Jolting, epic and powerful (***1/2)

Rating: 9/10 (20 October 2003)

The City Of God is a housing project in Brazil just outside of lush Rio de Janeiro that, to put it plainly, makes South Central L.A. look like a walk in the park. Drugs and guns are a fact of life, dead bodies lie in the streets and kids barely into their double-digits carry machine guns.
The film spans several years in the life of Rocket (played as an adult by Alexandre Rodrigues), a decent kid who first watched his older brothers' gang, the "Tender Trio", meet with unfortunate ends. Now, as a young adult, he tries to stay out of trouble but is unsure how long he can do that and still get by.
This is a jolting, visceral movie ("raw" doesn't even seem to do it justice). The camera-work is mostly shaky and hand-held, and it looks so much like a documentary at times that it's hard to remember that what we're seeing isn't real. One scene in particular, in which a kid who couldn't be older than 12 is initiated into a gang by being forced to shoot a terrified, crying, even younger child is one of the most horrifying scenes I've ever seen.
Yet one of the most amazing things about "City Of God" is that despite nightmarish scenes like that one, it's actually an enjoyable film.

To be sure, it is still a brutally realistic descent into hell, but it's one with several interesting (and in some cases, even likable) characters, dramatically satisfying plotlines, and even some warmth and humor outside all the blood and death.