City Of God

[Cosimo]

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0317248/IMAGEM10.jpg

I caught this brilliant epic about 8 months ago in a private screening and i remember thinking that not only was this a great gangster film which rivals Goodfellas but a modern classic .I just re-watched the film and its still as strong,fast brutal and unique as the first time i saw it.Both the acting and direction is very strong and the cinematography is superb.The scene in which the two children have to decide where they would rather be shot,the arm or the leg still leaves an impact.Lil' Ze (Lil'Dice) definitely joins the list of the most evil gangsters of all time and Rocket makes a great hero.City Of God would make my top 10 gangster movies of all time along side (Godfather1/2,Millers Crossing and Scarface) and its possibly the greatest foreign film i have ever seen.

[randythetool]

Unfortunately, College Station, Texas doesn't like good movies, so our one theater here never had "City of God," but I'm going to be all over it the day it's released on DVD.

[ze424]

I recommend it, this movie is really good:cool:

[Fisting Ackbar]

My favorite film of the year (so far). Quite brutal, but sometimes funny and touching, with a spectacular directorial style. Can't wait to see it again and again.

[JoBlo]

Originally posted by Fisting Ackbar
My favorite film of the year (so far). Quite brutal, but sometimes funny and touching, with a spectacular directorial style. Can't wait to see it again and again.

Ditto daddy-o............dit-to!!

[platanero79]

Originally posted by Fisting Ackbar
My favorite film of the year (so far). Quite brutal, but sometimes funny and touching, with a spectacular directorial style. Can't wait to see it again and again.

is it not a last year film that what it said it IMDB.com anyway great film I also recommend it 10/10 wish the dvd was out all ready damn can not wait to see it again

[Fisting Ackbar]

Originally posted by platanero79
is it not a last year film that what it said it IMDB.com

Since it was released in 2003 in the US and in most other countries, I'm counting it for this year.

[flowrchild]

This was definitely one of the best movies I saw in 2002. I just loved it, thought it was brilliant. I will certainly be buying it when it comes to DVD.

9/10

[Reigh Kaufman]

About six months ago I listed this movie as one of the best I had seen in a long time; a statement I have now retracted after watching it again on it's video release. 2I don't know why I don't like it now; something about that second viewing made me realise I had coerced myself into thinking I had enjoyed it more than I had. If I had to offer a suggestion I would say...

The film has no heart. As grim and as brutal and as excellently directed as it was (especially the strobing scenes at the party - when Lil' Dice is nearly executed;and the story of the apartment becoming the central headquarters for Lil' Dice's operation), there is no-one to care about. Even if you can keep up with the amount of people being killed (a problem I have with Black Hawk Down, for example, or even the sublime Band Of Brothers, is that when I lost track of who had just been killed, I stopped caring for any of them), there was no time to feel anything before they were wiped out. The randomness of the violence was shocking, but eventually, when the violence became a litany, I was inured to everyone and anyone's death (even the execution of the little boy) because I EXPECTED it in every scene. When you expect it - regardless of having seen the movie before - then the film has no power.

But that is just my opinion. I gave it a 9/10 originally, but now I give it a fairly strong 6/10.

[CuatroDiablos]

City Of God is an educational movie too cause at that time most of south american countrys were basically going through the same shit.
im south american and i lived through shit like that in da slum that i lived in for bout 7 years until i came to another slum wich wuz Liberty City,Miami
It shows the struggles and reality of the power of the dollar.

[DarkStorm]

I saw this on the recommendation of my professor (Brazilian studies). I rather enjoyed it but I think that for me it may be a one time viewing. I will say this, it was damn good at portraying the favelas

[Deckard]

Finally got my grubby little paws on a copy of this in your face delight.

- Oh my god this is one hard film and brilliant. Paints a very vivid portrait of the Rio De Janiro''s slum underbelly, is beautifully shot with inspired camera choices. The script is raw and works perfectly to evoke realism at every turn. The narrative structure is wonderful much like Amores Perros and the acting all round is completly believable. Believe the critics, This film is must see entertainment that will stay with you .

If you dug this one check out Barbet Schroder's OUR LADY OF THE ASSASSIN which operates on a similar premise and is also very satisfying.

[Slim]

Great movie. I'm tempted to cheat and add this to the list of 2003 releases. When is the damn Region 1 DVD coming out? Bastards!

