City of God (2002)
8.427 /10
8395 Reviews
Rate This Movie:
In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.
Videos & Photos
cast
... Buscapé
... Zé Pequeno / Dadinho
... Bené
... Dadinho
... Cabeleira
User reviews
It’s a great film and well worthy of its the respect it has. It’s gruelling too, the 18 rating is due to the thread running through the film of continuous and ruthless violence of gangs trying to control their drug area. The is the story told through the eyes of ‘Rocket’ who avoids getting in to the gang war of his brother and friends by trying to find a safer life.
The film combines slick production without losing a genuine documentary feel which I think it is why it’s so enduring. While it achieves a feeling of reality, it isn’t specifically a true story. However, the Cidade de Deus is real (being created to rehouse the slums away from Rio de Janeiro) and this story of its underworld and the film’s production makes one believe it may not be too far from the truth. There is hope in the story but not a lot.
Director:
Release Date:
2002-08-30
Run Time:
129 min
MMPA Rating:
R
Reviews of
City of God
It’s a great film and well worthy of its the respect it has. It’s gruelling too, the 18 rating is due to the thread running through the film of continuous and ruthless violence of gangs trying to control their drug area. The is the story told through the eyes of ‘Rocket’ who avoids getting in to the gang war of his brother and friends by trying to find a safer life.
The film combines slick production without losing a genuine documentary feel which I think it is why it’s so enduring. While it achieves a feeling of reality, it isn’t specifically a true story. However, the Cidade de Deus is real (being created to rehouse the slums away from Rio de Janeiro) and this story of its underworld and the film’s production makes one believe it may not be too far from the truth. There is hope in the story but not a lot.
Told by way of an occasionally narrated retrospective, "Rocket" (Alexandre Rodrigues) tells us a story of his childhood in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Growing up in a community of newly built boxes, without power or plumbing, that reminded me of a row of concrete beach huts, the community is pretty lawless. The crime is largely to confined to pettier crimes, but as aspirations grow so does the scale of the criminality. A raid on a motel-cum-brothel is supposed to make everyone extra cash, but their inventive young watchman "Li'l Dice" (Douglas Silva) hates being left out and so does a little augmenting of his own. Brutal and attention grabbing. Next the cops crack down, bodies pile up and the societal order starts to change. It's this young man who grows up into the leading drug-peddling hoodlum amongst a now much more developed township where, tempered only by his more diplomatic childhood friend "Bené" (Phellipe Haagensen), the newly named "Li'l Zé" (Leandro Firmino) is ruling the roost. Curiously, his own form of government proves more stable for the residents, and although many are addicts there is a certain degree of law-and-order. Then the runts start to intervene. These are the young children with no hope, no families and only the dream of becoming their own version of "Li'l Zé" one day too. Gradually, the empire expands until it's only "Carrot" (Matheus Nachtergaele) who stands against him. When tragedy strikes very close to home for the kingpin, though, the uneasy peace between the two sections breaks out into an open warfare that drags in the sharpshooting army vet "Knockout Ned" (Seu Jorge), arms all the enthusiastic children and creates an environment that isn't safe for anyone - and where the police keep their distance in the hope that they will just all just slaughter each other. It's lucky that "Rocket" can use a camera. His boss wants publicity to illustrate how dominant and powerful he is. The newspapers want the photographs too. If the young man can walk the tightrope carefully, he might find himself well placed to capitalise on his unique access to a story that by now is gripping their nation. This is a fascinatingly well put together depiction of the worst of human nature; a dog eat dog world, where traditional humanity is scarce and the virtues of a not so benign dictatorship are exposed for all to see. The characterisations are mostly brutal and exploitative, yet there is a place for love and loyalty too amidst a poverty stricken population that craves basics like food and running water and is oblivious to death in the streets. The story is well supplemented by some engaging supporting characters like "Steak n' Fries", "Goose", "Shaggy" and "Thiago" (Daniel Zettel or is it really Timothée Chalamet?). The writing delivers powerfully but sparingly. We don't have loads of waffling dialogue, and there's also quite a bit of dark humour contained to not so much lighten the mood as to enhance the perception amongst most of the population that kill or be killed was a perfectly reasonable mantra. Firmino, Haagensen and Rodrigues deliver extremely well here in this most impressively photographed and intense look at a society where the top dog was only top by feeding and starving his followers. It's not especially graphic, I found, just a poignant look at survival of the fittest, the shrewdest and the luckiest. There's also a distinct lack of religiosity throughout, too! If you can see this at a cinema, then do - it's based on a true story and isn't an easy watch.
