Cidade de Deus (City of God) (2002) Review

Distributor: Miramax Films

Starring: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino da Hora, Phellipe Haagensen, Matheus Nachtergaele, Seu Jorge, Douglas Silva

Directors: Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund

Screenplay: Bráulio Mantovani

Producers: Andrea Barata Ribeiro, Mauricio Andrade Ramos

Running Time: 2hr 10m

Release Date: August 30th 2002 (Brazil)

Rating: 18

'Cidade de Deus' or 'City of God' was based off 1997 novel of the same name by Paulo Lins however it is loosely based off real events. Upon release, it received critical acclaim with Meirelles receiving a nomination for Best Director at the 76th Academy Awards. Is this Brazilian film worth the praise? Is the City of God ironically named? The answer to both of these is yes!

What's the story? Where do I begin? The film follows Rocket (Rodrigues), a resident of the City of God, as he details the rise and fall of the crime lord known as Lil Zé (Hora) formally known as Lil Dice (Silva). The story shows his rise to power through drugs and murder, his best friend Benny (Haagensen) becoming a playboy, the war with rival drug lord Carrot (Nachtergaele) and a personal vendetta against Knockout Ned (Jorge). 

That's explaining the story in simple terms and that's this movie's problem. There's way too much going on. These were just the main characters. There's also Angelica (Alice Braga), Rocket and Benny's love interest; Blacky, Carrot's assistant; Tiago, Angelica's ex-boyfriend; Steak N' Fries, a notable member in Ze's gang; The Tender Trio: Goose (Rocket's brother), Shaggy and Clipper; Bernice, Shaggy's girlfriend; Shorty, a man who somehow gets focus even though he has no bearing on the overall plot and the Runts.

There's just way too many characters and subplots to develop and many suffer as a result. Shorty gets focus even though his character goes nowhere, Steak N' Fries gets focus in the movie's most infamous scene yet it is uncertain what happened to him. The Tender Trio get little screen time outside the first act so it is difficult to care about them. Angelica is also just a love interest. No more no less. Most of these characters can be taken out of the movie and the plot would not suffer as a result.

Aside from that, there aren't any problems with this movie. The movie's main strength is the characters. Rocket isn't the focus of the movie but rather the observer. He's the relatable protagonist to shed some normality into the chaotic world of the City of God. He has ambition, he cares and interacts with the other characters and he has some normal teenage personality traits such as wanting to have sex. Rocket doesn't get a lot of development but the audience cares for him because he's the one normal character in a crazy world. In fact, he is similar to Max Rockatansky from the 'Mad Max' movies. He's the observer, not the main character.

The main character is actually the film's antagonist: Lil Ze. Ze is a scary antagonist as he kills for pleasure and he just won't stop until his quest for power has completed. That's what makes him scary, he's is ruthless and relentless. He does have dimension though as he gets upset when someone he cares about is hurt and he does have his kinder moments. However for the most part he is a sadistic psychopath. His rise and fall story arc is also interesting as he brought himself down by failing to realise that his actions have consequences. That and his humongous body count makes him an intimidating yet charismatic villain that the audience actually cares about. Hora plays adult Ze well giving him a sick charisma but it is Silva as the child version, Lil Dice (Pictured) that knocks it out of the park as his sadism mostly came out of Silva's performance and he is one of the most bone-chilling child actors out there.

Despite Lil Ze being a great villain, his best friend Benny is the best character. He starts off as Lil Ze's lackey but he is the voice of reason who stops Ze from becoming a full on nut job. Once he becomes a playboy, he is loved and respected by all which makes what happens to him all the more tragic. Playboy Benny is incredibly charming and likable, so much so that you either want to be with him or actually become him. He is also key to the movie as he is the only person who can control Lil Ze whilst also being central to the movie's main theme which is escaping reality. His fate is also what sets off the events of the second half of the movie.

Most of these events centre on Knockout Ned. Ned has the biggest fall of the movie as he starts out as another guy everyone respects. However, one tragic night later and he becomes vengeful and his pursuit of Lil Ze is reminiscent of The Terminator. He won't stop until he has his target. In a way he's the anti-Ze. He is a psychopath who won't stop until he gets what he wants whilst also being careless of consequences. However, unlike Ze, he has morals and you can tell he is regretful of what he has done. However when his morals are cast aside, it comes back to bite him in the most Edgar Wright-ish of ways. (For those who don't know, Edgar Wright has a payoff for aspects that seems insignificant in the movie).

All of these characters (with the exception of Lil Ze) have one ambition, to leave the slums for a better life. However reality catches up to them in the most brutal way which makes it clear what Meirelles' message is: You cannot escape reality. And boy does reality suck in the City of God?! It has everything from corrupt cops, poverty, drugs, murder, rape, gangs, violence and war. There's this one scene especially heart-wrenching where Steak N' Fries does terrible things to children in order to be initiated into Lil Ze's gang. This movie does not shy away from all the things mentioned above and it shows them in great detail.

It's not all doom and gloom as the movie oddly has a quirky style. This ranges from carnival music to camera sound effects to title cards of character stories to fast editing to flashbacks. This prevents the movie from being boring and this coupled with the likable characters makes 'City of God', despite the drama, a fun ride. Meirelles maintains the style throughout yet it is serious when it needs to be. It keeps the perfect balance that makes the movie entertaining whilst still keeping its serious message.

In conclusion, 'City of God' is an entertaining, heart wrenching yet overblown movie with likable (if too many) characters, a quirky style and an important message about poverty. If it had less characters and subplots this would have been very special but as it stands, it's very good and worth checking out... though viewer discretion is advised!

'City of God' gets 4 and a half psycho kids out of 5.


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