City of God

 

 

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Hello, the blu-ray edition don't have SPANISH subtitles, like you can read at the back cover.

The video quality is regular, you can choose English or French subtitles but can't see the movie without subtitles.

The DTS-MA audio track ir very good.

This movie is excelent, but this blu-ray edition is not.

Regars, Juan

"City of God" ("Cidade de Deus") is the story of a boy, but also the story of a "favela" (Portuguese word with similar meaning to slum or shantytown) on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. That shantytown is called "Cidade de Deus". Throughout this extraordinary movie both the boy and the favela grow, albeit obviously in very different ways :)

The boy is Rocket (Buscap' in Portuguese, played by Alexandre Rodrigues), who is born in Cidade de Deus and grows up before our eyes living in it. He is quiet and easygoing, just a non-violent person seeking a way to survive in a brutal environment. Rocket ends up doing exactly that through his passion, photography, that ends up making him an intermediary between the local gangs and the press. He is also the narrator of this movie, the voice that accompanies us throughout many of the stories that "City of God" has to offer...

The other main character of "City of God" is the "city" itself, that starts merely as a couple of houses, but that grows immensely as years go by. The activities in which its inhabitants are involved also change, from petty robbery to organized crime that involves drug dealing and arms trafficking. We see Li'l Z' (Z' Pequeno in Portuguese, played by Leandro Frimino), one of the boys that used to play soccer with Rocket, grow up to become a murderer and a drug lord, someone that makes his own laws. The same happened with others, but Li'l Z' probably represents to most dangerous kind of sociopath that the favela can produce. Rocket and Li'l Z', same circumstances, different persons, different choices. Who says that where you lives determinates how you are and what you do?. This is an excellent example that that is not always the case...

Directors Fernando Meirelles and K'tia Lund somehow managed to convey in their movie the full strenght of the novel (written by Paulo Lins) on which "City of God" is based. This film is full of colour and energy, carrying the spectator at a dizzying pace through the twenty years it covers, never giving him time to get bored. It is wortwhile to point out that most of the "actors" didn't have any real experience as such, they just happened to live in different slums of Rio de Janeiro (including Cidade de Deus) at the time when the film was being made. I think that is something that shows in the realism of the results...

On the whole, I can say that I loved "City of God", notwithstanding the fact that it is undeniably bloody and has some very violent scenes. In my opinion, they are not gratuitous, because they help the directors to capture what may really happen in a Brazilian shantytown, and show it to us. All in all, this movie is nothing short of an experience worth having and sharing. If you watch "City of God" and love it as much as I do, do your part and recommend it to others :)

Belen Alcat

"City of God" is a masterpiece, quiete simply. I don't know the names of the actors, but they all distribute amazing performances. Lil Zee is probably one of the most terrifying villains in movie history, because you see how he begins his sadistic lifestyle and how it brutally ends. Rocket is a very important role too, because he tells the story. Don't be fooled, "City of God" isn't a gangster flick of an action movie. It's a dramatic portrayal of life in the slums from a different direction. Rocket deals with love, pain, betrayal, denial, and talent(he's a skilled photographer).

The scenes are haunting, but also beautiful in a way. The scenes are realistic. I won't give you the plot because you probably know what it's about if you're looking it up. Even though Lil Zee and Rocket are the two main characters, the supporting characters are very important. Carrot, one of the other druglords, and Benny, Lil Zee's best friend are both really well played performances

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5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Movies Ever
Seriously. Check out the reviews here on Amazon, IMDB (top 20), or wherever they sell this film. That's a masterpiece. And what they show in the movie is real. Read more

Published 20 months ago by Dante Torres

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid Transfer Of A Great Movie
I won't comment about the movie itself, but rather the film transfer & blu-ray presentation by Alliance.... Read more

Published 20 months ago by kyle g.

5.0 out of 5 stars True tragic masterpiece
This true movie will shock all the way trough this rough and blessing story. And show how mean can be the men in theyre path to accomplishement.
Stunning.

Published on Sep 9 2008 by Felix Antoine Coutu

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern day film makers should question their work.
Though filled with dizzying violence and brutality (things I usually frown upon in films) City of God is one of the best films I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. Read more

Published on Sep 5 2004 by Antonio Giusto

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 star movie 5 star bonus documentary
CITY OF GOD does pay off in the end but I think that the bonus documentary has more relevant meaning to it. But the movie is a TOUR DE FORCE of CINEMA no doubt about that. Read more

Published on Aug 7 2004 by H S Marks

5.0 out of 5 stars SIMPLY AMAZING
I thinks its one of the best films I've ever seen. I don't think you will ever see something as amazing as this film. It left me speechless. Read more

Published on July 26 2004 by Vara Kulasingam

5.0 out of 5 stars A Frightening, yet Uplifting Masterpiece
City of God is disturbing. It gave me chills seeing coked up juvenile kids putting bullets through other kids' heads, and a ghetto neighorhood which offers no hope whatsoever to... Read more

Published on July 19 2004 by S. Sommerville

4.0 out of 5 stars Tragic Side Of A Great People
For those who think Rio isn't any worse than the likes of LA or any other US city,watch the DVD extra. Read more

Published on July 16 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars The Documentary Included on the DVD is just as good
This movie is excellent, in every way. What is so good about this DVD is that it comes with a documentary in the special features that is one of the best I've ever seen. Read more

Published on July 14 2004 by Pearse O'Sullivan

5.0 out of 5 stars There are no words.
This is based on a true story, as I understand it.

There are no words for how it made me feel. Sad? Cheated? Triumphant? Mournful?

Maybe wounded is the best word. Read more

Published on July 14 2004 by Kimberly Smith

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