The Brazilian "Goodfellas" ...

Rating: 10/10 (20 February 2014)

The opening of "City of God" is inhabited by a voodoo-like trance, as if the whole spirit of Rio de Janeiro's titular suburbs was translating its turbulent and tortured soul into one of the most thrilling pieces of editing you'll ever see in a film.
A chicken is watching a former friend being prepared for meal, someone cuts a carrot, feet in dirty sandals follow the music, and the poor animal is visibly worried watching in live-action its fate to come. But we don't have time to empathize for there is a quick glimpse on the most emblematic character of the film, "Lil Ze", a sociopath killer, King of the City, who doesn't know yet that his reign is coming to an end. To a certain extent, the chicken mirrors his destiny, a bad omen covered by the frenetic rhythm of the Samba. But as if was applying to itself the city's motto: "If you run, the beast catches; if you stay, the beast eats" the chicken takes its chance and flees from the human beasts.
Meanwhile, 'Rocket' aka Buscape, a honest boy of "City of God", in other words an outcast, finds himself caught between the chicken and Lil' Ze's gang. He turns back and finds the Police behind him. At this time, the cornered Buscape becomes the chicken, living in microcosm what he's always been: someone with a foot in the criminal world and another one in Civilization, with a befitting profession as a photo-reporter. And he's naturally the narrator, embodying his eternal position as someone active enough to plunge us in the deepest roots of "Cidade de Deus" and passive enough to stay a witness, a privileged position for the audience, not quite for him  not when we meet him anyway.
And in one of the most beautiful ellipses, the director Fernando Reilles takes us back to the 60's, where boys are playing football and when the 'Tender Trio' leads all the criminal activities. At that moment, it's impossible not to connect "City of God" with another gangster classic. Actually, if there is one film that definitely established the status of "Goodfellas" as a classic, it is "City of God", also adapted from a novel, a dramatization of real-life events written by Paulo Lins. But in this Brazilian "Goodfellas", the protagonist never wanted to be a gangster, Lil' Ze did but his character borrows more from Joe Pesci's character... and calling him a sociopath is an understatement.
Indeed, Lil' Ze makes his bones by killing the occupants of a brothel. He was the Trio's lookout and they all agreed not to kill anyone. Visibly, Lil' Ze had other projects and his exhilaration while shooting his first bullets becomes the film's defining picture. One of the trio leaves, one is killed by Lil' Ze. The last one tries to leave but the beast taking the form of police officers catches him  whoever lives by the gun, perishes by the gun. We know that, but nonetheless, there's a sort of idleness and anarchy in these 'favelas' that makes the criminal option almost inevitable. We're far from New York streets, this is not the American Dream, this is Brazil, the white bourgeoisie lives the great life, and Black people are stuck with unemployment and poverty.
The temptation of easy money becomes contagious and can even strike the Police. Generally, they don't care much when one of the City dies, and it's only Lil' Ze's outburst against the upper-class that brought their attention. The irony carried by the title is another similarity with "Goodfellas", if there ever is one absent from this city, it is God. We might be in the grandest Catholic country, people have no more faith in God than they have in Law. Gun and violence are the true assets of power and Lil'Ze understands it. He gets rid of his opponents, consolidates his power, and keeps his childhood friend Benny as a partner and adviser. A new decade, a new generation  sex, drugs and Samba.
And for a little while, stability governs the City of God. But the beast never sleeps, it's only taking a break. On his side, Buscape, a wannabe protograph, lives a sweet romance with one of the favela girls, but his incapacity to defend her against the 'Runts', the littlest ones, makes him appear as a weak person, no gangster stuff anyway. So, after the beach incident, the girl loses her interest and falls in love with Benny, the most popular guy around. Later, they want to leave the city to become honest  but a strike of fate reminds us that we can't never leave City of God, as if there was still a sort of moral debt to pay, as if God was still there after all.
The action in "City of God" is fast-paced, the narrative driven by a gallery of unforgettable characters, and with an exciting documentary value to emphasize the social commentary, showing every single detail of the drug-business, gang wars, murders, robberies, rapes, shoot-outs... and naturally, Police corruption. Some scenes are particularly upsetting, the most infamous one shows Lil' Ze assessing his power over the 'Runts' by executing one of them. Some scenes like this are necessary to remind that the first victim of (gang) war is innocence. Meanwhile, Buscape loses his with a journalist and starts as a trainee before we get back to the first scene, culminating with the revenge on the Runts on 'Lil'Ze'.
Buscape is confronted to his first professional dilemma : a picture of cops being bribed or Lil' Ze turned into Swiss cheese, his practical choice highlights the fact that he still knows where he comes from, so better to take some precautions. The ending proves him right with the new generation taking the power. Indeed, as long as there are people, there is hope, and when there's no hope, there'll always be crime.