Name of film – City of God (2002)
Lizard film – 029
Chosen by – Mashiter
Date – December 2018
Director – Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund (co-director)
Starring – Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino da Hora, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen, Matheus Nachtergaele, Seu Jorge
Duration – 130 mins
Genre – Foreign, Crime, Drama
Summary –
Using street kids straight from the Cidade de Deus slum outside Rio de Janeiro, Fernando Meirelles’ film is based on actual events that happened in the slum. The story, revealed by Buscape – a street kid who decides to become a photojournalist when he discovers he is not cut out to become a villain – revolves around the shadowy world of drugs and the violence which increases with each generation. Li’l Ze has grown up to become a natural-born-killer and attempt to take over the drugs trade of the city. However, this sparks a turf war which is photographed by Buscape, making the war famous.
JONES’ SCORE & REVIEW
ACTING – 9
DIRECTING – 9
SCORE/AUDIO – 8
CINEMATOGRAPHY – 9
ENTERTAINMENT – 7
TOTAL – 42/50 = 84% ****
Have I ever been to Brazil? No
Have I ever fancied going to Brazil? Not really!
After seeing City of God, do you want to go to Brazil? No way, Jose!
As the slicing and butchering of a chicken is the first thing we are treated to in this Brazilian cult movie, whilst typical South American music is belted out to compliment the intro, we are firmly thrown into the ring as we follow an escaped bird running for his life, as an excited pack of youths try their best to shoot it to pieces. It’s just a game to these rough cunts and as the cameraman showboats with his brilliant 360 degree spins, I already know this film is going to leave a lasting impression on me. If you want to grab someone’s attention within moments, co-directors Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund have done more than enough to firmly tick that box. With clever flashbacks used during the “piggy in the middle” scene, a freeze frame Toye and Prendiville would be chuffed over, and the clever use of the sound of a camera clicking, these budding film makers have already been ranked up there with Scorsese. It instantly felt like a Brazilian Tarantino version of “Boyz N The Hood”, although I couldn’t get “Casino” out off my head. There’s been a lot of these narrative driven films, especially mobster/gangster types from “Goodfellas” to “Blow”. Let’s hope this could maintain the high standards of De Niro and Pesci and less Depp on that front.
“But for the powerful, our problems didn’t matter. We were too far removed from the picture postcard image of Rio de Janeiro”
We got a glimpse of Brazil’s beauty when two boys went for a swim in the river, but on the whole, the streets of Rio were a grim maze with a devilish character on every corner waiting to pop a shot in someone’s face. From watching Lil Dice and co rob a whorehouse and even insulting their victims at the same time, “You’re fat and flabby”, as the cat and mouse venture with the local cop shop continued for the yobs who don’t give a flying fuck for anybody (or themselves for that matter!) They were brutal killers, however you dress it up, and you have to ponder why they’ve been conditioned so much to have so little regard for life. Shooting a victim was like watching Burnage Day polish off another scotch egg – a picnic in the park. Next victim gobbled up.
There were moments of comic value as the character, Shaggy, falls in love and flirts with a girl, even though the police are hot on his trail. As much as it was tongue in cheek, the humour was slightly lost on me as it wasn’t like the comic strip violence portrayed in “Kill Bill” – it was nasty stuff and I didn’t think a chuckle here or there really suited the violence or subject matter used in “City of God”. A little lightheartedness during blood shedded scenes should be left for Rodriguez or Tarantino who somehow have found an art of combining the two.
I did, however, enjoy the dirty conversation between the older, more experienced woman trying to educate the more sheltered younger female about some good tricks for the bedroom. I’ve not heard advice like that since a long chat with Old Man Dave on the third floor kitchen in Helvellyn during Fresher’s week. Pity he was referring to Big Kev rather than his wife to be, Nicola…
“Doesn’t your husband go down on you? Mine, before entering me, has to use his tongue. For about half an hour. And from behind? Do you let him?
– Good God, no, doesn’t it hurt?
The first few times. Then you’ll see, it’s fantastic. But you need a banana.
– What for?
You’re missing the good things in life, girl! You take a banana, warm it up, put it up your thing while he takes you from behind. It’s a real rush. Ask your husband.
– I couldn’t. You don’t know him. He’s liable to beat me.
Try him. Men go wild for smut like that”
Sadly, the next scene is dark and bleak again as the young girl is caught doing these sexual acts with another bloke and her mental hubby catches them. As the bit on the side runs for his life, the poor housewife is battered to death with a shovel and then buried with persuably the same spade but finally being discovered Fred West style.
Meanwhile, Shaggy and his Mrs have gone all Bonnie and Clyde on us in this lawless society but before we know it, Shaggy is a goner. Bullet ridden and lying in cold blood for all to see, even the hot shots don’t last long in this concrete jungle.
“I’ve always been an ace at rolling a joint. If I’d had the same skill with girls, I’d never have missed so many chances to lose my virginity.”
Fast forward to the future (the 70’s), our boy is now 16. He is more interested in getting his end away as he tries to impress the local fitbit. He goes out of his way to find the best dope to supply her which eventually leads to him to winning the girl (for now). Full credit and just rewards.
