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"You need more than guts to be a good gangster, you need ideas."
There is a rather unsavoury, chaotic part of Rio de Janeiro that not many tourists get to see. City of God is a Portuguese film that exposes this part of the country; showing us scenes of relentless murders, crimes, wars and other things in that vein.
From start to finish, City of God is an extremely powerful, enthralling, compelling experience. The beginning of the film establishes clearly what we about to experience, and quite plainly states 'welcome to hell'. We are thrown into a part of Rio de Janeiro that encompasses all the gangs and crime lords.
The film chronicles many decades in this region where murder and crime are commonplace. We follow our protagonist Rocket (Rodrigues) who is also the central narrator of the piece. The film opens at the climax of the movie, but from there Rocket tells his story through flashbacks of the decades of crime that have governed his existence since he was a boy. Growing up in such a chaotic neighbourhood, Rocket had come to terms with the fact that all boys will usually grow up to become members of a gang and will become mixed up in the world of crime and murder.
Rocket has no desire to be a hood, and is determined to avoid the gangster life. Instead he aims to escape his brutal surroundings by becoming a professional photographer.
City of God is an uncompromising look at life in the parts of Rio de Janeiro that actually exist. The film never holds back on authenticity; displaying graphic killings as well as explicit images of drugs, sex and murder. Because of such a gritty look that the film establishes, it firmly feels like documentary footage that has been filmed by someone caught in the crossfire.
The film proves that you don't need flashy special effects and big name stars to tell your story, but rather gritty realism and ruthless images.
The performances felt quite real, and at some point in the film you will probably be in tears because of its authenticity. But on this point, the film's biggest flaw was the style it was filmed in. I can appreciate the shaky cam as it firmly positions the audience in the action, but the fast shots and the unnecessary close-ups are what ultimately spoilt the cinematography. And aside from all the relentless images and its great style, the film has nothing else going for it; no solid plot, no overly memorable characters, as well as plenty of scenes that felt out of place and marred its pacing.
City of God has been compared to American films such as Scorsese classics. Scorsese's films are generally superior, but City of God is still a mighty impressive effort. Brutal, realistic, authentic, disturbing, provocative, gritty - everything is present here. Well worth seeing for those who can stomach it.
8/10
