Cinematic Heaven set in Hell

Rating: Null/10 (24 May 2004)

American movies depicting violence have become very formulaic. So much so that the movies are protraying how violence in cinema works, not in real life.
The City of God takes on the true story of a young boy whose must grow up in the notorious but innapropriately named brazillian suburb of the title.
Living in fear of his life, like most people there he gets on with his life. While there is the horror of the suburb there is also the joy of being attracted to a beautiful girl and the hope of a future. American movie makers often concentrate on the hopelessness of the unfortunate rather than recognise any hope.
The way violence is portrayed in the this differs all the time, reflecting the many different circumstances. There is also a complacency to the violence that is more shocking that anything else.
Like Dante's story of the descent into hell, going into the inner circle is ultimately the only way out, first through purgatory and finaly (we hope) heaven.