Review of City of God (2002) by Ross P — 15 Mar 2013

City of God is a top tier crime film. It's a truthful look at the dirty side of Brazilian crime, the dynamic story of a boy who uses his desire for a career in photography to resist the vice of Rio. In such an impoverished place, children have no choice but to follow a life of crime. The fact that this is a true story, that similar events are taking place right now, is shocking. City of God and its director do an excellent job of transferring that horror to us, it's compelling and riveting.

It had my interest from the start, Kubrick said you have to engage the audience by the 20 minute mark, otherwise you'll lose them. City of God only needs one minute. The meticulousness of the editing is astonishing, it's paced perfectly.