Some movies are so flagrantly fierce that they render discussion of them impossible. On this point, City of God succeeds as art, i.e. the use of skill and imagination in the production of things of, well, if not beauty, definitely meaning. Kevin "Tom Servo" Murphy wrote about a foreign film that he had endured and hated watching, saying that it was still effective as art because the images and feelings still lingered in his mood and mind, even in his dreams. Lucky Kevin, his movie was a slow burn of a Chinese film called In The Mood For Love. I, however, in City of God, was subjected to incredibly gorgeously shot brutality, intense, intimate violence, and lots of it.
The film is based on the true story of how Wilson "Rocket" Rodrigues came to be a photojournalist coming out of the City of God; La Cidade de Deus is the slum suburb of Rio de Janeiro which became a virtual war zone after the profitability of cocaine turned street punks into sociopaths. The beginning of the film is an involved portrait of the depressing degradation of these slums and the small town familiarity that breeds boys with Sharks & Jets nicknames like Lil' Dice, Blackie, and Knockout Ned. Directors Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund fill the story with hypnotically cool transitions and sort-of montages. My favorite is the story of Carrot's Apartment. Soon after this expository section, the tone of the movie changes so much that I had to refer to my written notes even to remember that there were parts that I liked.
Most of my readers know that I am shamefully desensitized to most violence in film, but this movie just turned my stomach. The levels of betrayal and sheer gleeful sociopathy was repulsive and scary. The murderous insanity beyond any level of logical desperation was so over the top I couldn't even react after a while (like them). The violence was alarming, vivid, and constant - more so, it seemed, than Black Hawk Down. I have no other impressions in my memory than images of sweat-sheened black youths scowling and laughing over blazing guns and frantic, terrorized movement. Overall, I walked out not having liked the film at all, and wanting to protect my more delicate friends from seeing it.
I cannot deny, however, that it earned its Bafta award for film editing - the work done on the film is very impressive. The images are salient, even cloying (clotting), so I guess it works as art. But at what price? I want to recommend it on its filmmaking merit, but it was seriously a bad taste in my mouth for a while after I saw it. Hence, "This film is not yet rated." If you choose to see it, go into it with eyes open, but do watch the parts where beauty shines through.
-- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These reviews (c) 2003 Karina Montgomery. Please feel free to forward but just credit the reviewer in the text. Thanks. reviews@cinerina.com Check out previous reviews at: http://www.cinerina.com http://ofcs.rottentomatoes.com - the Online Film Critics Society http://www.hsbr.net/reviews/karina/listing.hsbr - Hollywood Stock Exchange Brokerage Resource http://www.mediamotions.com for 1999 releases
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