City of God
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Movie Reviews of City of God
Movie Review: An exhilarating film experience...
Summary: 5 Stars
It seems that repressed societies and low socio-economic environments provide an excellent backdrop, or impetus, for unique artistic and creative achievement.
This is evident in music i.e. Bob Marley hailed from the ghettos of Trenchtown, and The Beatles came from industrial Liverpool, but the above point is with particular reference to film making.
Films that highlight the detrimental impact of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the mass murder of Tutsis in Rwanda, the election process in Iran, or Eastern European women being sold into prostitution, all have one thing in common: They serve to open our eyes, and very often - hit home hard. These stories of suffering, hardship and turmoil transcend any particular place and region because they all relate to the human condition.
Fernando Meirelles' "City of God" is one such example. Set against the impoverished backdrop of the Brazilian `favelas' or ghettos, it's a vivid and powerful piece of film making that highlights social ills and the struggle of conscience.
Based on a true story, "City of God" provides an insight into the lives of characters that all emerge from similar backgrounds, their resulting attitudes, and the different choices they make. The film culminates on the streets of Rio De Janeiro's slums in the 1970s, where drugs, corruption, and crime are rampant, and the value for human life is practically non-existent.
The movie also importantly demonstrates the cyclical nature of life in such extreme and under-privileged conditions. The children of these slums (or "Runts" as they are referred to in the film) take to crime at an early age and are more concerned with getting hold of guns than going to school. There are exceptions, but for the majority of children born into this particular environment, a life of easy money in dealing drugs and robbing others far outweighs the incentive of an education and working an honest job.
Beautifully made and splendidly acted, this will keep you glued to the screen and prove to be an exhilarating film experience.
Movie Review: A genuine masterpiece!
Summary: 5 Stars
I ordered "City of God" a few weeks ago, and it is excellent! I can't stop watching it! This movie seems to have been perfectly made. It's not over the top with gore, but yet it gets the point across very effectively. You can just tell that it is tastefully done. .... And, as I understand, this movie in the USA made 7.5 million dollars on only 242 screens. If you project that out to 4,000 screens like so many films, that would come out to more than 100 million dollars! So, obvously the theater owners that had the movie in the USA got a good bang for their buck. .... I give this movie an A+. As long as you don't have a problem reading some profanity in the English sub-titles and don't mind seeing some people getting shot ( nothing that you wouldn't have seen on "The A Team" 20 years ago anyway ), then you may well find this true story touching and addictive. You really find yourself rooting for the characters! .... Also, if you get the DVD, it contains an extra 1-hour documentary. This documentary was produced in 1997. The "City of God" was first a book, published in 1997.
So, this documentary ( I assume ) was meant to help promote the sales of the "City of God" book. Only 5 years later would it become a movie, in 2002. .... To sum up, if you want to get a good idea of what life was ( and most likely still is ) like in the favelas ( slums ) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from the late 1960's to the late 1970's, see some Brazilian teenagers getting down to some American music at the dance club, and if you really want to really have a movie make you feel, then this movie is absolutely a must see for you! .... I would also like to add a quick note about the actors: Even though a young actress named Alice Braga ( "Angelica" in the movie ), who comes from a talented acting family, makes a nice supporting role in this movie, this movie was shot mostly with amateur actors whom had never even been in front of a camera before. Their performances are simply amazing!
Thanks for reading my review. .... Enjoy this movie!
Movie Review: Fast paced, crude and violent!
Summary: 5 Stars
It's not unusual for foreign filmmakers to include non-professional actors in their movies, and the concept is even more rare for American films. Director Fernando Meirelles had a crew scour communities around Rio de Janeiro, including institutes, schools, etc., for children with characteristics, funny face, aggressive, sad, etc., kids who lived the life in Brazil
Based on a book, City of God, features children who grow up in violent to the extreme, drug-infested war. The familiarity we have with children of the streets, beggars, prostitutes, thugs, drug-users, violence imposed upon them, is a far cry from children of the streets who kill other children. Simple as that - gun-toting children killing children.
