A real life story of terror and heart

Rating: 10/10 (17 September 2004)

Let me begin with a minor rant: The front of the DVD case depicts a guy and a girl sitting on a beach, one kissing the other, and a group of hoodlums standing around, some holding guns, though that really isn't the clearest picture you see. The colors are warm. The tagline is "15 miles away from paradise... one man will do anything to tell the world everything."
The back talks about a young man's passion for photography, that takes him though a rough life just outside of Rio de Janero. There are, again, some nice pictures of women and our main character with a camera.
Whoever was in charge of marketing this movie ought to be fired. The DVD case and plot summary, while similar to some plot points, are wholly inaccurate compared to what the movie contained.
That's not to say it was a disappointing flick, however. The movie was amazingly brilliant. I would almost classify it as a war movie, though unlike "Blackhawk Down" and "Saving Private Ryan" this movie is not about national wars, but rather gang wars. Also, unlike the aforementioned duo, this movie isn't boring as all heck.
It's amazing to see the acting that comes out of these kids. They're completely unknown, un-Oscar-fied, but they emote better than Halle Berry could ever dream. There are times when your heart really goes out to the terror that they are feeling, while simultaneously committing the same atrocities to those around them. The storytelling is sophisticated in a "Pulp Fiction" kind of manner, showing you the "end" before the beginning. The film making techniques are modern and professional. There is tension, there is sympathy, there is the viewer rooting for the hero (though hardly seen throughout the movie) against impossible odds.
All this, and it's based on a true story. Who knows how truly accurate the story is to the real life counterpart, but it terrifies me more than "Blackhawk Down" or even gore-fests like "Dawn of the Dead" ever could. Simultaneously, it shows a lot of promise in the world when these actors with so much talent and heart have come from the very place this film is about.
The movie does kind of feel like it's dragging on (though it's only a dime over two hours), but when I think back, pretty much every detail was necessary.
So, whether or not you think you can take the casual violence, this movie will chill you. I would highly recommend this to everybody.
5 little dice out of 5