Riveting Docudrama on youth crime in South America

Rating: 8/10 (15 December 2005)

I had never heard of "City of God' until two years after it's release. It's a masterpiece. This is definitely excellent film making. The story is very well told and explained about youth gang wars in Brazil. This movie is based entirely on fact and doesn't sugar coat any of the grisly or horrific details. It's fascinating to see that this was seen and filmed through the eyes of one who wanted to go straight laced and avoid being drawn by the gang wars lair. These kids are practically all teenagers from 16 to 19 years of age. They are armed, street wise, crime savvy and drug addicts. The narrative is quite clear without ever getting abundant. Some scenes are done in the hyper fast forward motion to illustrate a typical day for these kids whether discussing drugs in the slums, having sex, or getting shot and beaten. This movie is like the South American version of "Boyz in the Hood", only better and more true.