The World Film joural - Essay Example

The film’s characters exist in reality making it more real and intense; in fact, some of the cast resided in Rio de Janeiro at the time of shooting this film. City of God focuses on the tagline that if one chooses to run, the beast catches up with them and, if they choose to stay, the beast eats them. This is a moral dilemma which faces the characters in the film, who have to choose to either leave the crime-infested suburb or stay put and become affected by the organized crime.

The film has received much acclaim on different aspects ranging from receiving four Academy Award nominations, the best writing (adaptation), directing, editing and cinematography. The film opens by chickens being prepared for a meal, but one of the chickens manages to escape and is chased by a gang member who meet Rocket, a youth who seems to believe that the gang is out to kill him. The film’s excellent cinematography comes out when the chicken halts between the Rocket and the armed gang member showing the confusion being witnessed in the area by most young persons, unsure of which side to follow; either the bunch of criminals or the ordinary person.

Suddenly, we are taken back to Rocket’s childhood days where he is playing soccer; here, we learn how the City of God was established in the late 1960s. . This, in turn, endears the trio to the citizens, who protect the former and some young men even idolize them as heroes and saviors of the community. However, such idolization has detrimental effects for some of the boys in the City of God as seen through Li’l Dice, who manages to talk his counterparts into raiding a motel and robbing its occupants off their valuables.

Being too young, Li’l Dice is tasked to serve as a lookout for the police, a move that angers Li’l Dice, who subsequently uses his issued gun to kill all the motel occupants. In the City of God, induction into the life of crime and gangs takes place at a tender age as evident through Li’l Dice being given a gun to warn his crew of police’ arrival. The law enforcement agencies are brought into the limelight upon the occurrence of the motel massacre. In the story, the police have a laid back attitude towards criminal gangs, choosing to wait until a crime as grave as the massacre occurs before they act ((Lins and Entrekin, p. 113). Cohesion among members of criminal gangs is minimal as they turn against one another upon the slightest provocation.

Li’l Dice, who appears to have enjoyed the act of killing, shots down his friend Goose after stealing from him. The film leaps forward into the 1970s where we note that Rocket has since joined a group of youthful hippies, the “Groovies”, who take part in smoking marijuana. Rocket’s infatuation with a girl draws him further towards his interest in photography. However, his efforts of getting closer to the girl are squashed by “the Runts”, a group of young trouble seekers under the leadership of Li’l Dice who now refers to himself as Li’l Ze.

Li’l Dice’s evolution into a drug king results in his wanton