Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I’m seeing CITY OF GOD on Tuesday morning, and considered whether to count it as part of my deliberations for my upcoming 2002 end-of-the-year list. In the end, though, I’m going to count it as a 2003 release, since it’s opening in LA this coming Friday.
It’s been released in the UK, though, and we’ve got two reviews for it this morning. This first one is from a new scooper for us...
Howdy, Harry and Co.
This film has just arrived in the UK, surfing on a tide of unanimously positive reviews. I don't know whether you've had chance to see it in the US, but if you haven't, you really need to track this film down.
It is fantastic. It's only very rarely that I come out of a film not thinking it overrated or, at the very least, with some minor criticisms. With this, there are none.
The story is told through the eyes of a young Brazilian, known as Rocket, but he is not even the star of the film. The central character is the actual location itself, the City Of God, a housing project in Rio De Janiero that, over the course of the film, transforms from a slum to "a living hell" for it's inhabitants.
Through voice-over we are told how this happens, decade by decade, from the 60's through the 70's to the 80's (hence the blinkered Boogie Nights comparisons that I've read in a couple of reviews). The slum's first notorious criminals are known as the Tender Trio and after the intro, there's is the first real chapter of the film. Their speciality is robbery, holding-up gas delivery-trucks and whore houses, the latter being a heist that leaves every witness and victim brutally shot to death.
When the Trio are killed in separate incidents, the slum is taken over by Lil Dice, an absolute monster of a character who begins his life of crime with theft and aiding the trio's whore-house robbery before graduating to murder.
As we are introduced to him, we see scenes from earlier in the film, but with the emphasis on his character, a device which lets the viewer in on what we've missed before. So, we get to see that it was Lil Dice who killed the whoer-house robbery witnesses (just for fun!) and that it is he who gets rid of the last member of the Tender Trio (and Rocket's brother), in revenge for a minor argument.
This is all done when Lil Dice is still a child. And the actor who plays him in this early section, Doug Silva, is fantastic at showing us evil with a babyface. When he points his pistol, which seems huge in his little hands, and laughs as he fires bullets into someone he has already killed, you believe this monster is real.
Once he starts killing it becomes a normal thing, a habit. He kills rivals and anyone else who gets in his way with the same regularity as me and you smoke a cigarette or drink coffee.
Meanwhile, Rocket is on the fringes of the criminal life, keeping clear of being a gangster and instead concentrating on normal teenager's concerns, like losing his virginity and following his dreams of being a photographer.
As time goes on, cannabis gives way to cocaine and drug wars split the city into two distinct sides and it is this battle, between Lil Dice (now known as Lil Ze) and Carrot, the leading rival drug dealer, and Knockout Ned, a citizen turned criminal, that takes up the later part of the film.
This is gripping stuff. Horrifying, fascinating, funny and entertaining. The film's real success is in the way it holds the viewer exactly where it wants to, while giving us information in small doses throughout. We are given everything in chapters like a book: The 60's, The Tender Trio, Knockout Ned, The Appartment, Benny's Farewell, Knockout Ned...
For example, the handling of the Knockout Ned charcter is especially heartbreaking. He is first introduced as a ticket collector on a bus. Friendly, but professional, one of the few inhabitants who isn't a criminal. We see him early in the film, but as Rocket's voice-over says: "The story of Knockout Ned will come later on..."
Then, later on, Lil Ze attacks him and rapes his girlfriend, purely out of jealousy, a shocking turn of events used for a neat director's flourish. As Ned sits in his kitchen mourning, he asks, "why didn't he just kill me?" CUT TO: Lil Ze strolling away from the crime, he stops and says aloud to himself, "Hang on a second, why didn't I kill him? Let's go back"
After his brother and Uncle are killed in the following attack, Ned vows revenge and joins the rival gang in order to kill Lil Ze. But, before they do that, they need guns. And before they get guns, they need money, which leads to a bank robbery, during which the now emotionally-dead Ned kills a security guard, a moment of violence that will have dire consequences for him later on. The character arc of Ned moving from innocent to killer is probably the saddest of the movie, reflecting how easy it can be for someone to go down the wrong path.
There are far too many moments, shocking or touching, to single out in one review: The chicken chase that opens the movie, the murder of a cheating wife by a husband with a shovel, Rocket's first kiss, Lil Ze forcing a slum-child to choose between being shot in the hand or foot, Benny's farewell, the suspence of Rocket getting his first photograph. All are good.
Superficially, the film may resemble Boogie Nights or Goodfellas as some reviewers have pointed out, but that is just in the details. The films that this is more closely linked to are Menace II Society and Boyz N The Hood, films where the location seems to swallow up it's inhabitants even though they may try to escape. Also, Pixote is a film that more readily springs to mind than the PT Anderson/Scorsese template.
So, don't think that because this film is worthy that it will be dull too. It is worthy and entertaining and an Oscar winner for Best Foriegn Film if I ever saw one.
And this next chap’s sent us several reviews this season, and seems quite smitten by the film...
City of God
I’ve seen over 200 films this year and this is at the very top of my list. It’s up there with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Adaptation, The Pianist, Sex & Lucia and Y Tu Mama Tambien. It is that good. It is Oscar worthy and I want to see more from the cast and crew responsible.
