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City of God

Original title: Cidade de Deus · Turkish title: Tanrı Kent

“If you run, the beast catches you; if you stay, the beast eats you.”

2002 · 2 h 10 min
Directed by Fernando Meirelles
CrimeDrama

Cast

Alexandre Rodrigues Leandro Firmino Phellipe Haagensen Douglas Silva Seu Jorge Alice Braga

Credits

Written by: Bráulio Mantovani

Plot

In a Rio de Janeiro slum in the 1960s and 1970s, the growth of organised crime is seen through the eyes of Rocket, a young man who dreams of becoming a photographer. He grows up alongside Li'l Zé, a ruthless gang leader, and his friend Benny. Fernando Meirelles's 2002 film, with its kinetic style and non-professional cast, was nominated for four Academy Awards.

Sinekatalog’s take

Rio's favela gangs told with whip-pan energy and a big ensemble. Meirelles mixes documentary grit with flashy editing, and the result is exhilarating and bleak in equal measure.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

Ratings

IMDb: 8.6 / 10 (884,642 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.

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