Darius Marder's energetic directing lends scenes of personal discovery an almost action-film feel, while the always-great Ahmed’s exploration of personal destruction and eventual reconstruction adds up to one of his best performances to date and is sure to put him in the running for a long-overdue Academy Award. With the threat of deafness looming, and the possibility of losing the only life he knows, Ruben goes to a retreat for the hearing impaired in hopes of rehabbing. When Ruben starts to have trouble with his performances, he visits a doctor and is diagnosed with rapidly deteriorating hearing. Ruben Stone (Riz Ahmed) is the drummer/co-founder of the two-person heavy metal band Backgammon, alongside girlfriend and singer Lou Berger (Olivia Cook). Maybe that’s why this largely lead-character-driven drama works so well. Hell, I have yet to see a mediocre performance. I have yet to see a bad performance from Riz Ahmed.
Rotten Tomatoes: 96% (Critics), 91% (Audience) A cult classic that received four Oscar nominations and made Film4’s 50 Films to See Before You Die.
Cidade de Deus (City of God) City of God (2002) Official Trailer - Crime Drama HD.
Cast: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Lauren Ridloff, Mathieu Amalric Enjoyable despite an overly tangled plot involving gangsters and corrupt politicians.