Cast & Crew of
City of God
Cast
... Buscapé
... Zé Pequeno / Dadinho
... Bené
... Dadinho
... Cabeleira
... Sandro Cenoura
... Mané Galinha
... Alicate
... Angélica
... Barbantinho
... Barbantinho Adulto
... Bené Criança
... Berenice
... Buscapé (criança)
... Cabeção
... Editor do Jornal
... Filé-com-Fritas
... Gelson
... Lampião
... Lúcia Maracanã
... Marina Cintra
... Marreco
... Mulher do Paraíba
... Namorada do Galinha
... Neguinho
... Otávio
... Pai Buscapé
... Paraíba
... Rafael
... Thiago
... Tio Sam
... Touro
... Tuba
... Vizinha do Paraíba
... Caixa Baixa
... Caixa Baixa
... Caixa Baixa
... Caixa Baixa
... Caixa Baixa
... Caixa Baixa
... Caixa Baixa
... Caixa Baixa
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno / Bando Cenoura
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Zé Pequeno
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Bando Cenoura
... Cocotas
... Cocotas
... Cocotas
... Cocotas
... Cocotas
... Cocotas
... Cocotas
... Cocotas
... Cocotas
... Cocotas
... Cocotas
... Cocotas
... Cocotas
... Cocotas
... Polícia
... Polícia
... Polícia
... Polícia
... Polícia
... Polícia
... Polícia
... Polícia
... Polícia
... Polícia
... Polícia
... Polícia
... Polícia
... Polícia
... Aristóteles
... Ba
... Exu
... Garoto viciado
... Gerente do supermercado
... Grande
... Irmão Mané Galinha
... Irmão Mané Galinha
... Jabá
... Jovem Trabalhador
... Mãe Buscapé
... Motorista do DKW
... Mulher do Neguinho
... Mulher do Ônibus
... Pastor da Igreja
... Paulista
... Recepcionista do Motel
... Funcionário do jornal (uncredited)
Crew
... Original Music Composer
... Costume Design
... Screenplay
... Editor
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Creature Design
... Producer
... Original Music Composer
... Producer
... Production Design
... Executive Producer
... Executive Producer
... Makeup Artist
... Costume Design
... Production Manager
... Producer
... Producer
... Director of Photography
... Producer
... Producer
... Producer
... Producer
... Producer
... Production Manager
... Sound Recordist
... Sound Effects Editor
... Steadicam Operator
... Dialogue Editor
... Sound Designer
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Assistant Director Trainee
... Third Assistant Director
... Assistant Director Trainee
... Second Assistant Director
... Director
... First Assistant Camera
... Co-Director
... Assistant Editor
... Novel
Similar Movies To
City of God
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
7.504/10
The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.
Release: 2006-12-09
49 Days (1962)
10/10
For 49 days, four young soldiers drifted on a barge that was blown out to sea by a storm. Only by the end of the seventh week they were discovered by American pilots.
Release: 1962-03-15
Negresco (1968)
4.875/10
The wife of a jet-set millionaire takes a holiday in Berlin and poses for racy photographs. These are stolen, a man is killed, and she decamps to the French Riviera with a different photographer, who may also now be in danger.
Release: 1968-08-22
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
7.884/10
A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.
Release: 2006-12-14
M. Butterfly (1993)
6.572/10
In 1960s China, French diplomat Rene Gallimard falls in love with opera singer Song Liling – but Song is not at all who Gallimard thinks.
