#8 City of God

What's more important when watching a movie, the amount that it gets to you or the amount that it entertains you? Schindler's List is certainly one of the most acclaimed movies ever, but is there enjoyment to be had out of watching it? The same can be said about a book, a TV show, or even a painting. Some people don't enjoy roller coasters. Why would they want to do something that frightens them?

If you fall amongst those who would rather avoid being disturbed, I highly suggest that you avoid seeing City of God. You think the "Slumdog" kids had it bad? At least they could get by just by stealing. There are only two businesses that are profitable for the characters in this movie: You can deal pot or you can deal coke. And, oh yea, there's probably more kids getting murdered in this movie than in anything I've ever seen.

City of God is obviously a sarcastic title. But it is a real place. The City of God(Cidade de Deus in Portuguese) is a district inside of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As the narrator explains at the beginning of the movie, the government systematically moved the favelas (slums) out of the center of the city, so that the world would see the main part as a safer place. Even though this movie takes place decades ago, this makes me really concerned about having the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The protagonist in City of God sort of disappears in the middle of the movie, but it's probably because there are so many other characters in this movie that are well developed. And they all go by nicknames. Li'l Zé, Carrot, Knockout Ned. Even though you're reading subtitles throughout the movie, these are names that stick with you.

I obviously don't think this movie is great strictly because of its violence(which is probably the only reason people think The Boondock Saints is a good movie). But there's no question that the violence adds a tremendous amount of tension. There's one scene in which a kid is forced to choose between shooting one of two people. Was it incredibly disturbing? Yes. Would I say that I "enjoyed" watching it? Certainly not. But was it suspenseful, well filmed, and jarring? Definitely.

The violence in this movie isn't random. There are gangs. And they are organized. And they have plans. The rivalries that exist between the groups gets more fleshed out as the movie moves along, and in some ways City of God becomes a gangster movie that rivals a Scorsese picture.

That's not to say that the only great scenes in this movie are the violent ones. The opening scene involving the chicken is just so well shot and, after a movie filled with flashbacks, it's amazing that they manage to bring the story back to that scene.

There's one part where the protagonist(his nickname is Rocket) picks up a woman's phone number in a convenience store. He then, with his friend throughout the movie, gets a ride from a stranger. This stranger asks them if they wanted to smoke, and the main character proceeds to roll up the piece of paper that had the woman's phone number on it. He remarks that he was never good at picking up women, but he was always great at rolling a joint. This is simultaneously funny, bad ass, and very revealing about Rocket's life. In the City of God, children need to learn skills that aren't taught in school in order to thrive or survive.

There's a point in this movie where you realize that there can't be a happy ending. In fact, it would be hard to find an ending at all because every generation ends up repeating what happened in the previous one. However, somehow, the movie ends up finding a way to come to a conclusive ending with Rocket that doesn't seem unrealistic. But it should seem real. It is based on a true story after all.