Rocket survives, and also gives a glimpse of what happens if someone like L'il Ze takes another path. "City of God" is a foreign language film and while it is similar in some respects to American gangster films like "Goodfellas", this movie goes in a different direction. It must be said that it is just as good, though.
-Joe Sherry
Movie Review: Shocking Portrayal of a True Story
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie, City Of God (2002) is a gritty, shocking, straight up horrifying portrayal of life in the City of God, which is in Rio De Janiero. It doesn't tone down on the violence, the cursing, or the gunplay at any moment, making it all too realistic. You can't have a weak stomach to watch this movie. You also have to have the ability to read (which means no illiterate people can possibly view this movie, that don't speak Portugese). Yes, the movie is subtitled. Does any of this take away from the fact that this movie is possibly one of the best films ever made? No. City of God has the power to just draw the viewer in, despite it's 2 hour+ length. The stories that the main character, "Rocket", tells in here all flow together with ease, so the viewer most likely will not get lost through the 3 or 4 different stories that Rocket tells, for they all fit together like a puzzle.
As I've said, the main character is "Rocket". To tell the story of The City Of God, he must first tell the story of the Tender Trio, and then he goes on to the story of the Apartment, Lil Ze, & Knockout Ned. All of the stories he tells, as I've said before, tie in together some how. This is a very brutal movie, as many others have said. The violence adds to the realism of the movie though. It's not toned down to appeal to an overall audience like other stories. The story spans about 15, 20 years I think. It starts at the end, oddly, and Rocket starts thinking back to when he was a child. From there, he tells the story of the Tender Trio holding up a hotel, and all hell starts from there. By the end, there is an all out war. Still, besides the massive bloodshed and the major amount of guns and drugs you see in the movie, it's still worth your time. It's very captivating, it keeps you in your seat all throughout. (To note, since you have to read the whole movie, it actually kept my older brother interested, and he hates reading anything including subtitles so if that doesn't say something...)
The actors can act, despite the fact that basically all of them have no experience, as most of them are actual residents of the City Of God. This also adds to the realism of the film. The acting is superb, so there should be no worries there. Nobody really overacts or underacts. They all add to their character in their own way, which makes a film that much better. They all leave their own special mark, even in characters that don't play a big part in the movie. So the acting and cast definitley gets an A plus in my book.
This is definitly a movie you should pick up. It's well worth the 30 DOLLARS that I paid for it on DVD. Especially if you like gangster or crime movies, then this is a great film you should see. I think even if you're not a big gangster fan, you would still like this movie if you could get past the violence. Don't let the violence keep you from viewing a great movie. It's powerful, compelling, and somewhat surprising to really see what goes on in foreign places like Rio De Janeiro. So pick this movie up when you see it. It's truly worth the 5 stars and more that I gave it.
Movie Review: One of the greatest movies made
Summary: 5 Stars
The movie centers around the Brazillian ghetto in the '60s, '70s, and '80s. It tells the story of how drugs and gang warfare run in Rio de Jenario. It also adds the slum and poverty life of everyone that lives there and the corruption of law enforcement. The story is told through the eyes of a young boy named Rocket. Our protagonist also has a few friends to tell about, but the other key character would be the young and ruthless hoodlum named Lil' Dice. Rocket dreams of leaving the city to pursue a career in photography. Lil' Dice on the other hand wants to run the City of God, become a powerful gang leader, and make money by dealing drugs.
I'd say more, but I fear I'll give away just about everything about the movie. The movie is just... so damn real. It's almost like watching a documentary unfold. The most sickening and disturbing parts of the movie are seeing kids holding guns. Now, that may look harmless since we see kids hold guns on tv, but it's painfully gut-wrenching to see kids kill people, including other kids... and they enjoy the killing. It's also disturbing to see kids using drugs (marijuana and cocaine). Oh yeah, the kids also are drug dealers as well. This seems to be the only way for those kids to gain the dream of becoming rich and powerful.
The movie is like a mixture of other gang type movies like "Scarface," "Menace II Society," "Boyz in the Hood," and "Gangs of New York." If you loved one, two, or all of those movies, "City of God" will certainly please you, despite the fact that it has subtitles. It's a powerful and emotional movie that'll probably move you to tears or just simply make you sick to your stomach.
"City of God" also has more of a Tarantino-filmmaking style with its non-linear chronological storytelling (think "Reservoir Dogs," meaning the plot still unfolds but adds background to several characters, pausing the plotline at times). The camera is kinda shaky and jittery, but it adds realism to the movie's storyline and images.
"City of God" often is criticized because some dumbass critics see it as a movie that "glorifies violence." No, it doesn't. "Natural Born Killers" did that, but not "City of God" because it shows the violence as it is in that part of the world. And I would say that this movie isn't very violent at all. Sure, there's plenty of action scenes where some people get killed, but most of the time it doesn't even show the people getting shot/killed. Think of how some people were "disgusted" at the infamous chainsaw scene in "Scarface." They didn't show limbs being chopped off, just blood squirting out. The rest is left to our imagination.
This movie certainly gives us a gritty and disturbing look at this Brazillian city. People may still hate this movie because of its content, but for crying out loud, take off your blinders and see the world as it is: a cruel and dangerous place. "City of God" shows the life as it is not only in Brazil, but everywhere else in the world, including our very own country.
Movie Review: Moving Brutality.
Summary: 5 Stars
Life is hard and difficult. Unfortunately, for many people in the world life is also unbearably brutal. Living in the United States we often forget that, even if we grew up in impoverished small towns or in the slums of the inner city. CITY OF GOD is a film that examines the brutality of humanity in a housing project that is part of Rio de Janeiro.
CITY OF GOD is the name of a housing project built in Rio de Janeiro in the 1960s. From watching the movie, it seemed to me that CITY OF GOD is like a really bad ghetto and slum area of the city that virtually operates under its own rules. The area became a hotbed of violence starting in the 1970s. To this day it is still known as being one of the most dangerous places in the world to live in. We are given a glimpse into what life is like in this place through the narration of the film's central character, Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues). Rocket is a photographer who grew up in CITY OF GOD. Through the movie he tells a story of what caused the violence in CITY OF GOD, how it came to be, and how for a brief time it was brought under control by the government.
Rocket has a close-knit body of friends while growing up, but he doesn't have the stomach to commit the crimes and violence that his friends do. He breaks away, tries to study, and works at "real" jobs where he is underpaid and disrespected. Meanwhile, his friends grow up to take control of the projects drug trade. They become rich and powerful, but also hated. Meanwhile, Rocket discovers that he has a knack for taking pictures and is saved through the art he creates (reminding me of a quote from Pablo Neruda, "Art, like food, should feed the world.")
CITY OF GOD is an extremely well-done film. The acting is so real and honest. Part of that is probably attributable the director for hiring mostly actors who grew up in the slums, including Alexandre Rodrigues who grew up in the City of God itself. This realism carries over into the settings, scenery, and locations, too. Much of the movie was filmed in one of the slums of Rio (but not the City of God) and things were so dangerous that the director almost stopped the filming of the movie. The final product is an incredible brutal and realistic portrayal of the harsh life or existence the people living there chose or are forced to endure everyday.
The film is full of violence, language, and sexuality that some people will find offensive. It's also a very sad movie in many ways because the people involved in the aftermath of it all, refuse to break the cycle of violence and destruction that surrounds them. Existing is easy, but living is much more difficult. Existing might be more dangerous, but it's much easier to do. As brutal and depressing that CITY OF GOD is, it does offer a glimmer of hope through the eyes of Rocket, a man from the CITY OF GOD who was able to rise above it and create a better life for himself through art.