City of God
City of God
R | 17 January 2003 (USA)
City of God Trailers

In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.

Reviews
Bardlerx Strictly average movie
2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!
FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Tyreece Hulme One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.
thomasjay-52277 Such a hyper stylised film might be a turn off for some but personally the breakneck pace of the film is amazing in telling such a detailed story and also keeping things light hearted in what's quite frankly a bleak existence for our protagonist 'Rocket'. An extremely enjoyable film the twist of sorts at the end is very pleasant
intuospost Amazing to have been part of the post-production of this work of art made 100% in Brazil! Divisor of Waters of Brazilian Cinema!
mitsubishizero As someone who loves movies (especially foreign movies) I thought this movie was well directed and well acted (especially when the actors were told to improvise sometimes). I remember watching this movie twice when I was ( and still am) interested in learning Brazilian Portuguese. It's a gritty tale yet one that still has hope. One thing I thought was a little weird was how some of the names were changed in the subtitles. All in all this movie stands the test of time.
lecirquestudio Many consider a movie outstanding just because it shows tragic poverty and violence. Subconsciously, people feel "politically correct" for liking it. Praise becomes a form of self- elevation, whilst the mere, unnecessary styling offends the topic's intrinsic seriousness. The ideological showcase overcomes an honest presentation. Mixing tragic elements to create a shocking, poignant movie is easy. But somehow the whole thing becomes a farce too pretentious to be positively assessed. An unpunished, 10 year old killer runs around, kills everyone and then bursts into evil laughs. The horrifying situation exists in reality. But a film approach ought to be different. This film has been sold as a kind of triumph of the human spirit, yet it's no more than a typical mobster movie sited at Jacarepaguá. Scene after scene, someone is killed and the deaths have the same depth or significance of a video game. The protagonist does nothing to improve himself. He is a social victim, period. He features the moral character of a robot. And banditry, to the Brazilians' 'delight,' recruits untouchable children as hoods. A Guy Ritchie-like gang plot has its moments of shock: non stop bloodbaths & revolting human filth. For those fond of Grand Guignol, this is a perfect movie. Horrible and cheap in all aspects, including pain and suffering. Simply pathetic, filmed as an elegant commercial edited with rather annoying camera movements. City of God was just another product from the Third World that dazzled the radical chic community of the First World.