City of God

We know, we know. Foreign film. Subtitles. All the Cannes hype. But the bottom line is, City of God is a Gangs of Brazil movie with plenty of style to match its extreme violence. Follow a group of kids around the slums of Rio de Janeiro as they grow up fighting to survive; shoot-outs, stabbings, robberies, drug deals, whatever it takes. Jumpy camera work and a jumpier timeline—think Pulp Fiction—keep all the characters fresh in your mind and make the two hour–plus running time bearable. Even if you can’t stand the thought of reading subtitles for so long, the constant flurry of action on screen will keep you happy.