City of GodMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 79 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
17 not for kids
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Washington Post | Stephen Hunter

    It's a trip to Hell and back, and testimony for embittered cynics of all that a movie can be. Read full review

  • 100
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    One of the most startling, grittily brilliant films in recent years. Read full review

  • 100
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Breathtaking and terrifying, urgently involved with its characters, it announces a new director of great gifts and passions: Fernando Meirelles. Read full review

  • 90
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    As the movie's frenetic visual rhythms and mood swings synchronize with the zany, adrenaline-fueled impulsiveness of its lost youth on the rampage, you may find yourself getting lost in this teeming netherworld. Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Mike Clark

    This is one movie in which you don't feel the long-ish running time, in part because there always seems to be a surprise (as well as a new street guerrilla) around every corner. Read full review

  • 83
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Undeniably powerful, the work also comes with its own built-in shield against feeling any one character's difficulties too deeply, or for too long. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    Brutal, tough to watch but impossible to ignore. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | David Rooney

    The impressive filmmaking craftsmanship and sharp storytelling skills make this two-hour-plus epic fly by. Read full review

  • 60
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    A potent and unexpected mixture of authenticity and flash -- even if this is what happened on the ground, making it worth our time on screen is just beyond the contortionist abilities of even this most acrobatic of films. Read full review

  • 50
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    Full of action, but no soul. Read full review

View more reviews for City of God on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says not for kids Powerful, but only for 17 and up.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this movie contains nonstop violence and frequent deaths, including the murders of main characters. In this 130-minute long film, there are only a handful of scenes where the characters are safe from peril and the audience can relax with them. There are explicit references to sexual intercourse and a non-explicit but deeply disturbing rape scene that should not be viewed by children.
  • Families can talk about the evolution of the characters from children into adults. When the boy nicknamed "Steak & Fries" argues to a crowd of drug dealers that because he has smoked, snorted, killed and robbed, he is a man, the crowd bawls with laughter. It does not matter that the boy, perhaps 10 years old, is only slightly younger than these teenagers. What, besides chronology, does make someone an adult? What choices does Knockout Ned make that turn him from a local hero to just another gangster? The rise of a younger generation of hoods in the form of the gun-toting pre-teens known as "the Runts" presents us with the specter of never-ending violence. What is the future of the favela at the end of the movie? What could stop the vicious circle? What decision does Rocket make about his photographs at the end? Is this what you would have done?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Beyond family and close friends, there is little tolerance and most arguments are settled with shootings.
  • rolemodels true1 Positive role models: Two strong female characters.
What to watch for
  • violence false5 Violence: Brutal violence, casual beatings, spousal abuse, frequent peril, and uncountable deaths.
  • sex false5 Sex: Explicit sexual references, sexual situations including rape and adultery, scenes of couple in bed together.
  • language false5 Language: Strong language, homophobic slurs.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false5 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Frequent explicit scenes of drug use, drug dealing, and addiction.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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