IMDB Tagline: Fight and you’ll never survive….. Run and you’ll never escape
This is one gun happy film, both hard hitting and brutal in its portrayal of Rio’s slum gangs. Starts out as a total mess, where you find it hard to recognize who is who or what the heck is going on. But slowly the characters come out in the front. This is based on a true story in Brazil (I missed that part) so the whole movie had me going “Man, that is unexpected, who would have thought that would happen” but apparently true life is a much better and shocking screen writer.
Some of the scenes will shock our muted sensibilities, some scenes will ring hollow if only it was not based on a true story. But life is hard, very hard for these kids – and they respond back by violence, truckloads of it. Hard work, Money, Power, Loyalty, Vanity, Friendship are all easily substituted for a Gun, with it, you have it all. “Without the cold hard steel, you are a human football, the lowest vermin in the human food chain” – thats its underlying message.
The movie is shot with some extreme camerawork you will ever see. Handheld shots, follow focus, super saturation, swipes, PIP, key contrast with racy editing and pulsating music – this movie technically has it all. It offers a distinct visual signature – maybe coz it is taking us into an unknown territory.
This movie makes it to the top 24 fo all time movies – but it doesnt rate so high for me. But definitely worth a look.
*** (3.5/5)
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