"City" gives graphic glimpse of slum life

Based in part on a true story, City of God presents a stunning, vivid portrayal of slum life in one of the world's most exotic cities. The film focuses on the lives of two young residents of Rio de Janeiro's most notorious slums: the ruthlessly ambitious drug dealer Li'l Ze and the movie's narrator, aspiring photographer Rocket. As Li'l Ze consolidates his power and eliminates his competition, Rocket struggles to thrive in Rio's slums. He brushes up against the city's criminal elements, but Rocket's natural meekness prevents him from joining Li'l Ze's world. The balance between Li'l Ze's savage criminality and Rocket's gentle docility illustrates the different approaches to living in the worst imaginable conditions. Although this technique the innocent directly opposite the evil is hardly original, it does not seem rehashed in the hands of director Fernando Merielles. Both characters are fresh enough to carve out a unique sense of contrast that underscores the entire film. Within this tension, a wide spectrum of figures emerges. Perhaps the most disturbing and lasting facet of City of God is the overall youth of the criminals. Li'l Ze is a kingpin by his 18th birthday, and many of those working and killing for him have yet to hit puberty. Images of four-foot children wielding pistols will haunt viewers long after the movie's end. City of God has only a vague plot structure and story line. The film does not build to a predictable climax, and it is at times difficult to see where screenwriter Braulio Montavani is taking the story. But this is forgivable; the plot is secondary to the general picture of Rio, and in crafting an image of life in Rio's ghettos, City of God is wildly successful. With its constant violence and insights into the criminal lifestyle, City of God has been compared favorably to the best of American gangster films. Among the differences between City of God and Goodfellas, and for that matter most other American crime films, is the seeming indifference with which the violence is recounted. The individual acts of violence are not highlighted to shock viewers; rapes and murders roll off the script as casually as does the Portuguese dialogue. The cumulative effect is numbing. City of God's two hours are packed full of revolting crimes, but none are as memorable as, for instance, Sonny Corleone's murder in The Godfather. What stands out is not any particular crime, but the relentlessness of the violence. To say that life is cheap in Li'l Ze's world is a drastic understatement, and it is hard for most people to comprehend a place where there is such a blasˇ approach to killing. The aura of celebrity surrounding portrayals of the Cosa Nostra in American cinema is entirely absent from City of God. The criminal leaders are not icons. As Li'l Ze and his buddy Benny, Fermino Da Hora and Phelipe Haagensen bring an unwashed authenticity to their roles which adds to City of God's unique mood. The movie's tone is unlike any American movie. This honest and jarring picture of Rio's darker side is among the most inventive crime movies in recent years. Rating: A