Kids With Guns

Rating: 8/10 (1 March 2004)

'City Of God' is not an easy film to watch, nor is it an easy film to like. Were it not for the stark reality that permeates most of the production, this could have been a modern zombie flick. None of the characters in this movie are really alive anyway. They're the walking dead, living each moment with the threat of death knocking holes in their front door. The actors do the best they can with powerful material that offers them no real hope. As I said, zombie flick.
After 2002's searing documentary, 'Bowling For Columbine', it seems a little ghoulish to see a movie filled to the brim with shots of kids with guns. And they use their guns oh so casually, killing at will. It's not easy to make a viewer immune to the sight of a child brandishing a gun, let alone firing it, let alone shooting it at people. Repeatedly. After a while, I wasn't appalled anymore. 'City Of God' is relentless in its offhand violence, proving once again that ghetto conditions breed desperation and murder. Perhaps that's truthful. In fact, I have no doubt that this movie is bang-on.
That's the rub. For every moment of authenticity, there's one of over-the-top brutality. Is it over the top, however, if it's trying to be factual? I'm not sure. See, I can't say I liked this film, but the energy and raw power brought forth is admirable. Certain audiences should see it (not children, not the weak-stomached), but they need to be forewarned of how rough things get. Director Fernando Meirelles puts the camera literally into the action (think 'Saving Private Ryan' in Brazil) and doesn't allow you to view the horrors from a safe distance.
So why am I reserved about this film? Violence in movies doesn't usually bother me. Maybe it's that I found it difficult to relate to the characters. I have never experienced the squalor or pain they experience on a daily basis. And---I have to be honest---I had a hard time keeping everybody straight. Once the film gets going and it settles into the '70s time frame after jumping around a lot, that problem goes away. Still, I was supposed to be engaged from minute one and it took a little longer for me to get warmed up.
The young, unknown cast is solid. They're not good enough to be etched in my memory, although Alice Braga (as Angelica) is one of the most beautiful girls I've seen in years. Since the actors are portraying biographical characters, they're already limited in what they can do. Meirelles rings genuine emotions from the legions of kids in this picture, who probably had a blast pretending to be a kill-crazy street gang.
I think I'd get into the story and the characters more with a second viewing. But is it worth seeing again? Perhaps. I'd probably never enjoy it, though. There's something cynical going on here, a gloomier resolution than what's in similar subject matter (such as 'Boyz N The Hood'). That film is a tragedy, this one is a tragedy of such extreme proportions that you know nothing can save the people---especially the innocent---in the city of God. Judging by how popular the movie is with audiences worldwide, I'm in the minority here. All I can hope for is that this film illuminates this gangland mentality that we see in all downtrodden cities. If the film helps to correct that issue, it will indeed have served a valuable purpose. I recommend 'City Of God', just not very strongly.