Goodfellas of the Barrio

Rating: 9/10 (17 October 2016)

City of God (2002) ﻿﻿ is a film ﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿directed by Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund. Main actors include Alexandre Rodrigues (Rocket), Leandro Firmino ﻿﻿﻿(Ze), and Philipe Haagensen (Benny).
***SPOILERS AHEAD*** First and foremost when the movie starts off, I completely wasn't expecting this thrilling, "Goodfellas"-esque crime drama, with a dash of a coming of age tale thrown into the mix. The intertwining stories of all the characters and the way it is put together keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way until the end when you find out that it in fact it is a true story. The way the movie was shot was incredible for a few reasons. First, the camera work by cinematographer Cesar Charlone was excellent using hand-held shots for majority of the movie added the intense feeling the film is trying to capture in the Rio De Janeiro barrio. Charlone uses angles throughout the film as well to show people who are in positions of power during that part of the film. Second was the combination of film styles to create a unique and rich film with many aspects in it to keep you enthralled. There's the coming of age tale as Rocket tries so hard to find his way out of the life of a "hood" and leave the City of God and lose his virginity. As he is experiencing that, he is dealing with death, drugs, and organized crime swirling all around him that he is desperately trying to find his way out of. Ironically being in the middle of it all is what gets him out of it in the end, giving the paper he works for a unique aspect into the war that eventually comes to a fever pitch at the end of the film. From not knowing what to expect to being enthralled in a movie's characters, story, and film style, was something that hasn't happened to me in a very long time. 4.5/5 Stars. Great movie and recommend to anyone who's looking to be enthralled in a movie for a couple hours.