Violence and Art (minimal spoiler)

Rating: 8/10 (23 January 2005)

The artistry in this movie is colorful, as is the graphic violence. One must wonder in this day and age where art ends and pure visceral contrivance begins. Yet another "based" on a true story films, this movie paints the day to day violence of the 1960-80's slums of Rio DE Janeiro with a eclectic yet predictable color: red. By the end of the movie you are grateful our hero has escaped the pains of his upbringing, but you may be unsure you needed to relive it along side of him. -An artfully crafted film, the director takes us through a series of flashbacks, ending the film from where we began. This of course has been done before, and although I like the directors method of composition, in several sections we actually watch a couple of segments through twice over. Gentlemen, this is not a good date movie.