...

Rating: 10/10 (2 August 2008)

Well, I've been wanting to see this for a long time, and it did not disappoint - to put it lightly. Gritty, snappy, charismatic and even beautiful, this movie hits you, the viewer, in all the right places. Indeed, this is based on a real story, and it is also in Spanish with subtitles, but all that just serves to the purpose of assuring that City of God is as realistic and jarring as possible.
This film doesn't sugar coat things and it doesn't make them out to be more gruesome than they actually are; it's just an extremely well written and performed film relying solely on the strength of the writing and the direction, and every single camera shot counts, with a good many of them that will remain in your head long after the credits roll. The acting, the dialogue, the pacing, the narration, it all just works so damned well that City of God ends up as one of the most memorable and affecting movies you'll ever see, sending you spiraling through a torrent of emotions that ultimately climaxes in one of triumph and closure. Forget all my usual banter about how you should see movies if you like good film-making, just see City of God before you die. Absolutely essential.