Review of Tsotsi (2005) by Josh S — 24 Mar 2010

A sentimental crime film. You don't tend to see ones like this very often. Taking a despicable character and turning him into a tragic likeable human being is no easy feat. The world needs more directors like Gavin Hood (However I still haven't forgiven him for Wolverine).

Taking place in the slums just outside of JoBurg in South Africa, a young hooligan who goes by the name of Tsotsi (Slang for 'Thug') goes about his criminal ways. After a somewhat successful carjacking where a woman is shot in the process, Tsotsi receives his wake up call in life: the sound of a crying baby. He is now a kidnapper and this child becomes his responsibility. Yet crimes do not go unpunished, the child's parents, and the police are investigating this heinous crime. It is up to Tsotsi to either do the right thing or continue down his destructive path.

Gavin Hood captures slum life well. There are barely any locales that are not slums. A majority of the action takes place in Soweto, the shack town just outside of Johannesburg. The cast is primarily black and it is far from ultra-violent. It contains just enough crime to let you know that you are watching a film about a lost soul seeking redemption, not a rags-to-riches hooligan who kills his way to the top. The style is beautiful. Like City of God before it, the camera work lends a large hand to docufiction, where light is grainy and nothing is overtly appealing.

The script is great, showing values between friends and criminals, elements of forgiveness and anger present themselves really well in the form of Tsotsi's fellow gangmembers. It is good to see a crime film of this caliber. Not many directors can pull it off. Great film.