Film Review: City of God

Director: Fernando Meirelles

A crime drama based on a true story of life in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, it was adapted from the book of the same name. It was released in 2002 and had always been a film I'd intended to see but never got round to despite the very favourable reviews. Having finally seen it I wish I'd made the effort sooner as it is quite simply a fantastic film with a fast paced plot, intriguing characters and superb camerawork throughout. It was entered as Brazil's entry for Best Foreign Language Film in 2003 but wasn't chosen in the nominations, shockingly.

L'il Ze and his gang

The film is told as a story going back from the opening scene by Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) as he charts the rise and fall of the kids he knew growing up as they become hoodlums and gang leaders in the favela know as the City of God. In his youth he often tried to help his brother Goose (Renato de Souza) who robbed people to try and make money with his friends in the Tenderness Trio. As he gets older he sees L'il Dice become L'il Ze who takes over the entire slum making it safer for the residents whilst running his criminal enterprise of selling narcotics. Rocket falls in love with a girl named Angelica (Alice Braga) but struggles to be more than friends with her.

Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) with his camera

It is simply an astonishing film to watch, completely engrossing for its entire runtime as the landscape changes from the sun beaten houses on the outskirts of the city in Rocket's youth to his adolescence in the slums right in the heart of the city. At no point does the film slow down and allow you to catch up or be bored as the story continues to power on at a relentless pace.

The story is entirely believable throughout as lives are taken on a regular basis with very little remorse, money is main priority as well as the slightly hypocritical religious element that these gangs take on. Committing all sorts of crimes and murders but still believing heavily in God and that he may approve of what they are doing. I think the most shocking aspect is that it is essentially children and teenagers who are engaging in most of these acts, this couldn't be further from The Godfather if it tried. It draws parallels with Gomorrah that was released a few years ago about the Calabrese mafia in Naples but is a far more compelling and complete film.

L'il Ze (Leandro Firmino da Hora) with Tuba

The filming is claustrophobic through the second half of the film, as you feel the intense heat and sweat in the tightly packed slums. The disco scene for Benny's party is simply superb, the use of music and light as well as the camerawork itself was a joy to behold. The sense of dread and foreboding slowly rises as characters make their way through the crowds, a superbly crafted scene. But its the characterization that is the key to this movie, you genuinely root for Rocket to escape the violence that is around him and even feel the same for the more compassionate Benny who is L'il Ze's right hand man. Leonadro Firmino da Hora is excellent as the almost homicidal L'il Ze, any moment he is on-screen you are nervous of what he may do next. His presence is un-nerving yet almost charismatic. An absolute must-see of a movie.

4/4 Simply a modern classic