A gut-wrenching look at Brazilian street crime

Rating: 9/10 (28 July 2011)

City of God shows the evolution (and de-evolution) of Brazilian favelas from the sixties to the eighties. It follows Rocket's turbulent life, and Ze's descent, as well as showing a few other characters and places stories.
A big part of City of God's success is it's style and atmosphere. Actors pulled from the streets, Portuguese dialogue and nearly- on- location filming make City of God a sickening look at urban violence.
The story is incredible. Starting with the main character's older brother's shenanigans in the 60's, we see life around Rocket change with the times. While America thought of Vietnam, Brazil thought of partying and drugs. It's interesting to see a different perspective of the world, and that's certainly a reason this film is so high on the 250. If this was the same film, but about LA gangs, it probably wouldn't be so high.
Technically, the film is great. Swooshing camera-work looks awesome, and the entire apartment scene is amazing. The cinematography of the opening scene is really something.
City of God is a great foreign film that should be seen for its exposition of slum life. It's well paced, perfectly told, and has a satisfying ending. And it's true. 8.8/10