A masterpiece of foreign cinema.

Rating: 10/10 (13 March 2008)

Foreign cinema is not new at making great films. Akira Kurosawa, Jean Luc-Godard, and many others have all made films that stand the test of time as well as any American classic. For the Brazilian cinema, City of God is that film. It is a perfect blend of three separate stories that all come together in the end. Telling the tale of how the main gangs in the City of God came to be, the film superbly balances the subject material of each story, never giving one more than the other. The screenplay is terrific; it never falters or sags and continuously keeps us guessing what will happen next. The acting is very good, a surprise since virtually none of the cast had ever acted before in a film. The real treasure of the film, though, is the visual style. The directing is superb with an incredible blend of hand-held, dolly shots, and track shots among others. The cinematography as well perfectly captures the gritty street life with excellent lighting and sets. Overall, the film is a cinematic wonder. It is quite possibly one of the best films of the decade and certainly one of the best foreign films in quite a while.