City of "Awesome"!

Rating: 9/10 (8 October 2009)

Foreign Cinema at its best! This movie is so strong, so hard hitting, it's able to leave a very strong mark in your memory, which is the best compliment for any movie. Cidade De Deus was on my list for a very long time, but it takes me a lot of time before I brace myself to start a movie with subtitles, but I'm glad I finally saw it! Based on a true story, set in Brazil, movie covers every essence of a "Drug movie", violence, sex, blood, and the extra topping in this one, Children Gangsters. If you thought you saw it all about Children holding guns in Blood Diamond then watch this, it'll definitely prove you wrong. With all the bloodshed and gore, movie does have some really heart wrenching moments as well. The cinematography of this movie took me aback! Especially while introducing new characters, and adding extra angle to the story, brilliant! Same goes out for the performances by every single character in the movie. The only glitch was the movie feels a lil dragged and I was starting to feel the movie is overrated, but just as you start to feel that, BOOM, it picks up the pace! Look out for the kid who portrays young Lil' Dice, one of the finest performances by a child artist I've ever come across. This is a must watch for everyone, especially for those who thought Slumdog Millionaire was the best movie to be shot in slums. Time to discover underbelly of Brazil, real dark!