authentic depictions of hard life in brazil 2-3 decades ago.

Rating: 9/10 (19 January 2003)

Let me first say that I had to wait literally about 6 hours to see this film. All shows in New York city were sold out saturday night opening weekend. But the wait was well worth it. If you've never been to brazil and often found yourself dreaming of a visit, watching the City of God will definitely ticket you there. Seeing this film will bring out emotions of fear, terror, and pity. However, the story also considers and explores a culture of jubilee and sensitivity.
The story is told and labeled in parts much like Tarantino's "pulp". And it also adopts a sort of "matrix" approach to one or two scenes. But somehow it worked. All the characters, feud's, and details are discovered thru this method.
Visually the film is excellent. From the trees in the woods to the narrow streets of the slums. Directors Kátia Lund and Fernando Meirelles along with writers Paulo Lins (novel) and Bráulio Mantovani (screenplay), deserve all the respect for bringing out the validity of this true story. Even though it may be below 20°F here in the winter north, watching the sunny hot climate in "city of god" will make you feel adjusted quickly.
Appealing to the script is the irony in how young men cross paths years later, having taken or coming from different paths in life. Many other characters in the film are also the subject of a cause-and-effect theory. It teaches to us that violence, whether for revenge, honor, respect, power, or wealth, never truly results in happiness.
Pay the City of God a visit, it will not fail to entertain and satisfy your appetite for a great movie experience.
Ove aka Magnate