High Expectations Fulfilled

Rating: 10/10 (28 January 2004)

I borrowed this film off of one of my friends yesterday, with high expectations having read many reviews complimenting it beyond belief. As he handed it to me i was warned, 'Oh, and by the way its in Brazilian... But there are subtitles'. I stood for a minute wondering if this meant i wasn't going to enjoy it, as his warning sounded exactly as if this meant the film was rubbish. I sat down to watch later on, feeling confused, but high in expectation. I had wanted to see this since it had been released, but it did not come out at my local cinema and i haven't had time to buy it. Five minutes into the film and i felt as if i spoke fluent Brazilian, i no longer realised i was having to read the subtitles, i had become so involved in what was happening on the screen. Great film making tied in with a brilliant story (which is true apparently), and something about managed to set it apart from other gangster movies. Its realism. I felt it happening in reality as i watched it explode on screen. I finished watching it and paused, to think about what i had just seen. I felt completely satisfied. The movie had beaten my expectations by a mile, they had been good... But the film was very good! The Godfather may be the greatest film ever, Goodfellas may be close, and Scarface may be a gangster movie to compete with any other, but City Of God is the best 'gangster' film i have ever seen.