City of God
starring: Alexandre Rodrigues, Matheus Nachtergaele, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva
directed by: Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund
directed by: Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund
Price: $14.99
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Product Description:
A PHOTOGRAPHER NAMED BUSCAPE NARRATES SHORT STORIES OF HIS YOUTH GROWING UP IN ONE OF THE MOST CRIME RIDDEN AREAS OF RIO DE JANEIRO. THE FILM INTRODUCES MANY CHARACTERS INCLUDING A BOYHOOD FRIEND ON A PATH TO BECOMING A DRUG DEALER IN ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS AREAS FROM THE LATE '60S TO THE EARLY '80S.
Amazon.com:
Like cinematic dynamite, City of God lights a fuse under its squalid Brazilian ghetto, and we're a captive audience to its violent explosion. The titular favela is home to a seething army of impoverished children who grow, over the film's ambitious 20-year timeframe, into cutthroat killers, drug lords, and feral survivors. In the vortex of this maelstrom is L'il Z (Leandro Firmino da Hora--like most of the cast, a nonprofessional actor), self-appointed king of the dealers, determined to eliminate all competition at the expense of his corrupted soul. With enough visual vitality and provocative substance to spark heated debate (and box-office gold) in Brazil, codirectors Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund tackle their subject head on, creating a portrait of youthful anarchy so appalling--and so authentically immediate--that City of God prompted reforms in socioeconomic policy. It's a bracing feat of stylistic audacity, borrowing from a dozen other films to form its own unique identity. You'll flinch, but you can't look away. --Jeff Shannon
A PHOTOGRAPHER NAMED BUSCAPE NARRATES SHORT STORIES OF HIS YOUTH GROWING UP IN ONE OF THE MOST CRIME RIDDEN AREAS OF RIO DE JANEIRO. THE FILM INTRODUCES MANY CHARACTERS INCLUDING A BOYHOOD FRIEND ON A PATH TO BECOMING A DRUG DEALER IN ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS AREAS FROM THE LATE '60S TO THE EARLY '80S.
Amazon.com:
Like cinematic dynamite, City of God lights a fuse under its squalid Brazilian ghetto, and we're a captive audience to its violent explosion. The titular favela is home to a seething army of impoverished children who grow, over the film's ambitious 20-year timeframe, into cutthroat killers, drug lords, and feral survivors. In the vortex of this maelstrom is L'il Z (Leandro Firmino da Hora--like most of the cast, a nonprofessional actor), self-appointed king of the dealers, determined to eliminate all competition at the expense of his corrupted soul. With enough visual vitality and provocative substance to spark heated debate (and box-office gold) in Brazil, codirectors Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund tackle their subject head on, creating a portrait of youthful anarchy so appalling--and so authentically immediate--that City of God prompted reforms in socioeconomic policy. It's a bracing feat of stylistic audacity, borrowing from a dozen other films to form its own unique identity. You'll flinch, but you can't look away. --Jeff Shannon
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- The Political Destiny of Humankind
Watching "Slumdog Millionaire", one could not help reflect on how much Danny Boyle and the filmakers learned from watching the justly celebrated City of God, without question one of the most important films of the current era. As there are a massive number of reviews which tell you the story, the saga really, of kids who grow up with guns, and learn the harshest lessons of life at an age when most well-fed Americans and Europeans are entering Kindergarden, I recommend that you consider this epic ... Read More
Rating: 
- Poverty and Gang Fighting in the Slums of Brazil
This movie takes us into the heart of one of the worst slums in Brazil.Told from the eyes of a young man who has escaped the world of drugs, crime and killing we are led into one of the most horrific cities on earth.Anarchy prevails; the more sociopathic you are, the greater your chance of rising to the top of this wretched food chain.
Rocket, a young man who becomes a photographer for a Brazilian newspaper, narrates the stories of several people in the City of God.One of them ... Read More
Rating: - Fantastic
Anyone who liked Slumdog Millionaire should fall head over heels for this one. Perfectly understated humor, good acting, style coming out of its ears, no sappy ending nor truly gratuitous violence (though there is a lot of violence in the favelas and likewise in the film); City of God has everything you want and nothing you don't in a gritty film about life on the streets. Given the fact that Brazil has literally millions of street kids and neighborhoods/shanty towns that street gangs control absolutely, ... Read More
Rating: - An excellent film
I was pleasantly surprised at how well constructed this film is. This is the first work by Meirelles which I have had the pleasure of viewing and I will be checking out some more of his work.
The movie is based on life in the slums (or favelas) of Rio de Janeiro where the presence of poverty, official neglect, drugs and guns creates a haven for criminals and sociopaths. In the midst of this chaos; our narrator guides us through his early childhood and adolescence and how he became a photographer ... Read More
Rating: - City of God...great film
This is an excellent coming of age story set in the slums of Brazil. I'd call it a mix of Slumdog Millionaire and Boyz in the Hood. Following this tale, you learn about the culture in Brazil and the extreme poverty that pervades in some areas. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a great engaging story that also provides education on the culture of Brazil.
- The Political Destiny of HumankindWatching "Slumdog Millionaire", one could not help reflect on how much Danny Boyle and the filmakers learned from watching the justly celebrated City of God, without question one of the most important films of the current era. As there are a massive number of reviews which tell you the story, the saga really, of kids who grow up with guns, and learn the harshest lessons of life at an age when most well-fed Americans and Europeans are entering Kindergarden, I recommend that you consider this epic ... Read More
- Poverty and Gang Fighting in the Slums of BrazilThis movie takes us into the heart of one of the worst slums in Brazil.Told from the eyes of a young man who has escaped the world of drugs, crime and killing we are led into one of the most horrific cities on earth.Anarchy prevails; the more sociopathic you are, the greater your chance of rising to the top of this wretched food chain.
Rocket, a young man who becomes a photographer for a Brazilian newspaper, narrates the stories of several people in the City of God.One of them ... Read More
- FantasticAnyone who liked Slumdog Millionaire should fall head over heels for this one. Perfectly understated humor, good acting, style coming out of its ears, no sappy ending nor truly gratuitous violence (though there is a lot of violence in the favelas and likewise in the film); City of God has everything you want and nothing you don't in a gritty film about life on the streets. Given the fact that Brazil has literally millions of street kids and neighborhoods/shanty towns that street gangs control absolutely, ... Read More
- An excellent filmI was pleasantly surprised at how well constructed this film is. This is the first work by Meirelles which I have had the pleasure of viewing and I will be checking out some more of his work.
The movie is based on life in the slums (or favelas) of Rio de Janeiro where the presence of poverty, official neglect, drugs and guns creates a haven for criminals and sociopaths. In the midst of this chaos; our narrator guides us through his early childhood and adolescence and how he became a photographer ... Read More
- City of God...great filmThis is an excellent coming of age story set in the slums of Brazil. I'd call it a mix of Slumdog Millionaire and Boyz in the Hood. Following this tale, you learn about the culture in Brazil and the extreme poverty that pervades in some areas. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a great engaging story that also provides education on the culture of Brazil.
