Welcome to the Brazilian Ghetto

Rating: 8/10 (6 May 2006)

Loosely based on real events and set in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, City of God has a lot in common in the scarcely believable 'Scarface'. It too traces the rise of a psychotic coke lord and has its share of drugs, guns, gang warfare, horrifying violence, sex, memorable characters, more guns, some sociological points that don't have to be concentrated on too hard to grasp, and more drugs. Ultimately City of God is more exciting than Scarface, more colourful and ultimately more brutal and depressing. Not least because the killers in this film are very young-as often as not, just children. And it is all the more chilling because many of the kids are played by non professionals from the poorer parts of Rio. The narrator is Rocket, who is growing up in Cidade de Deus, a sink estate on the edge of Rio, a place where baiting the police is a way of life, every child is destined to be a thug and making it past 18 years old is a real bonus. The toughest kid in Rockets neighbourhood is Little Ze and, as they reach their teens, Ze embarks on a reign of terror when his killer instinct helps coke them over from grass as one of the few commodities Rio's poor can sell its rich. City Of God's chief success is in pulling off a crucial balancing act. It manages to survey a world that is wild and thrilling and full of great music and good parties, but never lets up on the fact that it's also a death trap where eight year olds tout semi-automatics and friendship counts for nothing. A lot more than a cheap holiday in someone else's misery. Anyone who ever chanced to watch MTV's cribs or Hello magazine's At Home With The Stars kind of stuff-will have noticed that all rappers, nu-metallers and pop punks feel obliged to own the DVD of Scarface blood soaked tale of guns and coke dealing and claim that its the best movie of the sort ever made. Maybe, just maybe, some of them will find shelf space for City OF God.