9/10

[Asokan]

Well, everyone seems to love this one, especially because it has all the style and visual invention of a Scorsese flick (GOODFELLAS, obviously), but I for once was thrilled for the first half and utterly uninterested in the second half, mostly because there are no characters you root for. The protagonist is simply boring, whereas the "evil kids" are fascinating caricatures. The violence, after some time, becomes just another repititive gimmick and you don't care who gets killed when and by whom. It's just pure chaos.

[SAI]

I felt it was very much style over substance. I wasn't bored with it but nor was I particularly excited by it at any point A crashing disappointment, given the notices.

[phelonious]

utterly uninterested in the second half, mostly because there are no characters you root for.

The main character of the film is not a person, it's the slum city.

[Scarface98.9]

I'm eagerly wanting to see it, but I have no idea when the DVD is out, and it doesn't seem like the schmoes do either :(

[Lynn Minmei]

When is this movie gonna be on R1 DVD? We've waited long enough.

[The Rain Dog]

Im dying to see this film - missed it at the cinemas - but its coming out here on dvd soon:D

RD

[melody]

i saw it with my grama whom i suppose was blinking time and time again just as it started. the rooster is evading hunters as lenses focus on leg and foot plus film editing is fast and continuous. every so often it rings me a bell of Edward Scissorhands, cutting greens, iceblock, hair just as easy as filing nails.
:D

[aenima]

City Of God was released on region 4 DVD last week.
i watched the movie last night and i all i can see is wow. this movie is brilliant. i was really suprised of how good the actors were as well.
9/10

[Folco]

It's ok, I guess. Style over substance, indeed. And it doesn't even come close to making any interesting or fresh statement about the violent situation in the slums here in Brazil, or anywhere else, for that matter.

[Tuukka]

I have to strongly disagree about the style over substance argument. Each character arc made a strong moral point in the film, and each character was a multi-layered, complex human being.

I don't think I have seen a film with such strong moral issues and poignant scenes in a very long time. Style over substance? Hell no. Possibly the most important film of the year in terms of substance. Every scene made a point, and every character showed another point of view to the situation in the ghetto.

I sould suspect that some people find the film lacking in substance simply because they don't identify with the characters. I loved all the main characters and I cared for them. They were real and their stories felt real.

It does get a bit repetitive in the 3rd act, but it's still the best film of the year so far.

9/10.

[Hannibal21]

I just saw this for the first time today and it's definitely going in my top 5 of 2003. It really resembles Goodfellas in many, many ways, a South American version of it, but it's power is still the same. At times it was quite difficult to watch, and the violence is stomach turning and brutal, but it really gives an out look at the life of gangs in Rio de Janeiro, and the wars of the gangs demonstrated through the films were very realistic. Lil'Ze was a scary and perfect 'evil' gangster and is definitely the villain of this film; however, I do wish Rocket had a little more screen time, I felt that they didn't give him much to do and I didn't really see him as the hero, but the narration came from him so he is an important part of the story. The direction is simply amazing and Rio de Janeiro is captured in details that really connects all the different characters in the story, and what a story! A story that never gets over melodramatic and boring, but told quite interestingly in such a stylish way that we the audience never get bored by it, and the characters were all unique, and their motivations, actions, and thoughts were all shown clearly throughout the film. All I have to say is.....gorgeous. The film can be described by that word as well.

9/10

[sergiopauloferreira]

i'm glad everybody is enjoying this movie, it makes me proud that we are making not only movies people like, but with quality as well.

for others good movies made in brazil, rent:

central station (stealed by the oscar on foreing film, actress)
four days in september (FF)

[CyclicNightmare]

Originally posted by Reigh Kaufman
About six months ago I listed this movie as one of the best I had seen in a long time; a statement I have now retracted after watching it again on it's video release. 2I don't know why I don't like it now; something about that second viewing made me realise I had coerced myself into thinking I had enjoyed it more than I had. If I had to offer a suggestion I would say...

The film has no heart. As grim and as brutal and as excellently directed as it was (especially the strobing scenes at the party - when Lil' Dice is nearly executed;and the story of the apartment becoming the central headquarters for Lil' Dice's operation), there is no-one to care about. Even if you can keep up with the amount of people being killed (a problem I have with Black Hawk Down, for example, or even the sublime Band Of Brothers, is that when I lost track of who had just been killed, I stopped caring for any of them), there was no time to feel anything before they were wiped out. The randomness of the violence was shocking, but eventually, when the violence became a litany, I was inured to everyone and anyone's death (even the execution of the little boy) because I EXPECTED it in every scene. When you expect it - regardless of having seen the movie before - then the film has no power.

