Colin-H
Second Unit
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2002
- Messages
- 391
MAJOR SPOILER ALERT
What really struck me about this film was how it drew me into the world of Ciudade de Deus (the place). As the movie progresses, I became number and number to the Tarantino-esque violence. I can assume the residents must’ve felt the same way at that point.
I think this is a side effect of the nonchronological story telling. We see more violent crimes through Li’l Dice/Zé’s army than we would’ve had the story been presented chronologically, in which case the only major violence would’ve been Li’l Dice’s motel charade and the ensuing police pursuit.
There was no better choice than Rocket to narrate the story. He shared the same ambitions as his brother, Goose, and Li’l Dice, yet he knew that he wasn’t cut out for the thug life. (I thought the bit where he tried it on for size was humorous and excellent.) Had he had any less luck, he probably would’ve ended up selling fish like his father, but because of the breaks he got coupled with ambition and intelligence, he found his ticket out of the slum life. (He could’ve easily thrown away those opportunities like he did with Angelica and the girl from the bakery.)
Rocket also provided an outlet for our sympathy. Even though Bené and Li’l Zé were criminals, they were not unsympathetic characters. They were unhappy with their lives, and they were trying to do something about it. We have the objectivity and experience to know that what they were doing was wrong and would ultimately lead to their death, but to them, it was the best option.
I thought this was a great film, but I have a feeling that many people, as with Fight Club, will be unable to look past the violence, and that disappoints me.
What really struck me about this film was how it drew me into the world of Ciudade de Deus (the place). As the movie progresses, I became number and number to the Tarantino-esque violence. I can assume the residents must’ve felt the same way at that point.
I think this is a side effect of the nonchronological story telling. We see more violent crimes through Li’l Dice/Zé’s army than we would’ve had the story been presented chronologically, in which case the only major violence would’ve been Li’l Dice’s motel charade and the ensuing police pursuit.
There was no better choice than Rocket to narrate the story. He shared the same ambitions as his brother, Goose, and Li’l Dice, yet he knew that he wasn’t cut out for the thug life. (I thought the bit where he tried it on for size was humorous and excellent.) Had he had any less luck, he probably would’ve ended up selling fish like his father, but because of the breaks he got coupled with ambition and intelligence, he found his ticket out of the slum life. (He could’ve easily thrown away those opportunities like he did with Angelica and the girl from the bakery.)
Rocket also provided an outlet for our sympathy. Even though Bené and Li’l Zé were criminals, they were not unsympathetic characters. They were unhappy with their lives, and they were trying to do something about it. We have the objectivity and experience to know that what they were doing was wrong and would ultimately lead to their death, but to them, it was the best option.
I thought this was a great film, but I have a feeling that many people, as with Fight Club, will be unable to look past the violence, and that disappoints me.