Brazilian "Goodfellas"; The kids are not alright ; excellent!

Rating: Null/10 (5 March 2003)

CITY OF GOD (2002) **** Matheus Nachtergaele, Seu Jorge, Alexandre Rodrigues, Leanro Firmino da Hora, Philippe Haagensen, Johnathan Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Roberta Rodriguez Silvia, Alice Braga . Absorbing and compelling tale of young Brazilian boys who grow into gangsters/drug dealers and other dregs of society in the ghettos of Rio de Janeiro circa the late 1960s/1970s era that focuses on one attempting to leave his dead end environs by becoming a photojournalist and for pure survival at all costs. Astonishing in its matter-of-fact violent bluntness that sends a shock to the senses to see pre-adolescents brandishing all sorts of weapons and killing for the fun of it; rampant anarchy peppered with moments of innocence. Filmmakers Katia Lund and Fernando Meirelles transcend the feel of a docudrama's trappings in their adaptation of Paulo Lin's true-life account of the mean streets of Brazil with a decidedly improvisatory screenplay adaptation by Braulio Mantovani. Kudos to the inventive cinematography by Cesar Charlone and energetic editing by Daniel Rezende that owe much to Scorsese, Tarantino, and PT Anderson for its storytelling through flashback cuts , title cards, character intros, and overall mise en scene yet has a unique, original feel altogether as well. A truly excellent piece of dramatic filmmaking.