City Of God
A chicken watches nervously as its brother is plucked bald and its sister beheaded and dismembered. The chicken knows that its turn is next. Nobody's watching, so the chicken makes a break for it! Its absence is soon noticed by the local gang leader/its owner, who orders its apprehension. The chicken runs away, avoiding grabby hands. The chicken knows that if it had stayed at the food stand, it would be dead. If it runs, it will eventually be caught and dealt the same fate. If you would have lived in the City of God (the slums of Rio de Janeiro) in the '60s and '70s, you might have found yourself in the same situation.
City Of God is told through the eyes of Rocket, a young man who wants to forego the gang life in favor of a photography career. Rocket's brother Goose is a member of the Tender Trio, a gang of thieves who pull a Robin Hood with the gas trucks, among other endeavors. The Trio even has a couple of die-hard fans, Li'l Dice and Benny, who are about Rocket's age. Dice has a strong pro-criminal disposition coupled with endless ambition.
Years later, Li'l Dice changes his name to Li'l Ze; his reputation and power have grown considerably. He double-minored in theft and murder; now he's getting a masters degree in drug trafficking. Ze has killed off all of the competition, except for a friend of Benny's who is his business partner. He finally achieved his life's ambition to be the boss of the City of God. Ze's ruthlessness comes back to bite him in the ass when his sole competitor and enemies united against him, leading to a gang war.
This movie is a must-see for fans of mobster movies. The beginning of the film is reminiscent of Goodfellas. Both films begin with a high-energy scene; afterwards, the filmmakers tell the story leading up to the attention-grabbing footage. Also, City Of God shares many common themes with the mobster genre, such as transfer of power, respect, and the likely consequences of betrayal or incompetence.
The film's unique storytelling style has contributed to the film's excellence. Not all of the information about a scene is given at one time. For example, the Tender Trio rob a motel and all of the guests within and appoint Li'l Dice as their lookout. During the robbery, Li'l Dice gives the signal that the police are coming, and the Trio high-tails it. When the police arrive, the guests are dead. Later Rocket reveals the dark truth about what happened while the Trio members were busy saving their respective asses.
One of the most compelling aspects of this film is that it's based on a true story. Rocket's real name is Wilson Rodriguez, who like Li'l Dice, achieved his career goal. However, when Rocket is done shooting people, they're still alive.
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Alcohol does not seem to be a prominent resident in this city.
In many cases, watching a foreign-language film is good dating policy, but the constant violence, language, and drug content hardly promotes romantic themes.
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Buy this Mini Poster at AllPosters.com
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