City of God

THE FLICK: The allure of the gangster lifestyle has inspired filmmakers from Howard Hawks to Martin Scorsese – feeding off the intrinsically dramatic rise to power and equally satisfying fall from grace. Fernando Meirelles’ City of God blends this familiar story within a more socially conscious framework. The working-class slums of Rio de Janeiro are the setting for his manically brilliant coming-of-age gangster film, more alive with true cinematic joie de vive than anything in recent memory. Based on a true story of Brazilian gang violence in the 60’s and 70’s, the film follows Rocket, a quiet bystander to the world of violence around him, but jumps from character to character as the crime saga unfolds. Lil’ Ze, who commits his first mass murder by the age of 10, kills his way to the top of the slums. And his taste for blood affects everyone’s life - from Benny, his second-in-command looking to escape to the simple life, to the “runts,” pre-teen gangs who steal candy, cash or whatever they can find. Rocket’s weapon of choice is a camera, which eventually brings he and Lil’ Ze lives to a dangerous intersection. There’s so much story in City of God it’s simpler to describe what films it resembles rather than provide a summary and risk ruining the momentum Meirelles develops from the first frame. On the surface, the most obvious inspiration is Guy Ritchie’s recent duo of quirky British hits, Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. The non-stop camera tricks, post-production freeze frames and pulp fiction chapter stops are lifted without apologies. But Meirelles’ film is much closer to Scorsese’s serious sense of gangland tragedy – live fast, die young, or get the hell out of the way. And the pantheon of colorful characters, each with an equally interesting backstory, brings to mind the best moments of Goodfellas. But what differentiates City of God from its obvious progenitors is the historical and political backdrop of Brazil’s most notorious metropolitan slum, a veritable dumping ground for the poor, unwanted masses. Unlike the capitalistic thugs in Hollywood, Meirelles gives his gangsters an excuse for their violence. In the cuidad de dios there is simply no other way to survive. Even honest, working-class citizens (represented in the film by the character of Knockout Ned) are drawn into the battle to defend themselves. It’s Tony Carmonte’s speech at the end of Hawks’ 1932 Scarface made reality: For better or worse, most of City of God’s gangsters are monsters created by their own flawed society. THE FEATURES: In Brazilian Portuguese with English subtitles, Miramax has wisely preserved the best presentation of Meirelles’ film, with Dolby Digital 5.1 and 16 X 9 enhanced transfer. Only one extra is included but it’s a doozy. “News from a Personal War” (60 min.) is every bit as engaging as the film itself, with contemporary profiles of individuals in the heart of Rio’s problems. A cop, a gangster, a housewife – all captured in candid interviews about the day to day existence in what remains a black eye on the resort city sold to tourists as a tropical paradise.