City of God (2002)
Welcome to the ghetto.
Presentation:
When we think of the gangster genre, it’s often of Italian mobsters and slick heists. But the original gangsters weren’t wearing suits or living in luxury, they were from the hood. This coming of age caper shows the life of 2 gangsters in Brazil with very different paths. Unlike other films, it never glorifies the lifestyle, dragging your face in the mud and depravity for the 2 hours. It’s shot on film, visually quite dirty but the cinematography is still fantastic through use of handheld, dutch angles and wide angles. It feels like it could have been shot by Chivo, hiding it’s artistic merit through it’s flippant and spontaneous presentation. In a word, the camera work feels like it was shot by a gang member, disregarding blatantly clipped highlights yet with high filmmaking IQ. It’s very evocative and immerses you in the ghettos like a documentary and you’re right there in the middle of it. It’s fast paced, exciting, though light hearted in tone, which works really well to provide a unique gangster experience.
Conclusion:
One of the best Spanish/Portuguese films of all time, this is a film that pulls you into a life you hopefully never have to experience. But it shines with such charisma and personality that you will find yourself feeling you have known the characters your entire life. The performances feel authentic, it has novel Spanish sensibilities, and to top it off the ending will surprise you with a gift that will make you want to know even more about this film. It’s pretty difficult to do something new, but this revolutionizes what you might expect from the genre. A gangster film from an entirely different lens. One could say, it’s even better.
Recommendations
One does not simply get revenge on Billy the Butcher.