Release Date:
Tuesday, June 8, 2004
Who says subtitles and violence don't mix? City of God tells the true story of a Rio de Janeiro ghetto teaming with drug dealers, corrupt cops, and community members caught in the crossfire. Spanning 20 years, it shows kids evolving from soccer-playing youngsters to prepubescent weed couriers to unscrupulous drug lords. The alarmingly dismal subject matter is effective, but the DVD's lone feature is even more eye-opening. "News From a Personal War" goes in deep for an hour-long exploration of the favela (Brazilian shanty town) and drug trafficking problem City of God fictionalizes. The chief of police openly admits to controlling his citizenry by "any means necessary," while cameramen lurk over the shoulders of gun-toting dealers and amoral officers looking to make what arrests they can. While there isn't a whole lot of God to be found, there's enough drugs, death, and despair in this city to make it worth the trip.