City of God is heavan sent

City Of God: Life is as cheap as it tough in Cidade de Deus, a Brazilian favela just a few short miles — but in reality a lifetime — away from the bright lights of Rio de Janeiro. Drugs, violence and despair are a inevitable part of everyday life and crime seems to be the only way out.

Wannabe photojournalist Rocket is our guide to the favela and he introduces us to small-time petty crooks the Tender Trio, and to Li’l Dice, who, by the age of nine has committed his first armed robbery, killing a few people along the way.

As he grows older Li’l Dice changes his name to Li’l Ze and becomes the most feared gangster in the neighbourhood. He uses his fondness for random violence to keep everyone under control — in one scene he orders a young boy to kill another as punishment for robbing a bakery. Li’l Ze doesn’t allow any robbing, killing or raping in his territory, except those his gangs carries out.

Benny, who dreams of leaving the favela for life on a farm, tries to negotiate a truce between Li’l Ze and his bitter enemy Carrot. But when Li’l Ze rapes the girlfriend of Knockout Ned, he and Carrot line up against him in an all-out war.

City of God is not a film for the faint-hearted. It’s a disturbing social commentary on continuous poverty and violence and the effects it can have on a city. Any city. Here it’s the story of Cidade de Deus, but it could easily be any one of a number of towns across the world. Rocket, Li’l Zé and Benny could be so easily replaced by so many others. Some break free, some get sucked under, but the city itself just keeps on dying.

Action, 18 ****