it is not easy to break away from violence in hell

Rating: 10/10 (13 August 2007)

In the slums of Rio de Janeiro, where the police is either corrupt or absent, the cycle of violence seems without end. Children witness and participate in drugs and crime at an early age. Here it may be harder than anywhere else to choose good over evil, to break away from the violence. The story is told through the eyes, and lens, of Rocket. Through him we see Li'l Ze rise to power, the showdown with the rival gang led by Carrot and Knockout Ned and his demise. This movie has great characters, superbly acted.
There is Li'l Ze, sociopath, who enjoys killing already at an early age. More ruthless than anyone else, he becomes the most powerful drug dealer in the area. However, his ruthless violence backfires almost literally. His power is threatened by Knockout Ned, who joined a rival gang after he kills people dear to him. Finally he is killed a group of small children, with the bullets and guns that he gave to him. Now the circle of violence seems to be complete. Despite his ruthlessness, there are times when Li'l Ze seems vulnerable. The only way for him to get a woman is through violence, and he dies at the hands of some little kids.
Then there is Benny, more easygoing than Li'l Ze who eventually tries to escape the violence, but the violence catches up to him.
There is Knockout Ned, who tries to do good initially. But after Li'l Ze abuses and kills people close to him, he swears on revenge. Slowly he is seduced by violence and starts breaking his own rule not to harm innocent people. He is killed by the child of one of his victims.
Finally, there is Rocket. He tries to stay away from the violence as much as possible. Also he flirts with violence, but his conscience wins every time. With a great deal of luck, he is finally successful in breaking away of the violence.
After seeing this movie you may ask yourself: what causes evil and violence? Are some people born evil? This seems to be the case with Li'l Ze. Do people turn evil because of the circumstances, like Knockout Ned? Does poverty lead to violence? It does seem like one need a lot of luck to break away from violence in a place like this.
This is truly a great movie that no one will easily forgot. The violence, often by young children, is quite disturbing. One of the best movies I ever saw.