City of God (2002-03) - Brazilian translation: Cidade de Deus

Rating: 10/10 (9 September 2011)

"City of God" (Cidade de Deus) is a foreign film that takes place in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. The story follows an underworld tale of organized crime in the City of God suburb, which involves criminals and drug dealers. I personally thought that the movie was rather excellent. The movie was provided by an excellent director named Fernando Meirelles, and he used a lot of charm to the movie. I also enjoyed the use of cinematography, film editing, transitions, and music. To show an example, the use of editing and transitions can play back a character's story, or in other words, the story goes back and forth to talk about a particular character. Also, the cinematography was used to draw the audience's attention with all the zooms, pans, and wides, putting us in the middle of everything. Finally, the acting provided by unprofessional actors was brilliant in every way, bringing tons of heart and drama into the characters. To me, I think of foreign movies are pieces of entertainment in a different country, which is still fun to watch. When I heard about the movie, I had no idea that it was actually a foreign film, but since I know now, I respected the movie for what it was. The overall look of the movie was brilliantly organized, and it made the audience feel like they are walking the streets of the City of God. How awesome is that? "City of God", in my review, "a sudden miracle of a movie, with a piece of dynamite entertainment."