R for repetitive

Rating: Null/10 (5 March 2003)

I'll admit up front that "City of God" is technically stylish and innovative filmmaking. But as storytelling, it leaves a great deal to be desired. And talk about violent! After two hours, I felt as if I had watched a year of American television. I lost track of the shots fired and the bodies piling up. I suppose "City of God" is meant to be a shocking commentary on the state of Brazilian society, but I very quickly stopped caring about any of the characters or what happened to them. If the film had been less scattered and more focused, and if it had been less cynical and more hopeful, I might have sat up and paid attention. As it is, I spent much of the film either wishing it was over, or sleeping through it. (Mind you, I'm probably the only person who ever slept through the D-Day sequence of "Saving Private Ryan". But that's another story.)
I came out of the cinema thinking of various alternative titles for the film. Here's a few to give you an idea of my state of mind:
Gods and Mobsters Brazil .66 Nobody Gets Out Alive (apologies to Jim Morrison) Boys from Brazil in the 'Hood
You get my drift ... I rate "City of God" R for repetitive.