Click here to copy URL

City of God

The 21st Century’s 100 greatest films (BBC)

Cidade de Deus

2002

Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund

Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva ...

8.4

129,043

Drama Cidade de Deus (City of God) is a housing project built in the 1960's that--in the early 80's--became one of the most dangerous places in Rio de Janeiro. The tale tells the stories of many characters whose lives sometimes intersect. However, all is seen through the eyes of a singular narrator: Busca-Pé, a poor black youth too frail and scared to become an outlaw but also to smart to be content with underpaid, menial jobs. He grows up in ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	David Rooney Variety	"City of God delivers a bruising, visceral experience of the vicious spiral of violence that draws kids into a life of crime, brutality and murder as the only avenue open to them"	POS
United States	Marc Caro Chicago Tribune	"The violence never feels exploitative; the only thrill you feel is that of being in the hands of a masterful storyteller opening your eyes to a world that you feel truly exists"	POS
United States	Desson Thomson The Washington Post	"Meirelles has created one of the most startling, grittily brilliant films in recent years"	POS
United States	Megan Lehmann New York Post	"Like a bomb exploding in a fireworks factory: It's fierce and shocking and dazzling and wonderful"	POS
United States	Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times	"Breathtaking and terrifying (...) a movie that is visually alive and inventive as few films are (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of four)"	POS
United States	Carrie Rickey Philadelphia Inquirer	"An extraordinary film, but definitely not for the weak of stomach"	POS
United States	Keith Phipps AV Club	"'City of God' finds a surprising amount of tenderness and humor beneath the brutality. The laughs may catch in the throat, but that's only a byproduct of the film's power to leave viewers breathless"	POS
United Kingdom	Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"[An] electrifying picture (...) An overwhelming, intoxicating assault on the senses (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Stephen Holden The New York Times	"One of the most powerful in a recent spate of movies that remind us that the civilized society we take for granted is actually a luxury."	POS
United Kingdom	Colin Kennedy Empire	"At once a laboratory for cinema technique and a victory for raw heart, this is a snot-nosed, blood-stained masterpiece (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Mike Clark USA Today	"This is one movie in which you don't feel the long-ish running time, in part because there always seems to be a surprise (as well as a new street guerrilla) around every corner (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Octavio Roca SFGATE	"Brutal, tough to watch but impossible to ignore"	POS

Return to movie

We encourage you to check the reviews' original sources. Intellectual property rights of these reviews belong to their authors and/or the correspondent media from which they have been extracted. If you'd like to help us to add more reviews to your favorite movies, just send us a message.