Like Menace II Society on speed

Rating: 10/10 (31 May 2003)

This movie is definitely one of the best movies I have seen in the past years. Set in a ghetto suburb of Rio, it takes most of its quality from its unprecedented authenticity. I'm sure you all read the usual blubbering of the movie being shot (ha! the pun!) with amateur actors, so I'm gonna skip that.
However, the acting is great - even the smallest children deliver a performance that would put most Hollywood "actors" to shame (if you have seen the movie, you will probably know which scene I'm referring to). The time shifts are a bit complicated at first, but after a while you can easily follow the storyline. Some flash back scenes show details about each character's past to put some more depths into the protagonists.
The only minor drawback is that the movie is originally in Portuguese, which I do not speak - and I guess most of the American/European viewers (except the Portuguese) don't either. So I had to contend with subtitles, and am probably missing most of the dialogue.
All in all, this movie earns a solid 9/10. This is definitely a "must" - but don't watch it if you're out to be entertained.