Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema (2008)

I don't think I can adequately put into words how enjoyable this movie was but I'll try because it's really worth your time and I want you to give it a try. This movie was a pleasant surprise. Within a few minutes of watching I realized I'd happened upon a gem. This movie is about Lucky Kunene, a smart young man who is so fun to watch as he figures out how to be a success in spite of being born in a dangerously stupid environment.

I did not expect to enjoy watching a story that includes South African apartheid, but fortunately this movie entertains us with the characters story and doesn't weigh us down with the tragedy of racism and poverty.The main character Lucky is poor and smart and that's always an interesting mix. He is portrayed by actors who are so talented that we're spoiled as an audience. Jafta Mambolo is young Kunene and Rapulana Seiphemo plays the adult Lucky Kuene and they both are effortless.

I really liked the way this movie moved quickly and yet spared nothing.I came away from this movie wanting to see more Soweto adventures because I knew there must be one,so I watched it twice.

Fmovies: If this movie were shot in America, I'd give it a 7/10 because too many things are simply formulaic and not done very well. The main guy turns to the criminal life a little too easily. What happens to sidekicks #1 and #2 could come from a McBain (Simpsons) movie. The woman's explanation for why her brother is there is embarrassingly simple - wouldn't it have been better for the brother to say, "hey, this sh*t is real" to convey the same idiot attraction? Most importantly, where did the lead's main criminal idea come from? I believe something like that really happened, but there's so little hint of it earlier in the movie that it's just confusing when it happens. How could anyone come up with such a complex scheme that relies on the actions and inactions of various government agencies simply by reading very general self-help books? I'll have it both ways - I did like this movie. The points above are nits, some bigger than others. I love the depiction of Johannesberg as this crime-ridden, divided city, like "the Wire" squared. I'll stick with the 7/10, though that's unfair given IMDb's general grade inflation.

The big problem with the local film industry is that for too long it has relied on easy-sell toilet humour or depressing AIDS and poverty epics.

It's refreshing to finally see a competently made local flick that aims to entertain the locals rather than scoop awards at foreign film festivals with deeply serious afro-pessimistic themes (such as Yesterday and Tsotsi.

Basically the story follows 2 male characters from their high school days into their adulthood. They get involved in lives of crime and must choose their own destinies.

This is a generally good and entertaining film. Ordinarily I would point out the negatives, such as the pacing, which drags a bit, especially towards the second half, some uninspired cinematography, some poor acting (especially from the female love interest). BUT, the problem with the SA movie going public is that we compare everything local to Hollywood. I assume this was made on a very limited budget and with pretty inexperienced people so it cannot possibly come close to matching those films for production values.

This film should be judged on its accomplishments taking into account the restrictions, and it does very well.

Jerusalema is, taken in context, an excellent film with plenty of local content and in-jokes. I believe it is important for all South Africans (able to) to support the local film industry to allow more true SA films to be made.

Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema fmovies. JERUSALEMA investigates the spirit of the individual to assert himself against both the system ad poverty. This film explores concepts of law enforcement in a country whose people have suffered oppression at the hands of police. The film tells the story of a self made entrepreneur from the slums of Soweto, his motto, crime really pays in the new South Africa. Freedom is slavery now, revolutions bring new order and they also bring opportunity. Might is right and possession is none tenths of the law. Welcome to the promised land, a new Jerusalem! The film by Ralph Ziman is based on real events and goes against what has become predictable. Ziman offers us an unusual insight into what has often been called the crime capital of the world. Hillbrow, inner city Johannesburg, demonstrates the beauty and barbarity of a new paradise. The director gives an unbiased view of the contemporary landscape, which most South Africans are aware of, but turn a blind eye. The director remains neutral, impartial, without resorting to stereotypes or over simplifications. He describes a city as it is, without no attempt to gloss over the grit. This is a complex, multi layered view of South Africa post apartheid. It casts a fresh eye on the recent manifestations of xenophobia. Beautiful photography, haunting music and excellent acting by a cast of unknowns. Recommend.

I have just watched the movie for the first time just this past Friday, I was blown away and touched by it. i don't know if there is such a thing as a good thief, but I fell in love with Rapulano in this movie all over again, for me it had that James Bond element, except that his black and a thief, but that untouchable notion of 0007... Great story and acting. I felt sad for the white chick (grilfriend), not because of her colour, but as a women I could relate, when you think you know somebody but and realising that you don't and in such a matter is just so painful....., but on another hand....there was that element for me, of our black brothers going for white chicks... when they are loaded....even though in this movie that wasn't what brought them together.... interesting story indeed...

I saw this film previewed on CNN and went to see it at the Zurich Film Festival with some American friends of mine. Being South African one could see that this film was simply a labour of love for the beloved country. Ralph Ziman, the self effacing director was on hand to talk about the film after the movie and I asked him how he got all the original footage of the Mandela inauguration etc, which he has cleverly weaved into the movie. His answer was amazing: He shot it himself over the years, which means that Ralph has single handedly created parts of a record of SA history no one else has. At the end of the day the film is broad enough and topical enough to override Tsotsi on many levels, dealing with the integral white black relationship in South Africa (the main black criminal building hijacker in the movie has an affair with a well to do white Jewish girl from the burbs) and how these parts of society interrelate. Last but not least, as it is not stuck in the modality of "Tsotsi only" it manages to look refreshingly at a broad swathe of the themes and reality affecting SA society today. Though Ralph denies it :) (correct me if I am wrong Ralph) Tsotsi has inevitably influenced the making of Jerusalema but on many levels is radically different. In a sense I missed the whimsical sadness of Tsotsi and Jerusalema pans through the skyline and scenes of our Johannesburg far too fast to really do it justice. More of that please. However, its a fast moving film that was enjoyed not just by me but by some Americans I dragged along to it. They really liked it proving that it scope and graphic talks to a worldwide audience. Bravo Ralph. Your country has cause to be very proud of you. You are a true son of South Africa.