Entertaining, nothing more

Rating: 4/10 (13 September 2005)

I just watched this one and I just sat there watching 130 minutes of kids playing Indian vs. Cowboy with real guns. I did not get a single thread of emotional bonding with the characters or any of the events. This belittles all of what happens in the movie and even manages to reduce the most dramatic scene of the movie(initiation of a new member into the gang) to nothing more then one more kid shooting a gun.
The story is sad but nothing original. Rise and Fall of gangsters, rivalry over territory and someone who managed to stay sane amidst all this. Kudo's for some of the camera work and directing but thats about it.
Oh and please will somebody tell Meirelles that guns actually have recoils and not just say bang and flash a bright light. The scene of Ze returning to the brothel to 'have some fun' almost made me laugh if I wasn't crying for the pathetic efforts of gun-effects.