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City of God (2002)
City of God (2002) poster

City of God (2002)

Cidade de Deus

Drama, Crime • 2h 9m

Director: Fernando Meirelles

Cast: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen, Matheus Nachtergaele, Seu Jorge, Jefechander Suplino, Alice Braga, Emerson Gomes, Edson Oliveira, Michel Gomes, Roberta Rodrigues, Luis Otávio, Kiko Marques, Gustavo Engracia, Darlan Cunha, Robson Rocha, Thiago Martins, Leandra Miranda, Graziella Moretto, Renato de Souza, Karina Falcão, Sabrina Rosa, Rubens Sabino, Kikito Junqueira, Edson Montenegro, Gero Camilo, Felipe Paulino, Daniel Zettel, Charles Paraventi, Luiz Carlos Ribeiro Seixas, Paulo 'Jacaré' César, Dani Ornellas, Bernardo Santos, Diego Batista, Diego Ferreira, Marcio Vinicios, Micael Borges, Rafael de Castro, Ramon Francisco, Thiago Wallace, Alexander Cerqueira, Alexandre 'China' Tavares, André Pires Martins, António Rodrigues, Bartolomeu Braga, Carlos Henrique Avernas, Cláudio César, Cleiton Ventura, Damião Firmino, Euclides Garcia, Fábio Castor Conceição, Felipe Nogueira, Ivan Martins, John Lima, Jonas Michel, Leandro Lucas, Leandro Dias Batista, Lúcio Andrey, Luis Carlos Rodrigues Oliveira, Luís Nascimento, Marcelo Mello Jr., Márcio Costa, Mário Luiz Costa Oliveira, Nelson Amaral, Omar 'Mazinho' Barcelos, Otto Amorim, Peter Soares, Rafael de Souza, Roberto Miguez, Rómulo 'Guinomo' Sech, Ruy Vitório, Sérgio Bispo, Alex dos Santos, Anderson Bruno Marques, Anderson Lugão, André Luiz Mendes, Antoni Guedes, Bruno Ricardo, Charles Samuel, Éder Júlio Martins, Eduardo 'BR' Piranha, Erick Maximiano Oliveira, Fábio 'Dog' da Cunha, Felipe Villela Mendonça, Frederico Lins, Guilherme Estevam, Guilherme William, Harlem Teixeira, Leandro Gonçalves, Leandro Lima, Leiz Moreira, Leonardo Melo, Luis Carlos Oliveira, Marcello Melo, Marcello 'Máscara' Alves, Wallace Araújo, Wallace Nascimento, Wanderson 'Petão' Lopes, Wellington Costa Ricardo, Wemerson Gonçalves, Wendel Barros, Yuri Krushewsky, Anderson Faria, Arlindo Lopes, Carol Meirelles, Carlos 'Lencinho' Smith, Christiano, Diego Mendes, Jéssica Santos, Lorena Da Silva, Luciana Roque, Marina Mandonça Pinheiro, Michele Gonçalves, Pierre dos Santos, Renan Monteiro, Vinicius Faria, Delano Valentim, Ed Money, Fabiano Gonçalves, Felipe Porto, Francisco Marcos, Leo Generoso, Marcelo António Santos, Marcelo Araújo, Marcos Viana, Maurício Figueiras, Ricardo Lira, Ricardo Rocha da Silva, Wagner Mello, Waldeck Roque, Júlio César Siqueira, Denise Fonseca, Adão Xalebaradã, Edward Boggis, Guti Fraga, Babu Santana, Marcello Costa, Marcos Coutinho, João Soares, Rafael Fontenele, Rosangela Rodrigues, Jota Farias, Mary Sheila, Gil Torres, Paulo Lins, Christian Duurvoort, Olivia Araújo, Tulé Peak

Paramount Blu-ray

Best English-friendly release · updated 5 months ago

Overview

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.

Release details

Best Video Release

Japan TC Entertainment

TSPDT
2026: #299
2025: #313
2024: #315
2023: #331
2022: #331
Length
129 mins
Type
Movie

More from Paramount

See more →

Director: Peter Faiman

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Australia Cut: Australia Fox DVD

International Cut: Paramount Blu-ray

Encore Cut: Germany Winkler Film 4K Blu-ray, censored but good encoding

Sources: movie-censorship.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

US Paramount 4K Blu-ray, is the International US Cut and not the Encore Cut

Best Audio:

Australia Cut: Laserdisc

Additional Info:

The film exists in three versions:
- the original Australian cut (~104 minutes at 24fps/~100 minutes at 25fps);
- the American/international version (~98 minutes at 24fps/~94 minutes at 25fps) trimming some exposition in the Outback first half of the film and some shorter extensions of a few seconds in the New York section, altering some of the dialogue – including censoring a "fuck" to "screw" – but featuring one additional dialogue extension not in the Australian version (a comparison of the two cuts can be found at Movie Censorship);
- the Australian Encore Cut (~95 minutes at 24fps/~91 minutes at 25fps) which uses the international version source so it already has those alterations but also removes approximately three minutes consisting of parts of two scenes featuring Mick grabbing the crotch of a cross-dressing prostitute and a later sequence when he does the same thing at a party to a woman with a deep voice (a comparison of the international version and the Encore Cut can be found at Movie Censorship).