The focus suddenly shifts to a character who really takes the story to another level – in all senses of the word. The violence suddenly becomes horrific, the eviliness and disrespect for human life clear to see, and makes King Joffrey look like a puppy dog. Lil Dice or Lil Ze as he’s soon to be renamed, was a nasty piece of shit. We discover how ruthless, clever and calculated he was as the little runt of the litter but as the gone off cream has become mature and now floating on top, we witness another degree of craziness. He kills more men than Hitler, Pol Pot and Stalin rolled into one. The scene where he shoots two young hoodlems and orders another youth to shoot one, was memorable for all the wrong reasons. I didn’t enjoy this scene and felt it was glorifying violence for the shock value at times, especially here. This sensationalising and appearing to make the characters too cool didn’t wash well with me.
However, the style of the movie and how the directors played around with different techniques thrilled me with only “Old Boy” scoring better (and I doubt will ever be beat when it comes to choosing lizardman films for a variety of skills used). For example, the still position of the camera in the apartment. We watch different scenes over a period of time but only the characters move as the camera remains still. The split screen method used which I appreciated it (but not as much as when I could watch the Liverpool and City games simultaneously on the last game of the season). There was a brilliant scene where they used a low camera during a rape scene as the boyfriend is literally stood on. How a tasteless moment can be captured so beautifully – I’m lost for words. Then the most impressive moment was when the directors chose to use the strobe lighting effect when Benny met his fate. Superb!
“They’ve killed Benny”
The character of Benny and best mate of Lil Dice was an interesting one. You knew he was the friendlier one, more grounded of the two main hoodlems but at the same time, I felt on edge. When he chases the smackhead on his bike, I feared the worse for the druggie but in fact, the opposite. The two became friends and Benny helped fuel his new pal’s addiction by receiving, in return, the latest fashion tips and new clothes to wear. Strange little side-story as Benny was now loving being trendy. Benny was happy to have sloppy thirds and the fit local lass moved on and became his girl. She had more pricks than a second hand dartboard. She was a good influence on Benny and like all bad boys, a good girl changes them. Ironically, it was at their farewell to the hood party with the dream of moving on to pastures new, Benny lost his life.
“Hey melonhead! You fuckin fag! Get the hell out off here!”
As much as I respected this film at large, there were gripes throughout though. As arty as it was, it was a grim view so it was hard to find it entertaining unless your favourite genre is snuff movies. It felt limited for large parts to being endless shootings, showering the settings with bullets and just shoot a few more people when bored of a conversation. At times it was too much and a little silly. More quarrelling and the predictable way to end people having beef? Just shoot the fuckers in the head. Another one bites the dust. Saying that, in reality, 198 people are murdered every day in Brazil so maybe it really is a true reflection? These mobster Brazilians could shoot better than the Fat Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Romario combined. It was like paintballing to these balls of steel urban rats.
With half an hour to go, I was losing interest a little. For all the style, I craved more substance through better conversations. A bit of piece and quiet was welcomed though as the story got more interesting as we follow the boy’s new profession – becoming a photographer for the local rag and getting respect from his peers for having footage close to the action. If only they knew the truth.
The stand out impressive scene for me was towards the end as we witness the death of Lil Dice through the camera lense of the main character as he’s recording the murder scene by the gang of little shits, now confident enough to flex their muscles and take top rank, even if completely disorganised with no leader (sounds like watching United). The clever use of showing the beginning at the end of how it all started was something not lost on me either. The strong message of the corrupt cops was reminded to the audience throughout and in the end, the evil did get their comeuppance. I liked the final scene as we see the new generation of boyz n the hood taking the mantle and shows it’s still a serious issue in that part of the world. Will it ever change? I doubt it and even though films like “City of God” raise awareness of the major issue, for me, it didn’t do enough to condemn but in some scenes, quite the opposite, making gang life to be pretty cool and appealing.
To conclude… I was very impressed with the direction of the film, even if it clearly stole from other films of its type that had been made before it, but hey, that’s life. You couldn’t fault the acting. Yes, the roles were restricted to looking hard and hitting the target but they all did what was asked of them. The soundtrack did what it had to do with a Brazilian flavour throughout which was sparingly used effectively. The splash of music used here and there was subtle but bang on the money. The storyline itself was strong but could and should have been padded out better with stronger scenes of dialogue so we could understand why these kids were acting like they were rather than just displaying violence. It was hard to empathise or sympathise with any of the gang members. I wanted to see the psychology of why and delve deeper.
The cinematography was purely about the streets of Rio. I rated this highly still as I felt part of the action and trapped in there for the whole 2 hours. It was definitely a memorable watch. Not on the same level as “Casino” or “Goodfellas” but better than the likes of “Blow” for sure. A good choice Lizardman Mashiter. A movie talked about for years I’ve never got round to seeing and you gave us the direct kick up the arse to watch it. Now go and get your fuckin’ shoe shine box… Bring on the “Irishman”!
DREYER’S SCORE & REVIEW
ACTING – 8
DIRECTING – 9
SCORE/AUDIO – 9
CINEMATOGRAPHY – 10
ENTERTAINMENT – 8
TOTAL – 44/50 = 88% ****
ACTING 85%
DIRECTING 90%
SCORE/AUDIO 85%
CINEMATOGRAPHY 95%
ENTERTAINMENT 75%
TOTAL SCORE 86%
(RJ – 84% RD – 88%)
**** 4 STAR LIZARDMAN RATING ****
Lizardman Film Club 