Realistic!

Rating: 2/10 (26 February 2010)

City of god or also known as Cidade De Deus seemed to me like a boring, overlong, not worth watching kind of movie but surprisingly I actually enjoyed the film for its realism. The setting for the film is gritty and painful, in a way, if you look at it from a different perspective. IT seemed desolate yet full of life as well. It is not my favorite film nor is it my worst but somewhere in the middle because it is slow at times and gets really exciting when the story takes a new turn or when a new character is introduced. The narration made the film for what it is and it was really needed because without it it would have seemed like a waste of time but, thankfully, it didn't reach that. The film explores violence, innocence, and sexuality so some would not like it e.g. old people. Sorry! Had to say that. It is just that they are frightened so easily and are so fragile with the exception of Clint Eastwood. The film also made me realize that Rio de Janeiro was different and more psycho than it is now. Guns are now festivals being held in the street. It also made me realize what gangsters and gangster-wannabes would to in order to cause havoc and chaos along with making kids and people lose their innocence. The part where they shoot the kids on their legs and hands was gruesome and disturbing but what was even more disturbing was that a 12 year old kid had to finish one of them off. So sad and honest! The film does not hold back it's violence because if they did the film would have less of an impact on me and some other views. Fernando Meirelles was a great director and the City Of God is without a doubt his best work so far. His great sense of direction and casting made this film work for me and it didn't disappoint. But of course he wasn't perfect and I felt that some scenes were unnecessary and could have been done without plus it would have made the film shorter and sweeter. Who hates nothing more than a slow boring movie that has no point? The great acting from Alexandre Rodriguez was enough to make him the star of the show. Phellipe Haagensen was second so don't you worry about.................anything!?
Cidade de Deus (City of God) is a housing project built in the 1960's that--in the early 80's--became one of the most dangerous places in Rio de Janeiro. The tale tells the stories of many characters whose lives sometimes intersect. However, all is seen through the eyes of a singular narrator: Buscapé, a poor black youth too frail and scared to become an outlaw but also too smart to be content with underpaid, menial jobs. He grows up in a very violent environment. The odds are all against him. But Buscapé soon discovers that he can see reality differently than others. His redemption is that he's been given an artist's point of view as a keen-eyed photographer. As Buscapé is not the real protagonist of the film--only the narrator--he is not the one who makes the decisions that will determine the sequence of events. Nevertheless, not only his life is attached to what happens in the story, but it is also through Buscapé's perspective of life that one can understand the complicated layers and humanity of a world, apparently condemned to endless violence
My favorite scenes were: When the group robbed the hotel and the little kid later brutally murdered everyone in it. My other favorite scene was..........ummm......let me think........I know! The part where the gang run after a chicken through the streets because it provided amusement and laughter. One other good scene was the little gang full of three year olds have enough of Lil Ze's b*llshit so they murder him by shooting bullets all over his body! The film is enjoyable but it will not appeal to everyone for its slowness and a lack of captivity. Pretty good so go on and try it! 7/10!