City of God poster

City of God

If you run, the beast catches you; if you stay, the beast eats you.

8.4(8,534)20022h 9m21

In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.

Share WhatsApp Telegram
Status
Released
Budget
$3.3M
Box office
$30.6M
Language
Portuguese
  • police brutality
  • street gang
  • photographer
  • gangster
  • journalism
  • rio de janeiro
  • gang war
  • ghetto
  • based on true story
  • coming of age
  • favela
  • 1960s

Top billed cast

Behind the camera

Produced in

Brazil, France, Germany

Where to watch

All options

Availability for India. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.

Gallery

Still from City of GodStill from City of GodStill from City of GodStill from City of GodStill from City of GodStill from City of GodStill from City of GodStill from City of GodStill from City of GodStill from City of GodStill from City of GodStill from City of God

Videos

Release dates

  • IndiaIN

    • TheatricalA18 Jan 2007
  • United StatesUS

    • PremiereTelluride Film Festival31 Aug 2002
    • Theatrical (limited)R17 Jan 2003
    • TheatricalR13 Feb 2004
  • United KingdomGB

    • PremiereBFI London Film Festival8 Nov 2002
    • Theatrical183 Jan 2003
    • Theatrical (limited)21st Anniversary Re-Release23 Feb 2024
  • United Arab EmiratesAE

    • TV6 Jul 2008
  • AustraliaAU

    • TheatricalR 18+13 Mar 2003
  • CanadaCA

    • Premiere18AToronto International Film Festival6 Sept 2002
  • ArgentinaAR

    • PremiereMar del Plata Film Festival6 Mar 2003
    • Theatrical20 Mar 2003
  • AustriaAT

    • Theatrical9 May 2003
  • BelgiumBE

    • Theatrical7 May 2003
  • BrazilBR

    • Theatrical1630 Aug 2002
    • TheatricalRe-release6 Feb 2004
  • ChinaCN

    • PremiereBeijing International Film Festival18 Apr 2015
  • ColombiaCO

    • PremiereCartagena Film Festival1 Feb 2003

Frequently asked questions

City of God was released on 30 August 2002.

Audience reviews

2
  • C

    Crazypiglady

    5/6/2023

    It’s a great film and well worthy of its the respect it has. It’s gruelling too, the 18 rating is due to the thread running through the film of continuous and ruthless violence of gangs trying to control their drug area. The is the story told through the eyes of ‘Rocket’ who avoids getting in to the gang war of his brother and friends by trying to find a safer life. The film combines slick production without losi…

  • C

    CinemaSerf

    5/20/2024

    7/10

    Told by way of an occasionally narrated retrospective, "Rocket" (Alexandre Rodrigues) tells us a story of his childhood in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Growing up in a community of newly built boxes, without power or plumbing, that reminded me of a row of concrete beach huts, the community is pretty lawless. The crime is largely to confined to pettier crimes, but as aspirations grow so does the scale of the crimi…

Member reviews

Sign in to rate and review. Browsing stays free and open.

Sign in

Member comments

0

Sign in to post a comment. Browsing stays free and open.

Sign in

More like this