Release: 1993-10-01
Lost on a Mountain in Maine (2024)
6.945/10
When twelve-year-old Donn Fendler gets tired of waiting for his father and brothers to join him on the summit of Maine's highest peak, he decides to find his own way back to camp. But Donn doesn't count on a fast-moving fog that obscures the path. He doesn't count on falling down an embankment that hides him from sight. And he doesn't count on taking a turn that leaves him alone to wander aimlessly for nearly two weeks in the empty mountain wilderness.
Release: 2024-11-01
Artifice: Loose Fellowship and Partners (2016)
0/10
Immersed in the underbelly of Brooklyn, NY, a bargain between two gangsters gets cuckoo when one of the gangsters hires a voodoo worker to overthrow his rival.
Release: 2016-10-08
The Departed (2006)
8.159/10
To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.
Release: 2006-10-04
November (2004)
4.862/10
Sophie Jacobs is going through the most difficult time of her life. Now, she just has to find out if it's real.
Release: 2004-01-18
Anna and the King (1999)
6.794/10
The story of the romance between the King of Siam (now Thailand) and the widowed British school teacher Anna Leonowens during the 1860s. Anna teaches the children and becomes romanced by the King. She convinces him that a man can be loved by just one woman.
Release: 1999-12-16
Cinderella Man (2005)
7.584/10
The true story of boxer Jim Braddock who, following his retirement in the 1930s, makes a surprise comeback in order to lift his family out of poverty.
Release: 2005-06-02
Do the Right Thing (1989)
7.773/10
Sal is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin' Out, becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria's Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors. Buggin' Out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but Sal disagrees. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin' Out and to other people in the neighborhood, and tensions rise.
Release: 1989-06-14
Under Water (2003)
9/10
Yonatan, Michal's dad, turned orthodox and left her family when she was very yang. 7 years later, when he appears at her mother's funeral, all the anger and tensions in the family are brought up again. Michal on the other hand, is very curious, and tries to find a way to communicate with her father. They find common interest in competitive swimming, a hobby that Michal picked up, and which her father, as it turn out, used to be a serious contestant in.
Release: 2003-02-13
Voyeur (2025)
0/10
A black market photographer is hired by a journalist to photograph the victims of a known serial killer.
Release: 2025-10-21
The Stop (2018)
0/10
Jakub takes his last bus to school in the nearby town to get the results of the secondary school leaving exam. His ultimate visit to school marks the end of one stage in his life and the beginning of another.
Release: 2018-01-01
Angie Lemaire (2019)
10/10
In her mid-20s, Angie is interviewed as she tries to understand how and why her brother David committed dark and terrible deeds, which led to him being sectioned.
Release: 2019-10-14
Boys in Brazil (2014)
6.083/10
Two teenagers decide to attend attend São Paulo's annual Gay Pride Parade, encouraged by one of their uncles, a successful - although closeted - business executive. After witnessing an incident of shocking violence at the parade, the group makes a pact - they all have one year to come out of the closet.
Release: 2014-05-15
Catch a Fire (2006)
6.304/10
The true story of anti-apartheid activists in South Africa, and particularly the life of Patrick Chamusso, a timid foreman at Secunda CTL, the largest synthetic fuel plant in the world. Patrick is wrongly accused, imprisoned and tortured for an attempt to bomb the plant, with the injustice transforming the apolitical worker into a radicalised insurgent, who then carries out his own successful sabotage mission.
Release: 2006-10-27
The Queen (2006)
6.9/10
The Queen is an intimate behind the scenes glimpse at the interaction between HM Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair during their struggle, following the death of Diana, to reach a compromise between what was a private tragedy for the Royal family and the public's demand for an overt display of mourning.
Release: 2006-09-15
First Blood (1982)
7.516/10
When former Green Beret John Rambo is harassed by local law enforcement and arrested for vagrancy, he is forced to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.
Release: 1982-10-22