Review of City of God (2002) by Kyle20Ellis — 08 May 2022

Such an amazing film that deserves the accolades and acclaimed hype it's garnered. One of the best foreign language films there is and one of the best films personally seen recently, after a long time of being on my to see list but taking a while to get round to it due to being so busy and going through a difficult phase.

Perhaps 'City of God' is not for everybody. It is not some audience members' idea of being entertaining, and is pretty unflinching, uncompromising and challenges the viewer. It does, with that being said, a superlative job bringing those qualities to life, and there are others, including myself, who judge films by what they set out to do rather than just wanting to be "entertained". There are many hugely entertaining films, while there are others that are clearly intended to be things other than entertainment and either are deep character studies, deliberate mood pieces and poignant dramas and shouldn't be denounced because of stereotypical views of what a film should be like.

'City of God' is very well made, with some stunning and hard-hitting images, even if the budget is not high or enormous. It's all audaciously shot and edited with a lot of gritty atmosphere and sense of tension. The music fits well and has some haunting moments without being intrusive, while Fernando Meirelles's direction, particularly in the visual style, is superb.

The story is not hard to follow, with lots of provoking thought, tension and emotion, while the action is positively explosive, frighteningly brutal and designed with a real meticulousness. In no way either does it glamorise crime and gives an unflinching view of gangland rivalry, provoking comparisons to Martin Scorsese and 'Goodfellas'.

Alexandre Rodrigues and Leandro Firmino da Hora are fabulous in their roles and carry the film and their compellingly real characters adeptly.

Overall, a masterwork.