A kid? I smoke, I snort. I've killed and robbed. I'm a man.

Rating: 9/10 (5 November 2013)

I don't know why I have not seen this film until now. But, it is very timely as the World Cup and Olympics are coming to Barazil very soon, and I well imagine that many people wonder if things have really changed in the last 50 years.
Fernando Meirelles gives us a fast-paced, highly visual view of the drug gangs in Rio. The film has been compared to Goodfellas, and the comparison is accurate, in my opinion.
Life is cheap, and power is temporary. But there is some hope amid the carnage, and some great characters like Benny (Phelipe Haagensen), Knockout Ned (Seu Jorge), and Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues), the narrator.
It is another picture of what happens when the 1% get all the protection and services, leaving everyone else to fend for themselves. It is only when a gang war erupts that the politicians, and, of course, the police take notice.
At least Rocket got out.