One is a Brazilian film and the other is a South African film. The protagonist is a black man with alluringly dark skin and white teeth. The story takes place in slums and both involve violence, but the two films bring me. However, they are exciting and calm, and there is a diminishing marginal effect. To me, "City of God" seems to be more Oscars than "Mob Thug".
Logically speaking, the former is just a realistic work, with guns and bullets, cruel children, the fate of the underworld, and endless killings in the dark; while the latter holds high the banner of "redemption", shining with the brilliance of humanity, and the ending of the film is rich in education. The meaning is obviously a globalized work. As a peace-loving Chinese who is eager to globalize, I have no reason not to embrace the latter. But as an audience, I prefer to vote for the sacred vote in my hand, just like the public review of Supergirl, my decision is subject to ulterior motives.
I have always guessed that the reason for the existence of gangster movies, a large part of it should be attributed to the sadistic tendencies in people's hearts. There are more or less people, maybe there is a big difference between men and women, maybe the performance of each age group is different, maybe the object of abuse is different, and sometimes it is not even necessary to commit adultery. Sadism is because we want to relieve stress and vent our emotions. Considering that even Audrey Hepburn, who is as holy as a goddess, has to eat and drink Lazarus, I think God allows us mortals to occasionally and slightly abuse.
However, in a legal society, beating others or cruelty to small animals is obviously not allowed, let alone murder and arson. So people came up with such a coup: by watching violent movies, people turned into killers, gangsters, or underworld bosses in the movies, men threw off their ties, picked up PPK pistols, women took off their ladies’ clothes and put on samurai costumes. Then began to punch and kick and kill endlessly; after watching the film, the venting is over, the men tidy up their suits, polish their shoes, women put on charming evening gowns, touch up their makeup, and smile at each other. Hand in hand with Shi Shiran to leave the scene, the world has returned to its original dress and shining light.
From this point of view, "The City of God" is more suitable for people to watch than "The Gangster Thug". The scenes in the film are fierce and vicious, and are another masterpiece of violent aesthetics: poverty triggers violence, people are lawless, there are killings, revenge, violence against violence, gangs fighting, police and bandit collusion, brother usurping the throne, and even more terrifying is the teenage The child is also deeply involved, even proud of killing. People living in the city of God are destined to die either in prison or at the hands of gangsters. However, if the film is purely a record of violence, then it is not enough to be exciting. In fact, in the chaotic city of God, the director patiently outlines the psychological state of the characters for us, revealing the reasons for the characters' runaways. I think this is what the director wants to express: The City of God is a corner abandoned by the country. By the way, the music in the film is also vigorous, lively, and infectious. To apply the current popular phrase: very original!
In addition, as a person with a gangster movie complex, I have experienced the baptism of Hollywood and Hong Kong gangster movies since I was a child: the classics are "The Godfather Trilogy", "Once Upon a Time in America", "My Heart Is Wild", "Kill Bill" ", "New York Gangs", etc.; favorites include "The True Colors of Heroes", "Gunfire", "Dark Wars", "Shadows", "Young and Dangerous Series", "Infernal Affairs Series" and so on. With the development of these gangster movies, I have witnessed the underworld moving from low-level to high-level, from individual fighting alone to collective combat; I have learned about the sorrow of "people are in the rivers and lakes, and they can’t help themselves" and the sorrow of "everyone’s accomplishment is lost." The law of the gang; I have experienced the warmth of "this killer is not too cold"; I understand that there is a kind of emotion called brother; I have realized that the intrigue in the gang can be compared to the power struggle in the palace. Under such a premise, I cannot stop myself from being demanding of gangster movies.
As for "The Gangster", it tells the story of human nature: a young gang leader, Tsotsi, was awakened by a baby during a robbery, and a wave of love began to surge in his indifferent heart. Finally, he chose to surrender. It's a perfect theme movie. I don’t deny that this is a good movie, but at least it’s not as good as I am like. The protagonist’s mental transformation process is too blunt in my opinion. The rhythm of the film is not my favorite type and it’s not smooth enough, even though the protagonist has completed the redemption. But my movie-watching mood has not been relieved simultaneously, far less than the shock that "This Killer Is Not So Cold" brought me. In my opinion, that is the classic work about redemption.
Therefore, if you rarely watch gangster movies, and you like babies like warmth and happy endings, then I suggest you watch "gangster thugs"; but if you are a gangster movie fan, when you feel upset, I I strongly call you to watch "City of God", because the pleasure will come soon!
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