The movie is told through a narrator who takes us back to the 60's, 70's and 80's. A young man sets out to be a photographer where youth die plenty. The movie is loud and about a constantly brutal society with gangs and drug lords.
Gory violence is as old as time began, and in many parts of the world. We just don't know too much about it. We grow up on TV/movie violence, immune to it, and we know what to expect. Here, you will see what life in the slums of Rio de Janeiro is like, where lives have no meaning.
This is a fast-paced movie with lots of dialogue, numerous characters, and many children. It is filled with crude and violent scenes. Watching this foreign movie with subtitles may prove difficult to read as it moves quickly. It's hard to grab everything and yet try to recognize its characters and their stories.
DVD bonus: What is especially important to view is the documentary that takes place in Rio de Janeiro, life on the streets of the drug war. This is a critical view to comprehend the movie you will see.
City of God features excellent cinematography and this movie is always on the top ten list of best in foreign film. See it......Rizzo
Movie Review: City of God - a vicious pursuit for a better life...
Summary: 5 Stars
In the 50s and 60s outside Rio de Janeiro the Brazilian government isolated the poor by building a huge ghetto a distance from Rio de Janeiro. The ghetto turns into a sizeable city that continues to grow as more people are bussed into the poverty of the area. The film pushes a message of where there is poverty there are also dreams of something better. The two common means to achieve these dreams are either hard work or escape of the cruel reality through drugs. The later choice is the common alternative as it is easier to obtain and offers a quick fix to the problem, since hard work that pays enough to escape the ghetto is difficult to find. As the story begins, the audience is introduced to the young boy Buscapé, the narrator, whose brother is a member in a small gang called The Tender Trio. Buscapé tells a tale of the how ideas lead to the quest for the "better something" as The Tender Trio seeks the holy grail through robbery. However, these robberies seems futile as the real money lays with those who control the drugs. As drugs become more accessible the drug dealers begin to control their own territories, and in Buscapé's story the greed for more leads to a bloody path lined with murder and tragedy. Through Buscapé the audience is enlightened about the birth of violence which is related to the drugs and greed in the city called the City of God. City of God is a strong and disturbing film as it depicts young children being victims of the violence or as the actual assailants as the gangs demands the loyalty. In addition, the films message is enhanced by terrific cinematography and a well written story, which is based on true events and individuals. City of God offers a brilliant cinematic experience that will not escape the mind of the audience as it pulls the audience through a painful story that continues to take place in the ghetto outside Rio de Janeiro where one person dies every 30 minutes from violence.Movie Review: Breakthrough in cinematic history.
Summary: 5 Stars
"The slum had been purgatory; now it's hell." This is far from being a hyperbolic proclamation by Rocket, the narrator to Fernando Meirelles's "City of God." The City of God is a slum located in the heart of Rio de Janeiro where survival of the fittest can only be realized when one has the will to annihilate without remorse and engage in drugs without a conscience. Its harrowing streets reigned by malevolent crime lords are nothing short of hell. Only the name says otherwise.Rocket (Alexandre Rodriques) is the narrator of "City of God." Unlike the majority of kids who are on the verge of toting guns, Rocket boasts a photo camera. It is fitting that he is the narrator reporting a true story about the City of God in a journalistic fashion. The cinematography is gritty and the camera direction is always moving with energy. "City of God" is director Fernando Meirelles's first feature film. Before this opportunity, he shot mainly for commercials, which enabled him to have knowledge on filmmaking techniques and tricks. "City of God" is churning with spirit and the audience is never left off the hook, as the audience is the victim to the debacle in the slum.
As the movie ends with the seeming prevailence of the law, there is yet to be a correction done in the slum. Children are still carrying artillery, same crude intentions, with the callous means to do it. That is the true trepidation that sends shiver down the spine. "City of God" is not simply a movie but a wake up call. It is a call for reform. It is not only a movie based on the slum of Rio de Janeiro but on all countries that are stricken by poverty. Like any great movie, "City of God" contains a lesson to be learned.
During the movie, a young lady says to an admirer, "Hood don't stop, they just take a break." Unfortunately, she is correct. At the end of the movie, as we see the children swagger away with guns in their hand, there is a dark foreboding of relentless tragedy.
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