Jules Gill's 10 Greatest Films Of All Time
2. City Of God
Even years after watching City Of God for the first time, I'm still struck by the sheer callousness towards human life shown in this almighty crime film. In nearly every scene you'll be shown how desperation and greed override empathy and how violence and murder are the only things valued by the central cast.
This isn't violence to be glorified as we might see in other action films, instead the film pushes brutal and unflinching moments to create an experience quite similar to a horror film. Your veil of safety is left in tatters as you genuinely can't predict who will be left alive by the end of things. The escalating drug and gang war, the pettiness of revenge, and the cyclical nature of violence are all exposed in a manner that is at once enthralling and deeply uncomfortable.
I'm often left reeling at the end of this film for the sheer glut of violence and hate on show, but it's shot so beautifully and acted so well that it's impossible not to be drawn back in again for repeat viewings.