But that is just my opinion. I gave it a 9/10 originally, but now I give it a fairly strong 6/10.
I pretty much agree with everything said here. I found myself wanting to care about these characters, but I didn't. I also felt that it became repetitive near the end. Overall, I wanted to like it more than I did, but I'd still give it a 7 or 8 out of 10.

[willem84]

While the film's editing is amazing, the acting top-notch, the directing incredible and the cinematography superb I was a little dissappointed in the fact that it wasn't, in my opinion, one of the year's ten best. Yes, it is a good film, but to me, not a great one: Not one I can watch over and over again and enjoy. Some of the scenes are very intense, but there are several unescesary scenes (killings of innocent people we don't get to know) that could have been cut out. Yes, that adds to the intensity of the film, but at 2 hours and 10 minutes, I think the point was already made to me. This is definately the best foreign language film I've seen of 2003 so far. Too bad it wasn't nominated, due to pretencious critics in 2002. Well, "Talk to Her" was the best of that year, IMO, but considering this was released theatrically in the US in 2003, it's a 2003 film to me. I liked the fact that the film jumps around and we see part of the last scene first, leading to it's intense finale, but I wish I could have had a bit more structure in areas. I can't place my finger on what is missing but I know ..... something is there.

Overall.

Good Movie.

[sharkstank]

what everybody said. a modern classic, i saw it wenesday by netflix, and it grabbed me by the balls ****

WWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[therealjohng]

I bought the DTS import version a few months ago and watched it the day I got it. And just loved every second of it. This is going to sound cliche, but it reminds me a lot like Goodfellas. In the way it brings you to a world that exsists, but not very many people know much about it. And it's very absorbing in the way that it immerses you in it. Amazing stuff. This should've been up for Best Picture at the Oscars.

[esrefb]

I saw it about 6 months ago. All can I say is, it's a must for movie buffs. Outstanding movie.

[Lindsey]

I finally saw it the other day. I'd been waiting for along time to see it, after reading JoBlo's review. I really enjoyed it! The shock value was very intense, especially when you saw the young boys as killing machines. I did like the visuals, and the unique story telling of the narriator. Absolutely brilliant...9/10.

[JCPhoenix]

Can't believe I've said nothing about it yet. But everyone else sums it up perfectly. A BRILLIANT film...hard to get your hands on though for some reason...

The style maybe extremely flashy, but hey, it worked really well for the film.
10/10

[CoastGuard]

i liked this movie a lot the charecters were kool. but too bad some of the good ones had to die.

[LedFloyd]

I think all can agree that this movie rocks the house. 9/10, second best flick of last year.

[Scarface98.9]

I bought this blindly last month, and really enjoyed it, and was different than what I thought. Very good movie; (8.5/10)

[Mad Maggot]

As many have already said it here, City of God is one of the best movies of 2003. Superb cinematography, directing, acting and sound. It's quite a pity it was never shown on the big screen here, it would've been an amazing experience.

[Gregorious8]

I watched it about a week ago, and it was truly worth the wait. It is my new favorite film from 2003, and I've watched it twice more.

Lil Ze is one wacked out man.

[The Heart Collector]

For the love of god, somebody find me a torrent for this movie. I can't even BUY it, and I've tried to.

EDIT: I bought it.

[The Heart Collector]

That was $30 well spent. That's one of the best movies I've seen in a long, long time. I'll say that I liked the first part better, because it was more lighthearted (relative to the second part, that is), but the 2nd part works better as a portrayal of the reality. I thought the whole thing was brilliant. I liked (and by liked i mean "thought were interesting") many of the characters, particularly Lil'Ze, Benny, and Knockout Ned. The only thing I didn't completely like about the movie was that sometimes things seemed smaller than they probably were. By this I mean that allegedly some characters and things were condensed from the book, and it kinda looks strange how so many characters cross paths so many times (Melonhead, Tiago, Knockout Ned). The whole thing is brilliant, though. There were so many memorable scenes. My favorite scenes were "The story of Lil'Ze", "Benny's farewell" and the scenes that followed with Knockout Ned, and the ending. I thought thematically it was interesting, in the way it showed the cycle of violence and how it's not so much cyclical as just spiralling out of control.

10/10

[Misanthrope]

Maybe is just me but i loved all the villians in this movie. I love it when villians are shown in a human way, hinting at the reasons behind their acts. Ze Pequeño is one of the best villians ive seen up there with Jules in pulp and Frank Booth in Blue Velvet.

[AndrewLargeman]

Originally posted by Fisting Ackbar
My favorite film of the year (so far). Quite brutal, but sometimes funny and touching, with a spectacular directorial style. Can't wait to see it again and again.

Exactly.