Money can’t buy taste. That is one of the certainties in life. It’s that simple. After Gangs of New York I realised here is a real gangster movie… but with soul and attention to detail Scorsese can only dream about of late…
The film beings with in a Brazilian market. We see chickens being killed. We see the quick cuts of a knife cutting through flesh. We see chickens blood drip to the ground. We see more chickens in their cages, oblivious to their fate. But we keep returning to the image of a lone chicken, its foot robed to a table. This chicken is to be killed next. The edits are so fast and so subjective that soon you realise the bird knows it is going to die. The chicken somehow breaks free from the rope… It is the mid 70’s as our hero – Rocket – is in his early 20’s and carrying a stills camera in road near to the market. At the market Lil Zi arrives with a few other friends. They see the chicken break free and Lil Zi instructs his friends to catch the chicken, which they chase on foot. Suddenly a gun is shot… Then another.
The pursuers are chasing the chicken and trying to shoot it. Everything is suddenly brutal and real… Gone is the lighthearted chase and instead we have shocking brutality. The chicken runs into the road where Rocket stands. Lil Zi and his gang call out to Rocket to pick the chicken up. They aim their guns – over 20 of them at the Chicken and also Rocket. At the other end of the street two police vans arrive, opens doors and armed police flood out. This immediately turns into a standoff between Lil Zi’s gang and the police and Rocket is in the middle.
From the chicken and its almost certain fate. To the fun chase to realisation that these kids are using guns to kill the chicken and the shock of that, to the police and Rocket in the middle – the entire movie is laid out for us in the opening minute. Fantastic. We then get 135 minutes of story that lead to this event. The story covers 2 decades through 2 generations of people all living in a Brazilian slump known as the City Of God…
The two main characters are Rocket – a young man who tries to avoid the gangsters life – but he also knows that the only way to survive in this place is to be in a gang. The film is also the story of Lil Zi – the same age as Rocket… he rules the entire town by the age of 18 through ruthless violence and murder… We see numerous characters enter the story via involvement to the gang… And as the gang rises we see the development of the slum town into a city… There is so much to say it’s easier for you to just see it. Think Goodfellas – only bigger.
The film is also about growing up – just in a world few of us have ever experienced. Lil Zi for all his maliciousness and anger is still an experienced boy when it comes to women. He doesn’t know how to just talk to a girl – he only knows how to rape. When his best friend Benny – who has become generous, fashionable and popular in the community, decides he wants to leave the town and become a hippy (we are in mid 70’s) he throws a huge party… All the main characters are there and the actions of this scene set up the final act of this film beautifully as jealously, loyalty are all played out at a party… Powerful stuff.
The film is indiscriminately violent. In one harrowing scene a ten year old boy has to prove his commitment to a gang by shooting one of two 8 year old boys they have captured from a rival gang. We see an eight year old boy get shot dead while the other cries his eyes out. This is not sensationalist cinema – it’s just terrifyingly plausible in the world we are viewing that the audience wont question the action – just accept it as part of the world. That’s the brilliance of the film and that is the power of it.
This film is so well crafted… It has title cards – a sardonic use of voice over and is practically a trailer for digital post production. There are no Jedi’s or orcs here – or even crowd replication – simply its very well graded and has a great use of all the editorial choices available in a digital post production world. The film isn’t pretentious in the way Ammores Perros was in the sense that it tried to hard to show you the different stories and their “clever” links. This film just succeeds – effortlessly.
The films story has similarities to the Godfather as at one point Benny and Lil Zi have complete control of the area and crime is non-existent. The local population and the police are grateful. People even come to the gang to sort out problems they have instead of the police. The police in this film are shown as corrupt and brutal as any gang member… But Lil Zi doesn’t have the self control and ambition of Don Corleone – he just wants power and to do that he kills… Soon rival gangs force a gang war that leads to the entire town living in fear of death.
All Technical credits are top notch. The production and costume design show 3 decades in a slum town as it grows into the battlefield it becomes. The camera work is fluid and is beautifully stylised. In one lovely scene where Rocket experiences first love we see the a beautiful girl sitting on a beach – suddenly the photography is no long contrasty and harsh – for this one shot – straight out of a holiday commercial – we see a soft blue ocean and back lit woman sitting on white sand with a magnificent mountain in the background… a mountain that we never noticed before… Beautiful.
The editing is exceptional. Massively fast – the editing is the most obvious hero of this film. It manages to bombard us with information the whole time while still keeping the characters at its forefront and the films pace lightening fast. Like where Gangs of New York failed this film shows us the details of this world without getting caught up in its own pretensions – this film succeeds and I came out of this film with an understanding of the geography and lives of the whole community of people as well being told a fascinating and fast paced story. The film is 135 minutes… I saw Love Liza a few days ago and that 90 minutes felt like 900 minutes… This film just drives by and I came out energised and inspired.
But credit is finally due to the 2 directors of this film who have lead such a talented team and inspired them to achieve such magnificent results…
The sad thing is a lot of people are going to say the film is plagiarising the style of Snatch, Goodfellas and even Pulp Fiction. It isn’t. Many people will just see the technically sheen and compare this film to those… Its much more sophisticated than that. And that is what makes it so great.
If anything this film is closer to films like Cyclo and even A Short Film About Killing… (put that link together film fans!) Easier comparisons can be made between Goodfellas and Once Upon a Time in America… This film is as good as those I am comparing it too…
Where ever you are in the world… Hunt this film down… one of the best films of 2002
Truthgame
I can’t wait for Tuesday so I can check it out for m’self...
"Moriarty" out.
