City of God

City of God

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

R 2002 · 129 min · ★ 8.4 (9K) · Drama, Crime

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.

Directed by Fernando Meirelles · Written by Bráulio Mantovani

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Rent or Buy

Apple TV Store

Cast

Trailers & Videos

Make it a double feature

3h 52m together

Both from Fernando Meirelles.

More from Fernando MeirellesSee all →

Xingu: A Saga dos Irmãos Villas-BoasXingu: A Saga dos Irmãos Villas-Boas · 2012
Xingu: A Saga dos Irmãos Villas-Boas
★ 9.02012
SeriesAction & AdventureDocumentary
The 1940s. Three young brothers decide to embark on a great adventure. Orlando (27), Cláudio (25), and Leonardo (23)—the Villas-Bôas brothers—enlist in the Roncador-Xingu Expedition and set out on a pioneering mission across Central Brazil. Their saga begins with the crossing of the Rio das Mortes; they soon take charge of the endeavor, becoming deeply involved in defending Indigenous peoples and their diverse cultures, while documenting everything in a journal titled *A Marcha para o Oeste* (The March to the West).
Evil AngelEvil Angel · 1997
Evil Angel
★ 8.61997
SeriesSoapDrama
Ambitious Nice seeks social advancement through Rodrigo Medeiros, but ends up truly falling in love with him. This is the second version of the telenovela, originally aired in 1976.
A Comédia da Vida PrivadaA Comédia da Vida Privada · 1994
A Comédia da Vida Privada
★ 8.51994
SeriesComedy
Amidst romances, missed connections, family crises, and situations that feel all too familiar, "Comédias da Vida Privada" transforms the everyday lives of the Brazilian middle class into stories brimming with humor, wit, and relatability.
Brava GenteBrava Gente · 2000
Brava Gente
★ 8.32000
SeriesComedyDrama
Brava Gente was a television series aired by TV Globo in Brazil between 2000 and 2003, initially as a special year-end. The program was adapted from stories and national stories, and plays by famous playwrights, screenwriters and signed by a number represented by several actors and actresses. The genres of the stories varied each week with the style of each director or author. Brava Gente in the stories ranged from comedies and dramas. In all 53 episodes were shown, broadcast on Tuesday nights.
Joint VentureJoint Venture · 2019
Joint Venture
★ 8.22019
SeriesDramaCrime
Set in a fictional modern-day Sao Paulo, where marijuana has been legalized, this series follows 29-year-old Biriba, a drug dealer who decides to give up his criminal life and enter the legal drug sales industry. Unfortunately for Biriba, going straight is more difficult than he could have imagined.
A Fera na SelvaA Fera na Selva · 2017
A Fera na Selva
★ 8.02017
MovieDrama
A story about a man who hopes to see something extraordinary. Based upon the book of Henry James.
Eduardo and MonicaEduardo and Monica · 2022
Eduardo and Monica
★ 7.72022
MovieRomanceDrama
On an unusual day, a series of coincidences lead Eduardo to meet Monica at a party. A curiosity is aroused between the two and, despite not being alike, they fall madly in love. In 1980s Brasília, their love needs to mature and learn to overcome differences.
MarighellaMarighella · 2021
Marighella
★ 7.62021
MovieDramaHistory
Afro-Brazilian poet and politician, the legendary Carlos Marighella. Driven to fight against the erosion of civil and human rights following the CIA-backed military coup of 1964 and the brutal, racist right-wing dictatorship that followed, the revolutionary leaves behind his wife and son to take up arms, becoming a notorious enemy to the power structure.
Waste LandWaste Land · 2010
Waste Land
★ 7.62010
MovieDocumentary
An uplifting feature documentary highlighting the transformative power of art and the beauty of the human spirit. Top-selling contemporary artist Vik Muniz takes us on an emotional journey from Jardim Gramacho, the world's largest landfill on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, to the heights of international art stardom. Vik collaborates with the brilliant catadores, pickers of recyclable materials, true Shakespearean characters who live and work in the garbage quoting Machiavelli and showing us how to recycle ourselves.
City of God: The Fight Rages OnCity of God: The Fight Rages On · 2024
City of God: The Fight Rages On
★ 7.62024
SeriesDramaCrime
Twenty years after City of God, Buscapé recounts how conflicts between police, traffickers, and militias impacted the community.
Rá-Tim-BumRá-Tim-Bum · 1990
Rá-Tim-Bum
★ 7.61990
SeriesKids
LoopLoop · 2019
Loop
★ 7.62019
MovieScience FictionDrama
After his girlfriend's murder, Daniel, a physics student becomes obsessed with the idea of going back in time to stop the tragedy. He lets himself be consumed by his own obsession until after years of isolation, he finds the solution. Daniel then gives up his future and returns to the past. However, he is not the same man.
The Two PopesThe Two Popes · 2019
The Two Popes
★ 7.52019
MovieDramaHistory
Frustrated with the direction of the church, Cardinal Bergoglio requests permission to retire in 2012 from Pope Benedict. Instead, facing scandal and self-doubt, the introspective Pope Benedict summons his harshest critic and future successor to Rome to reveal a secret that would shake the foundations of the Catholic Church.
The Year My Parents Went on VacationThe Year My Parents Went on Vacation · 2006
The Year My Parents Went on Vacation
★ 7.22006
MovieDrama
A boy is left alone in a Jewish neighborhood in the year of 1970, where both world cup and dictatorship happen in Brazil.
City of MenCity of Men · 2002
City of Men
★ 7.22002
SeriesDrama
The series is based on the award-winning Brazilian film City of God, which itself was nominated for Oscars in four categories, including Best Director for Fernando Meireles. Based on the story of two friends, Laranjinha and Acerola, who live adventurous and dangerous lives in a Rio de Janeiro slum, 'City of Men' brings into sharp relief the condition of children and adolescents in these areas, realistically yet with a dose of humor.
Sound & FurySound & Fury · 2009
Sound & Fury
★ 7.22009
SeriesDramaComedy
Interwoven with Shakespearean storylines, the miniseries depicts the daily life of a theater troupe from São Paulo, exploring the dilemmas and situations artists face both on and off stage.

