City of God
In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.
Director(s)
Erick Maximiano Oliveira
Christian Duurvoort
Malu Miranda
Isabella Teixeira
Marcelo Pires
Fernando Meirelles
Kátia Lund
Where to watch
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Cast & crew
Seu Jorge
Mané Galinha - Knockout Ned
Alice Braga
Angélica
Douglas Silva
Dadinho - Li'l Dice
Daniel Zettel
Thiago - Tiago
Fernando Meirelles
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Alexandre Rodrigues
Buscapé - Rocket
Leandro Firmino
Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé
Phellipe Haagensen
Bené - Benny
Jonathan Haagensen
Cabeleira - Shaggy
Matheus Nachtergaele
Sandro Cenoura - Carrot
Jefechander Suplino
Alicate - Clipper
Emerson Gomes
Barbantinho - Stringy
Edson Oliveira
Barbantinho Adulto - Older Stringy
Michel Gomes
Bené Criança - Young Benny
Roberta Rodrigues
Berenice - Bernice
Luis Otávio
Buscapé Criança - Young Rocket
Kiko Marques
Cabeção - Melonhead
Gustavo Engracia
Editor do Jornal - Rogerio Reis
Darlan Cunha
Filé-com-Fritas - Steak and Fries
Robson Rocha
Gelson - Gerson
Thiago Martins
Lampião
Leandra Miranda
Lúcia Maracanã
Graziella Moretto
Marina Cintra
Renato de Souza
Marreco - Goose
Karina Falcão
Mulher do Paraíba - Shorty's Wife
Sabrina Rosa
Namorada do Galinha - Knockout's Girlfriend
Rubens Sabino
Neguinho - Blacky
Kikito Junqueira
Otávio
Edson Montenegro
Pai Buscapé - Rocket's Father
Gero Camilo
Paraíba - Shorty
Felipe Paulino
Rafael
Charles Paraventi
Tio Sam - Uncle Sam
Luiz Carlos Ribeiro Seixas
Touro
Paulo 'Jacaré' César
Tuba
Dani Ornellas
Vizinha do Paraíba - Shorty's Neighbor
Bernardo Santos
Caixa Baixa - Runts
Diego Batista
Caixa Baixa - Runts
Diego Ferreira
Caixa Baixa - Runts
Marcio Vinicios
Caixa Baixa - Runts
Micael Borges
Caixa Baixa - Runts
Rafael de Castro
Caixa Baixa - Runts
Ramon Francisco
Caixa Baixa - Runts
Thiago Wallace
Caixa Baixa - Runts
Alexander Cerqueira
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Alexandre 'China' Tavares
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
André Pires Martins
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
António Rodrigues
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Bartolomeu Braga
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Carlos Henrique Avernas
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Cláudio César
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Cleiton Ventura
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Damião Firmino
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Euclides Garcia
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Fábio Castor Conceição
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Felipe Nogueira
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Ivan Martins
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
John Lima
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Jonas Michel
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Leandro Lucas
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Leandro Dias Batista
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Lúcio Andrey
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Luis Carlos Rodrigues Oliveira
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Luís Nascimento
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Marcelo Mello Jr.
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Márcio Costa
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang / Bando Cenoura
Mário Luiz Costa Oliveira
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Nelson Amaral
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Omar 'Mazinho' Barcelos
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Otto Amorim
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Peter Soares
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Rafael de Souza
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Roberto Miguez
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Rómulo 'Guinomo' Sech
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Ruy Vitório
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Sérgio Bispo
Bando Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé's Gang
Alex dos Santos
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Anderson Bruno Marques
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Anderson Lugão
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
André Luiz Mendes
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Antoni Guedes
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Bruno Ricardo
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Charles Samuel
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Éder Júlio Martins
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Eduardo 'BR' Piranha
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Erick Maximiano Oliveira
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Fábio 'Dog' da Cunha
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Felipe Villela Mendonça
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Frederico Lins
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Guilherme Estevam
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Guilherme William
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Harlem Teixeira
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Leandro Gonçalves
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Leandro Lima
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Leiz Moreira
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Leonardo Melo
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Luis Carlos Oliveira
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Marcello Melo
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Marcello 'Máscara' Alves
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Wallace Araújo
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Wallace Nascimento
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Wanderson 'Petão' Lopes
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Wellington Costa Ricardo
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Wemerson Gonçalves
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Wendel Barros
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Yuri Krushewsky
Bando Cenoura - Carrot's Gang
Anderson Faria
Cocotas - Groovies
Arlindo Lopes
Cocotas - Groovies
Carol Meirelles
Cocotas - Groovies
Carlos 'Lencinho' Smith
Cocotas - Groovies
Christiano
Cocotas - Groovies
Diego Mendes
Cocotas - Groovies
Jéssica Santos
Cocotas - Groovies
Lorena Da Silva
Cocotas - Groovies
Luciana Roque
Cocotas - Groovies
Marina Mandonça Pinheiro
Cocotas - Groovies
Michele Gonçalves
Cocotas - Groovies
Pierre dos Santos
Cocotas - Groovies
Renan Monteiro
Cocotas - Groovies
Vinicius Faria
Cocotas - Groovies
Delano Valentim
Polícia - Police
Ed Money
Polícia - Police
Fabiano Gonçalves
Polícia - Police
Felipe Porto
Polícia - Police
Francisco Marcos
Polícia - Police
Leo Generoso
Polícia - Police
Marcelo António Santos
Polícia - Police
Marcelo Araújo
Polícia - Police
Marcos Viana
Polícia - Police
Maurício Figueiras
Polícia - Police
Ricardo Lira
Polícia - Police
Ricardo Rocha da Silva
Polícia - Police
Wagner Mello
Polícia - Police
Waldeck Roque
Polícia - Police
Júlio César Siqueira
Aristóteles
Denise Fonseca
Ba
Adão Xalebaradã
Exu
Edward Boggis
Garoto viciado - Addicted Kid
Guti Fraga
Gerente do supermercado - Supermarket Manager
Babu Santana
Grande - Big Boy
Marcello Costa
Irmão Mané Galinha - Knockout Ned's Brother
Marcos Coutinho
Irmão Mané Galinha - Knockout Ned's Brother
João Soares
Jabá
Rafael Fontenele
Jovem Trabalhador - Young Worker
Rosangela Rodrigues
Mãe Buscapé - Rocket's Mother
Jota Farias
Motorista do DKW - Driver
Mary Sheila
Mulher do Neguinho - Blacky's Wife
Gil Torres
Mulher do Ônibus - Woman on Bus
Paulo Lins
Pastor da Igreja - Shepherd of the Church
Christian Duurvoort
Paulista - Man from São Paulo
Olivia Araújo
Recepcionista do Motel
Tulé Peak
Newspaper Employee (uncredited)
Malu Miranda
-
Isabella Teixeira
-
Marcelo Pires
-
Kátia Lund
-
Details
Reviews
Crazypiglady
It’s a great film and well worthy of its the respect it has. It’s gruelling too, the 18 rating is due to the thread running through the film of continuous and ruthless violence of gangs trying to control their drug area. The is the story told through the eyes of ‘Rocket’ who avoids getting in to the gang war of his brother and friends by trying to find a safer life. The film combines slick production without losing a genuine documentary feel which I think it is why it’s so enduring. While it achieves a feeling of reality, it isn’t specifically a true story. However, the Cidade de Deus is real (being created to rehouse the slums away from Rio de Janeiro) and this story of its underworld and the film’s production makes one believe it may not be too far from the truth. There is hope in the story but not a lot.
CinemaSerf
Told by way of an occasionally narrated retrospective, "Rocket" (Alexandre Rodrigues) tells us a story of his childhood in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Growing up in a community of newly built boxes, without power or plumbing, that reminded me of a row of concrete beach huts, the community is pretty lawless. The crime is largely to confined to pettier crimes, but as aspirations grow so does the scale of the criminality. A raid on a motel-cum-brothel is supposed to make everyone extra cash, but their inventive young watchman "Li'l Dice" (Douglas Silva) hates being left out and so does a little augmenting of his own. Brutal and attention grabbing. Next the cops crack down, bodies pile up and the societal order starts to change. It's this young man who grows up into the leading drug-peddling hoodlum amongst a now much more developed township where, tempered only by his more diplomatic childhood friend "Bené" (Phellipe Haagensen), the newly named "Li'l Zé" (Leandro Firmino) is ruling the roost. Curiously, his own form of government proves more stable for the residents, and although many are addicts there is a certain degree of law-and-order. Then the runts start to intervene. These are the young children with no hope, no families and only the dream of becoming their own version of "Li'l Zé" one day too. Gradually, the empire expands until it's only "Carrot" (Matheus Nachtergaele) who stands against him. When tragedy strikes very close to home for the kingpin, though, the uneasy peace between the two sections breaks out into an open warfare that drags in the sharpshooting army vet "Knockout Ned" (Seu Jorge), arms all the enthusiastic children and creates an environment that isn't safe for anyone - and where the police keep their distance in the hope that they will just all just slaughter each other. It's lucky that "Rocket" can use a camera. His boss wants publicity to illustrate how dominant and powerful he is. The newspapers want the photographs too. If the young man can walk the tightrope carefully, he might find himself well placed to capitalise on his unique access to a story that by now is gripping their nation. This is a fascinatingly well put together depiction of the worst of human nature; a dog eat dog world, where traditional humanity is scarce and the virtues of a not so benign dictatorship are exposed for all to see. The characterisations are mostly brutal and exploitative, yet there is a place for love and loyalty too amidst a poverty stricken population that craves basics like food and running water and is oblivious to death in the streets. The story is well supplemented by some engaging supporting characters like "Steak n' Fries", "Goose", "Shaggy" and "Thiago" (Daniel Zettel or is it really Timothée Chalamet?). The writing delivers powerfully but sparingly. We don't have loads of waffling dialogue, and there's also quite a bit of dark humour contained to not so much lighten the mood as to enhance the perception amongst most of the population that kill or be killed was a perfectly reasonable mantra. Firmino, Haagensen and Rodrigues deliver extremely well here in this most impressively photographed and intense look at a society where the top dog was only top by feeding and starving his followers. It's not especially graphic, I found, just a poignant look at survival of the fittest, the shrewdest and the luckiest. There's also a distinct lack of religiosity throughout, too! If you can see this at a cinema, then do - it's based on a true story and isn't an easy watch.
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