GREAT FILM!!! ****

Rating: Null/10 (11 June 2004)

*-Catch it on TV **-Worth a Rental ***-Buy it Used ****-Worthy of a Blind Buy
Right off the bat I am going to give this film ****. I had been waiting to see City of God for a while and now that I finally have I really enjoyed it. This film was well made on so many levels. It is definitely worthy of a blind buy and in the following review I am going to do my best to let you all know why.
City of God is about life in a slum called (you guessed it) the City of God in Rio De Jeniero, Brazil. It tells the history of gang presence in the slum with amazing pace. What is most notable about this film is that the story is told by probably the only neutral character in the slum. Rocket is an aspiring photographer who is the only innocent person we really meet in the City of God. He tells the story of Lil Ze's rise to the rank of boss of the slum while taking the time to familiarize himself with the audience. While in some ways Lil Ze's monopolization of the City of God has a positive effect on the slum's impoverished residents, it eventually leads the slum from bad to worse.
There are a few subplots that stray away from Lil Ze's struggle to gain power. Some of the subplots involve Rocket as he works to become a photographer, his brief and comical brush with crime, and his neverending struggle to lose his virginity. All of these tie in nicely with the story and the audience never feels that they do not belong in the film.

City of God has a very documentary feel to it which makes it seem authentic. Actually, if I am not mistaken, the film was based on true events, which is a frightening thought. The film is quite violent too. However, it is not the violence that stays with you after watching it. It is the fact that many of the people shooting at and killing others are just kids. In the film, there are small children who, as one put it, "smoke, snort, kill, and rob." This makes them feel like men. This is quite disturbing as the children look as if they are no where near their tenth birthday, and many of them will never see theirs. City of God utilizes this to leave a profound effect on the audience long after the movie is overwith, which is why I felt compelled to give this film ****. I was prepared to buy it without seeing it and am now going to make it the next film to grace my dvd collection.