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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Modern day film makers should question their work., Sep 5 2004
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. The violence and brutality is necessary in this film in order for the story to be told the way it was intended to. This film is a true depiction of an impoverished community where there are very few legitimate ways out and also very little value placed on human life. In the tradition of films like Francesco Rosi's "Salvatore Giuliano", City of God takes a true story and tells it with realistic acting and visionary film-making. After watching City Of God modern day film makers should really question their work and decide if they're really putting their talents to use for the better of humankind. It's about time film makers stopped entertaining and started to educate the viewer on injustices in this world. Hold off 300 million dollar productions of fantasy films and show the world some things that really need to be changed. City Of God is not just a film, it's stunning portrayal of corruption, greed, and how desperation in poverty can lead to senseless violence. It achieves something way more powerful than just being labeled as "a work of art." What could that be you ask? Watch for yourself and see.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Seeking to survive in a brutal environment..., Jan 10 2007
"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 Ktia 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
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quick Possibly One of The Greatest Films I've Ever Seen, July 10 2004
"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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