City of God

B+

This Brazilian movie made a lot of top 10 lists in 2002, so I was looking forward to finally seeing it on DVD. It is a good movie about gangs and crime in the slums, and therefore similar to Goodfellas or Gangs of New York. The story is told in different pieces starting when the primary players are kids in a brand new housing project called The City of God and then jumps forward only eight years or so as the kids have become the primary crime bosses of their slum. It is told through the eyes of a kid who wants to avoid the life of the gang members or "hoods," but whose life keeps crossing theirs. The non-linear story, indie director, and foreign language make this paydirt for critical raves.

The cast members are all pretty young, but because they are speaking another language, it's hard to know if they are doing a great job of acting. It certainly seems like they were, so no complaints there. Characters always seem to be fully developed even if they are killed pretty quickly, and while it is hard to like the drug dealers, you are certainly sucked in to their story. Ultimately maybe the story played out a little too conventionally. As a story of violence and crime, the most ruthless people rise to the top, and that's true here. The fact that most of the killers are between 12 and 18 is what makes this a little different, but even with the different setting, this is still a lot like a number of mafia movies. Just the same, the elements of the movie are very strong, so it is worth watching. B+.

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