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City of God | Year: 2002 Classification: Foreign Film - Portugese Directed: - Fernando Meirelles - Kátia Lund Actors/Actresses: - Alexandre Rodrigues - Leandro Firmino - Matheus Nachtergaele Truly, one of the best films you'll ever see! It's hard to describe a movie like City of God. It's not a documentary, but its grittiness makes you feel like what you're seeing is real. It's based on a true story, but it's hard to believe that events like the ones shown in the film actually can happen. It's hard to not relate and care for some of the characters even though most of them are murderers and drug users or traffickers. City of God, or Cidade de Deus, is a brilliant, if brutal, film. First time director Fernando Meirelles brings to life a story of a group of boys who live in the slums of Rio de Janeiro in the 60's and 70's. Life there is tremendously hard and most kids end up as criminals, using and trafficking drugs, and carrying guns and shoothing each other like its their birthright. Meirelles succeeds in bringing a vibrant and dynamic direction to the story, with a fantastic use of editing and music. But the thing that brings the film to life is the performance of all the actors, some of which are actually gang members and inhabitants of Rio's slums. Their acting is right on the spot, and because most of them (if not all) are unknown to the audience, they literally become their characters. It's been compared to Scorsese's Goodfellas, and I think that's a fair comparison, not only because of the subject, but also because of the use of editing and the intertwining of stories. The use of narration by the main character is also similar. This film was nominated to four Academy Awards, including Best Director for Meirelles, Best Adapted Screenplay for Bráulio Mantovani, Best Editing (brilliantly done by Daniel Rezende) and Best Cinematography. City of God, The Joe Martin review City of God is the film equivalent of being hit in the head with a sledghammer. From its opening sequence involving a fast paced chase scene between a chicken and and dozens of gun toting teenagers and children to its blood soaked ending this movie grabs you immediately and doesnt release its hold for even one moment. See this movie. It is quite simply unbelievable. A Frightening, yet Uplifting Masterpiece City of God is disturbing. It gave me chills seeing coked up juvenile kids putting bullets through other kids' heads, and a ghetto neighorhood which offers no hope whatsoever to any of its occupants. The cinematogrophy is lush, the story, told by a famous photogropher, "Rocket" Rodrigues, is layered and candid. The acting is frightengly excellent, and it contains many scenes which will remain sketched on your brain (unless you grew up there, maybe). An emotional rollercoaster ride, City of God succeeds in transporting the viewer to probably one of the worst areas that has ever existed on this planet, and making us not want to leave. Buy City Of God at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on City Of God Search with the Priority Search Engine on City Of God This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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