Once upon a time in Rio

Rating: 10/10 (13 January 2003)

I'm not sure why this fim is compared with Goodfellas - it is a somewhat better film than that. The true comparsion is with the more epic films.
Most directors have the ability to tell a story by jumping around in time, but in each period we visit the viewer gets the chance to live with the characters, and this makes the film exceptional. Only when you understand a characters circumstances does his full story get revealed. This intelligent build up never leaves you wondering. And yet the cast of chacaters is large and varied. No one is just a cipher.
This is the story of a young man growing up, so some of the characters, especially women, reflect teenage frustrations. Gang violence is shown for what it is - a foolish and terminal lifestyle for those with few choices or homicidal tendencies.