Review of Tsotsi (2005) by Ryan P — 29 Dec 2012
A solid film that's engrossing & entertaining. Acting is good, esp. by the main character. But the story itself is a bit trite and corny. Really? A hardened gangster turns softie overnight because of a baby? I'm not buying it, but at least the filmmakers avoid schmaltzing it up too much.
I don't particularly understand the critical success of this film; think about it: if it had taken place in a U.S. city/impoverished area, with American actors, I doubt it would have gotten the same acclaim. Move it to an exotic place and add subtitles, and suddenly you have something "special.".
Nonetheless, this was a good and generally well put-together movie and worth watching, but it's not awesome. It did win an Oscar for Best Foreign Film, but I don't think it deserved it. [I just checked; it was nominated in the same year as Paradise Now & Sophie Scholl; also Joyeux Noel and Don't Tell. I saw the first 2 of these, not the last two, but I still think Paradise Now was a great movie. I would have given the Oscar to it instead].
This review of Tsotsi (2005) was written by Ryan P on 29 Dec 2012.
Tsotsi has generally received positive reviews.
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