City of God

I recently bought a copy of one of my favorite films and one of the best made in the last 10 years, Fernando Meirelles’ City of God. I began to notice that it has several parallels to another of my favorite films, Goodfellas. They both have opening sequences from later in the film and feature knives. Essentially they both show how gangs devoted to organized crime developed over time and began to focus on running drug operations. They both have great soundtracks and interesting expositions of camera angles and other effects that make repeated viewings enjoyable. Furthermore, both films were inspired by true stories.  The point where they diverge is that in City of God the crime is more a product of the lack of societal safety nets for the underclass that is housed in giant slums outside of Rio de Janeiro. It also features a great ensemble cast with some remarkable roles for child actors.