La Cité de Dieu

An exceptional masterpiece that may only receive true recognition after several years. The Brazilian nature of this film can literally be felt in every second. The filmmakers break away from the typical clichéd story and give us a gritty, realistic experience, where we see the harsh life in the roughest neighbourhoods of Rio de Janeiro. The formal aspect is flawless, with fantastic handheld camera, brilliant editing, and sound. The actors (unknown to me) give wonderful performances and the direction is even better. (08/05/2005)

Now. that's what I call proper craftsmanship! The directors literally jumped in headfirst to present a true hell on earth in the most cruel, uncompromising, and "unfortunately" the most realistic point of view. What's more, they didn’t need stars or pools of blood. No, what makes this film so compelling is the shocking fact that this is how life is really lived, and an amazing portrayal of characters as they try to deal with the events around them in the only way possible, with a gun always at hand. Such a film could be interesting even without a plot, but City of God has a very good one, with plenty of action and keeps a very high pace throughout. After the closing credits, I was simply amazed and captivated by the quality and power of the story, which made me even more grateful that I was born here in Czechia, where kids don't get a shotgun or a membership in a killer gang for their tenth birthday. (09/05/2011)

It chills one to the bone. It chills me to see how young children are quite easily seduced into the path of crime by watching their "role models" – teenage murderers. A little boy can kill with complete calmness and even with a kind of joy, a bunch of tiny, faceless brats raid shops with a gun in their hands as if they were going to play football. City of God is an unsentimental look at life in the slums, where, due to the difficult social situation and lack of education, crime and drugs are a common part of the landscape and where gang affiliation is more than the law. It does not lecture, it does not provide instructions for solving the problem, it just impressively shows the harsh reality that is unfortunately not only inherent to Brazilian metropolises. It’s a technically skilled (top-notch cinematography and editing) cheerless spectacle, in which you don’t, of course, get a redemptive catharsis, a positive outcome. And the final caption “Based on a true story” says it all. PS: In the closing credits, there is a short scene with the real life version of one of the film's characters, Knockout Ned, saying exactly the same words that are heard in the film. (31/07/2005)

The City of Gods is an extraordinary film, primarily because of its content, depicting poverty in the slums on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro and the enormous criminality that exists in this area. It is based on a true story. In the past, the problem of impoverished neighborhoods was even greater. The notorious Death Squads (EM) originated in Brazil, and the abbreviation comes from the name of the motorized police brigades, whose members illegally massacred members of children's gangs in the suburbs of Brazilian cities in the 60s. The film's strengths lie in its modern editing, good camera work, screenplay, and performances by completely unseen actors in Europe. There is nothing major that can be criticized about the film. Overall impression: 95%. (28/10/2007)

Well, I don’t think City of God is only an average film, as my rating may indicate, but I simply can’t grant four or five stars to something that never managed to make me interested in how it will end. The editing is very nice, and so are the performances and the direction, but what can I do with that when I didn’t care at all about the story itself? (07/12/2008)