Spoiler Alert!
Some major plot details are revealed in the review below. For those of you who like to see a movie "cold," without any prior knowledge should either exit this page now, or skip the second paragraph below and return after seeing City of God.
People often argue that all the “good movies” are released in November and December, so they are fresh in the minds of Academy voters. City of God is the exception to the rule. Released all the back in January of 2003, City of God was held in theatres throughout most of the year, slowly and surely gaining a throng (lol) of loyal supporters. The persistence of the movie (and its distributor: Miramax), along with its sheer quality, have managed to land it 4 surprise Academy Award nominations, including a well deserved nod for Best Director to Fernando Meirelles. Thanks to these high-profile nominations, City of God is now playing at more venues than it has in its entire run, and I encourage everyone to seek out this marvelous achievement in world cinema, as soon as possible.
Anyone who knows anything about the portion of Rio de Janeiro called City of God knows the irony of the name. City of God is far from the paradise of which the name suggests; it is a slum that is inhabited by criminals and the poor, and is run by not the government, but the drug dealers. City of God is a story that follows one such drug dealer, Li’l Zé, and his rise from a trigger-happy youth to the most powerful man in the City of God during the 1970’s, all told in small vignettes from the perspective of Rocket, a photography-loving young man who lived in the City of God during this time. Rocket, although not too far removed from the evil of Li’l Zé, has managed to stay relatively innocent and good. (One storyline wryly illustrates Rocket’s failed attempt to become a gangster, but he is unable to rob anyone because they are always “too cool.”) Soon, an uprising lead by Carrot (an opposing drug dealer and gangster) and Knockout Ned (who is determined to avenge the rape and murder of his wife by Li’l Zé) turns the City of God into an out-right battle ground, were children go from playing ball to gun-play in the blink of an eye. This finds Rocket in a difficult, but ultimately rewarding position as it offers him his first shot at escaping the City of God: by putting his love of photography to use as a photojournalist.
As I mentioned above, City of God is not told from a straight-forward narrative, but rather a narrative which does have a structure and purpose (to tell the story of the rise and eventual fall of uber-gangster Li’l Zé), but often wanders off on tangents to provide the audience with side stories that contribute to the central plot line. This presentation of plot works exceedingly well, and thanks to the script and smart direction, gives the audience a three-dimensional picture of the City of God and its inhabitants.
The violence in City of God is at the forefront of the story, and is not censored by any means. This movie is extremely violent, but uses very little gore. In one of the most disturbing - and thematically conducive - montages in the film, children line up to pledge their allegiance to either gang and are handed a gun without further question. Subtle touches enhance the effect the violence has on the audience; for example, a strobe light is used to present the murder of a central figure and the “jerky” presentation resonates louder and clearer than a standard presentation would have.
I think the movie classification of “epic” is thrown around way too much. In my book, an epic is a movie which is grand in both scope AND script. Often times, if a movie has a historical setting and a big-budget (Master and Commander, I am looking in your direction...), its called an “epic,” and the script is simply overlooked or considered less important. City of God is a true epic. Not only is it a visual treat in its realistic and vast locations (Fernando Meirelles deftly uses his sets and actors to tell an often times complex and deep story), but the script is the element that truly makes this film an epic by proving my point that scope is not strictly visceral, but also perceived in the characters and plot.
Grade: A
© 2004 Jacob Sproul
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