More Like This

I Love You to DeathI Love You to Death · 1990
I Love You to Death
★ 6.41990
MovieComedyCrime
Joey Boca is the owner of a pizza parlour, and has been married to Rosalie for years. When Rosalie discovers that Joey is a womanizer and has been cheating on her for a long time, she goes to extreme lengths to punish him.
Midnight CowboyMidnight Cowboy · 1969
Midnight Cowboy
★ 7.51969
MovieDrama
Joe Buck is a wide-eyed hustler from Texas hoping to score big with wealthy New York City women; he finds a companion in Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo, an ailing swindler with a bum leg and a quixotic fantasy of escaping to Florida.
Gangs of New YorkGangs of New York · 2002
Gangs of New York
★ 7.32002
MovieDramaHistory
In early 1860s New York, Irish immigrant Amsterdam Vallon is released from prison and returns to the Five Points, seeking revenge against his father's killer, William Cutting, a powerful anti-immigrant gang leader. He knows that revenge can only be attained by infiltrating Cutting's inner circle. Vallon's journey becomes a fight for personal survival and to find a place for the Irish people.
BadlandsBadlands · 1973
Badlands
★ 7.51973
MovieDramaRomance
An impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town and her older greaser boyfriend embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota badlands.
BambiBambi · 1942
Bambi
★ 7.01942
MovieAnimationDrama
Bambi's tale unfolds from season to season as the young prince of the forest learns about life, love, and friends.
Battle RoyaleBattle Royale · 2000
Battle Royale
★ 7.32000
MovieDramaThriller
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
Good Night, and Good Luck.Good Night, and Good Luck. · 2005
Good Night, and Good Luck.
★ 7.12005
MovieDramaHistory
The story of journalist Edward R. Murrow's stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist witch-hunts in the early 1950s.
Pirates of Silicon ValleyPirates of Silicon Valley · 1999
Pirates of Silicon Valley
★ 7.01999
MovieDramaTV Movie
The story about the men who made the world of technology what it is today, their struggles during college, the founding of their companies, and the ingenious actions they took to build up the global corporate empires of Apple Computer Inc. and Microsoft Corporation.
Mildred PierceMildred Pierce · 1945
Mildred Pierce
★ 7.61945
MovieCrimeDrama
A hard-working mother inches towards disaster as she divorces her husband and starts a successful restaurant business to support her spoiled daughter.
Needle in a TimestackNeedle in a Timestack · 2021
Needle in a Timestack
★ 5.32021
MovieDramaRomance
Nick and Janine live in bliss until her ex warps time to try to tear them apart by using Nick's old girlfriend. As Nick's memories and reality disappear, he must decide what he's willing to sacrifice to save -- or let go of -- everything he loves.
A Bronx TaleA Bronx Tale · 1993
A Bronx Tale
★ 7.91993
MovieDramaCrime
Set in the Bronx during the tumultuous 1960s, an adolescent boy is torn between his honest, working-class father and a violent yet charismatic crime boss. Complicating matters is the youngster's growing attraction - forbidden in his neighborhood - for a beautiful black girl.
The 51st StateThe 51st State · 2001
The 51st State
★ 6.12001
MovieThrillerAction
An American master chemist plans to score big on a once in a lifetime drug deal. All does not go as planned and he is soon entangled in a web of deceit.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter