of God absolutely fascinating, and also very endearing, but also convincingly acted by groups of young and unknown actors. The stoies are well-told, and at times, funny, and at others, brutally shocking.The cinematic style of the film gives a nod to Tarantino, with some clever time-jumping, freeze-framing, and texts indicating another chapter of the film. In every sense, a bit of a Brazillian "Pulp Fiction" or "Goodfellas", but with its own unique flavour to it.The City of God is a marvel, and a highly recommended film to watch, but not recommended for the over-sensitive or easily distressed.

different paths through life. Rocket's dream is to become a photographer and to escape the City of God while Lil Ze becomes a powerful gang leader and drug dealer.The film offers an unflinching look at gang life in the City of God, as it follows the favela through three decades; the 60's, 70's and 80's, and shows how violence just spirals into more violence with the disturbingly high amounts of violence in the favela, most involving teenagers and children. The direction, cinematography, and editing are all Oscar-worthy. The cinematography is some of the best I have ever seen- with a very visceral, jerky feel, very reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan. The editing is very frantic, which makes you feel like you are on the streets of the City of God, and the direction is flawless, seamlessly blending the many elements of the story.The film was definitely one of the best films I have ever seen. The story, the direction, the cinematography, the editing and the acting all add up to make a excellent movie that I would recommend to all. 10/10, A+Would also recommend: Bus 174 and Carandiru

the same way due to the absolute brutality of their slums where the police do little to interfere with gangs who run it.FYI--there's an excellent and sobering documentary on the Criterion DVD of this movie about the drug problem in Rio in the present day. However, it and the film itself are very intense and bloody so I would not allow kids or even teens to view the film. It's really a shame, as most of the way through the documentary I realized it would be a great thing to show my high school world history class. But, the sight of a room full of naked teens with their penises a-dangling changed my mind!

and/or dirt poor. The story is told through the eyes of Rocket, a young boy who manages to stay on the outer fringe of the gangs, befriending some of the hoods, but not participating. What he discovers he wants to do is become a photojournalist, and begins to take photographs of his neighborhood. When he is in his late teens/early twenties, he goes to work delivering newspapers, when one of his photographs of the slum gang boss is discovered and published without his permission, putting his life in danger, but beginning his professional career.There are so many reasons why 'City of God' is compelling, but besides its stylish and flashy cinematography and brutally realistic script, the pacing of the film is unrelenting. Not one time did I check the clock to see how far along we were in the film, even though I was on a time constraint. From start to finish, Meirelles gives us a solid yet exciting film. Of course, since I had no idea it was based on real events, 'City of God' became that much more intriguing, especially when, during the closing credits we see actual news footage of some of the primary characters, and we can see how closely the film mirrored actual events.With a film like 'City of God' it is nearly impossible to convey why it is an excellent film because it is just seamless and well done in so many ways.All I can do is recommend the film to pretty much anyone who is looking for a good story and a great presentation. See this film. Now. 9/10--Shelly

rampant, and there is a feeling of lawlessness and apathy from the government towards the areas. As Rocket who also serves as narrator in the movie, when need be clearly explains the situation in the opening minutes of the movie: "We came to the city of god hoping to find paradise. Many families were homeless due to flooding, and acts of arson in the slums. The big wigs in government didn't joke around. Homeless? Off to City of God! There was no electricity, paved streets or transportation. But for the rich and powerful, our problems didn't matter. We were too far removed from the picture perfect postcard image of Rio de Janeiro." The directors capture this feeling almost perfectly. Meirelles and Lund take an extremely objective view towards life in the favelas, not playing favorites or trying to draw sympathy for those who live there. The only compassion one feels for the characters is of their human emotions, like Knockout Ned's family being killed, or Rocket losing the girl of his dreams. The main goal of the directors is to report on the conditions and lives of those who live in the favelas, rather than editorialize. There are no scenes of comparison between the favelas and the nice tourist sections of Rio, scenes that would normally be added to draw sympathy from the audience. Based on information known about the favelas, City of God paints an extremely accurate and telling picture of these slums, and even gives greater detail than what they teach in the history books. For example, the story of the runts was interesting and surprising to see that children get caught up in the hood-life so early.Aside from its historical context and importance, City of God is a great piece of cinema. The actors, mostly non-professionals in fact, the only star really is Seu Jorge, a famous Brazilian samba artist who made his acting debut in the movie, and has since gone on to have a minor role in 2004's The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou , are extremely believable as their characters, giving the movie almost a documentary feel. The cinematography is also stellar. Many scenes appear almost washed out, and very vintage with high contrast, creating a gritty visual landscape. The screenplay of City of God itself has also spoken beyond the Portuguese language barrier. The film has a cult status among college students and those in the know. Many see it as the 21st century's first stellar gang-wars type movie, a la Scarface or Goodfellas.Overall, City of God is an amazing movie. It has even had effects beyond the screen, provoking the Brazilian government to make social reforms in the favelas after the public became more aware of the conditions through the movie. It is rare for a film these days to have this sort of far reaching effect. I give it a 9 out of 10, only because I felt like it could have been shortened by about twenty minutes or so..

other words: stylish.Make no mistake: without that stylish look, the film might be too much of a downer. The street kids are interesting but really brutal, so be prepared. I mean, how often do you see 12-year-old killers portrayed on film? The violence, language and drug use are rough in here and what a sad comment on this social problem in Brazil, a country with a huge problem with these street gangs. Overall, a very tough but fascinating film.

gang life. Fernando Meirelles made an amazing movie of an exceptional story. The story is disturbing and chocking. If it wasn't based on true events, this movie wouldn't have been such a big hit either. It's the combination of an objective style, fast filming, a great soundtrack and the chocking story that made "Cidade de Deus" a revolutionary movie.Although the events are tragic, don't expect a melodramatic story. I don't think the purpose of the director was to move us. I think he wants as to be chocked after seeing this movie. Although we are confronted with violence on TV every day when we watch the news, the fact that kids are involved in this kind of gang life is really chocking.Although I really liked this movie, I think it's highly overrated. Personnaly, I don't think it deserves such a high ranking in the Top 250. Nevertheless an excellent movie. 8/10

and understanding. After viewing the movie, it's difficult for me to understand how it received such high ratings. I found this movie no where near the top 100. It has no place among the best. The photography alone should not justify an 8.7. The story was full of holes, and again, it had been told before in hundreds if not thousands of other cultures.