While watching City of God, there are two things that may slip to the back of one's mind:

1) This film is incredibly violent.

2) There are subtitles.

Other than that, one can expect to become completely and utterly engrossed in this true story about a young photographer who was able to document some of Rio's most violent druglords of all time. The story is deftly told in the vein of Pulp Fiction--in that the plot is broken down into bite sized chunks. Viewers are given a visual history of the neighborhood, the thugs, and the adventures through the eyes of "Rocket"- the young man who eventually becomes a popular photographer. City of God is beautifully filmed, filled with authentic looking actors who blend into the fabric of the story--bringing it to life. The characters' stories are told in vivid and sometimes comedic detail--and are woven together so as to create a non-stop rollercoaster ride of emotion and entertainment. This is truly a film that warrants a space in DVD collections worldwide.