City of God (2002)

I rarely watch any film in a foreign language cause, well..its fucking hard to find those kind of movies. I can purely say right now that I'm missing out on a lot of the good stuff. Two words describe City of God; pure brilliance. It was a thrill to watch it from start to finish with a superb narative storyline, characters that you feel for and the visual style as well as the cinematography of the film. The film is mainly about the Cidade de Deus (City of God) in Rio; which was constructed by the government which was basically a slum for the poor, and the denizens who live within its spaces. Although the main character seems to be Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) as the narrator, the main focus is on the gang life, violence and drug abuse that skim the surface of the City of God. Rocket acts as the narrator depicting the many stories that surround the city and could be described as being in the middle of everything. The story encompasses two decades starting with the 60's and ending in the 80's.

Rocket caught between the Lil Ze's gang and the police

Rocket acts as the catalyst surrounded by violence but choosing not to walk down that path. Rocket has the dream to be a photographer and what better way to start then with taking the pictures that set the city in motion. The narrative begins with Rocket as a young boy telling the story of 'The Tender Trio' a group of hoodlums comprising of Shaggy, Clipper and Goose (Rocket's brother). This story later sets off the development for Lil Dice who will grow up to be Lil Ze (Leandro Firmino da Hora); a big shot drug dealer in the City of God.

Lil Ze in his early years. Ain't he adorable?

Lil Ze with the gun in his adulthood
The Tender Trio (from left: Goose, Shaggy and Clipper)

The Tender Trio are disbanded right after a motel heist leaving the stage set. Lil Ze having started from scratch takes down all the rival drug dealers along with best friend Benny (Phillipe Haagensen) leaving only Carrot who happens to be Benny's friend. Benny beside Lil Ze acts as the calm side of Lil Ze holding Lil Ze whenever he loses his cool. Everything spirals out of control in the City of God when Lil Ze finds himself in the path of vengeance in the name of Knockout Ned (Seu Jorge) who wages war with Lil Ze after the latter rapes his girlfriend and kills a bit of the family. Rocket's career gets a boost in the line of the war where he takes a bit of pictures for the local newspaper. There is a very smooth flow to the plot as everything taking place is explained in vivid detail pausing somewhat for a backstory of some like the for example the scene where Rocket goes off to buy a joint from Blackie and Lil Ze pays an unexpected visit. The scene freezes and first tells, 'The Story of the Apartment' explaining how Blackie got the apartment from Carrot who got it from Big Boy who got it from somebody else. The scene plays again with Lil Ze barging in. This time Rocket narrates the, 'Story of Lil Dice' explaining how Lil Dice grew up to be Lil Ze and how he took down all the other rival drug dealers. Its moments like these that truly make this film such a joy to watch.

Benny; also known as the coolest hood in the City of God

The film moves with a lot of speed leaving no boring bits and always on the move detailing the amount of life within the walls of this forgotten city. It depicts the life of crime as something that is forced upon these individuals who start off young and end up losing themselves. The film also has its share of disturbing scenes. One where Lil Ze catches up to the Runts (a gang of young children) for robbing shops in his turf. He then catches two of the Runts who are then asked if they want to be shot in the hand or foot. Lil Ze shoots both of the Runts in the feet and then hands over the gun to a small boy in his gang asking him to choose which one to kill as a form of initiation. The two Runts are crying their tears out. The small boy puts up the gun and shoots one of them. Director Fernando Meirelles serves up a film that contains scenes that keep you at the edge of your seat begging for more. The despair within the film is deafening as it never ends. The violence never stops and there is no way out. Thats the message of the film. A tale of how hardcore the slums are. And to top it all of, the film is based on true events.The choice is his..

Overall, I give City of God a 10/10. I'll definitely be putting this into my Top 30.