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2D version: Paramount Blu-ray

3D version: Paramount 3D Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray on October 26 2026

Director: Billy Wilder

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray or Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray. See caps
HDR/grading: nice, but some blown out
Encoding: inconsistent, smeared motion
DNR: inconsistent, frozen
Old Paramount Blu-ray is arguably a solid alternative choice

Best Audio:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray mono

Audio Notes:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray mono is different version of the Blu-ray mono from the same old 2000 DVD transfer.

Additional Info:

The 5.1 remix on the 4K Blu-ray is an appalling remix done by going wild with artificially generated stems from Park Road Post who were given the surviving mono to separate. The experience is jarring and fidelity to original mix in terms of level balance, directionality and impact is nonexistent. Not only does this sound painfully weird, but the Paramount mixers then did whatever they wanted in terms of LFE, sound pans and effect changes.
The original mono mix was not restored and still needs it badly. The 4K master is filled with frozen grain examples coming and going plus some HDR issues in addition to the usual Paramount problems. It is simultaneously better and worse than the Blu-ray master.

Director: Robert Altman

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Paramount Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray scheduled for Dec 2026 release

Director: Richard Linklater

4K · Solid

Sources: caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)

Additional Info:

Germany Blu-ray has English audio 

Germany Blu-ray is part of a 3-film box set like the Criterion but by StudioCanal 

Director: Michael Bay

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Original AR: Paramount 4K Blu-ray

IMAX AR: Paramount 3D Blu-ray

Director: Stanley Donen

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Paramount Blu-ray

Director: Trey Parker

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Paramount Blu-ray

Directors: Arturo Perez Jr. & Samantha Jayne

Best English-Friendly & Audio:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray

Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Director: Robert Altman

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray

Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab) · mega.nz (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

Paramount Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

Popeye was mixed for a failed Vistasonic system with 4 discrete tracks (L/C/R/S). That mix has never been released on home video in its original form.

The older 5.1 track appearing on older DVD/BD releases sounds excellent. It appears to be a slight upmix of the original mix, only splitting the surrounds and adding LFE. It sounds close to the old analog LaserDisc, which is likely the original mix in a matrixed form.

The 5.1 included on the UHD is a new remix which significantly differs from previous tracks. There are new foley effects all over the place. Music is jarringly spliced in from different sources. Unlike the old 5.1 which had clearly discrete surrounds, the channels surrounds overlap somewhat with the fronts here.

Details on the new mix from Paramount's former head of restoration: https://youtu.be/P-AmjqViJyE?t=788

The 2.0 tracks on all DVDs/BDs are just downmixes of their respective 5.1 mixes.

Samples

More Drama on Blu-ray

Director: Alan Clarke

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Indicator Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

The 88 Films 4K Blu-ray is disappointing. Indicator Blu-ray > 88 Films Blu-ray. From nicolas:

Fine master, solid HDR but very poorly encoded with strong blocking artifacts in normal areas and clipped highlights that bring Criterion’s Walkabout to mind. Their Blu-ray is slightly better overall but then again still not as good as FiM’s encode for Indicator.

Additional Info:

Indicatorand 88 Films have exclusive extras

Director: Mark Pellington

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

UK 88 Films 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

88 Films is FiM encoded

Germany Filmjuwelen 4K Blu-ray is disappointing with AI upscaling

Director: Peter Bogdanovich

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Eureka UK are considering doing a 4K and actively exploring the possibility: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24363810&postcount=264

Video Notes:

Wonderful underlying remaster by Criterion and Resillion, but NexSpec encode has clipped highlights with the occasional blockiness. The Criterion Blu-Ray, sourced from their 4K remaster, ironically makes for a more consistent and overall pleasing experience.

Director: Luis Buñuel

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

Radiance Blu-ray / Criterion DVD

Additional Info:

Radiance's audio is ported from the Criterion DVD, see Blah-ray

Director: Ingmar Bergman

Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

BFI better encode than Criterion

Best Audio:

2006 Criterion DVD

Director: Jacques Demy

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

For Blu-ray Criterion Demy Set > StudioCanal

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

See chris's review

Best Audio:

1991 Daiei LaserDisc

Director: Satyajit Ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: John Woo

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

US Shout! Factory or UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

> Disk Kino/WCL China import

review: Disk Kino

better encoding, some shots are better on Shout! Factory, others on Arrow

Audio Notes:

Shout! Factory/Arrow 4K Blu-ray has the original mono

Director: Martin Scorsese

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Audio Notes:

(same as all tracks since the DVD)

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps

Video Notes:

Phenomenal disc, and perhaps the single greatest testament to NexSpec's positive 180 this year. Highlights are beautifully handled and grain structure is fully intact in areas where NexSpec's (and Pixelogic's) encodes would frequently fall apart in 2025 and before then. Criterion BD encode also looks to be robust from linked caps, save for this one frame: https://slow.pics/c/cMjMefmi

https://slow.pics/c/qQbJum0H

https://slow.pics/c/C3kJJZg0

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vanshadyDISKANBGR8

· last reviewed 5 months ago

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