The most shocking thing about City of God is not the extreme nature of the violence that runs at the very heart of this film, or the harsh, cold blooded portrayal of life in the inner city slums of Rio de Janeiro, but that these astounding events you inevitably bear witness to are based on a true story.

Based on the real life story of Wilson Rodrigues, City of God chronicles the life of a young innocent Brazilian boy, struggling to survive the dangers of a run down, drug infested favela and his growth in to a photographer of an inner city street war that was so entrenched normal press were unable to penetrate its ranks.

Going by the name of Busca-Pe (Rocket), our protagonist acts primarily as narrator to a parallel storyline focusing on his involvement and interaction with the latest drug lord Ze Pequeno (Lil Ze). Starting from similar backgrounds the choices made by these two characters force their lives gradually apart until they are at either ends of the spectrum. Rocket, fearful and uninvolved in any criminal activity, dreams of improving his situation through photography and hard work. Whilst Lil Ze rises from street criminal to main controller of all the drug traffic in and around the city's housing project through use of brute force and maniacal violence.

This film is a harshly desensitizing film. Its focus is primarily on the structure of leadership and the concept of chain of command. It is truly survival of the fittest in its rawest form. Those that wish to alter their social standing must do so with an iron fist or more likely through the barrel of a gun. Power and success are not governed and respect is not earned, it is demanded by those who have the confidence and the arrogance to take it.

Shot primarily in the style of a documentary film, with extensive use of jerky, hand held camera angles this film has a distinctive photographic edge to it. Used to tie the visuals to Rockets story there are repeated shots as seen through his camera lens. Framed almost like classical portraits they break the pace of the film beautifully. They give the viewer a reflective moment, as you stop and realize the extreme nature of all that is happening around them. Interspersed within all this are some outstanding visual flourishes. The dancehall scene, where Bene (Benny) is killed on the eve of his escape from the slums is both emotionally and visually poetic. It shows a depth of feeling between the characters, giving a more rounded view of their relationships. One not solely grounded in drug culture, power and money making.

In terms of characterization, there are several strong performances throughout this film. Considering most of the actors in City of God were plucked from relative obscurity and for many it was to be their first feature film the final outcome is tremendous. Specifically Lil Ze (Leandro Firmino) and Bene's (Phellipe Haagensen) relationship is given a touching and respectful approach, carving out a fully rounded sense of friendship and trust. Even down to some of the very young actors involved there is a sensitivity within their roles. The violence is part of their lives, but not a part of them and this is portrayed beautifully by all concerned.

If anything flaws this film it is possibly that it is under developed in terms of rounding out of all its characters. There are several stories intertwined within the piece and at least fifteen major and minor characters making it essentially impossible to delve into all at great lengths. Unfortunately, it is the narrator that is seemingly overlooked. There is no specific focus given as to why Rocket wants to become a photographer and no depth given to why he chooses not to follow the lives of so many before him in to the world of crime. This doesn't take anything away from the film. It is powerful and emotive at all times. However, you do find yourself wanting to know more about Rockets life as a photographer building up to and after the events of the films conclusion and to that point it falls short

Some scenes within this film will probably shock and abhor those with a sensitive nature. Although not specifically gory in its recreation of violence, the fact this violence is carried out by gangs of children (some appearing as young as 8 or 9 years old) seems a little distasteful. One scene especially where children are cornered and one is forced to shoot another in order to be included in the gangs is as soulless and as brutal a scene as I have seen. However, this is the reality of the situation. This film is out to shock the viewer in to an understanding of how the other half live. It is estimated that within these projects someone dies every 30 minutes from crime relating to drugs and that there are as many people on the criminal payroll as there are employed in respectable jobs. As much as it is not a documentary, this film is also not a work of fiction. Events may be embellished to fit the creative flow of the film, but not at the expense of truth.

City of God is unfortunately tagged by many as "The Brazilian Goodfellas" which although, from a marketing point of view doesn't do the distribution of this film any harm it does however give a false impression of it. Certainly there are resemblances to themes within Goodfellas, but only in as much as it is concerned with a rise to power through crime and drug dealing. Personally, I feel this film owes more to DePalma's Scarface and Coppolla's Godfather Trilogy in terms of its message. City of God aims to portray the destructive nature of greed and how a person is forced to commit barbarous acts in order to overcome his enemies and remain at the top of the chain of command. Ultimately, this leads to their demise by the very same methods that they acquired the power and position in the first place.

Powerful as it is disturbing and compelling as it is shocking. City of God is a must for all if only because it is true. Not so much fictionalized events based on real occurrences as dramatized reality.