Tsotsi (2005)

the audience applauded

So much average

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

More like a channel 5 Sunday afternoon film if your bored, still a decent watch but i wouldn't pay top dollar to see it, worth it if you borrow it from a mate, or see it on the telly on channel 5 on a Sunday afternoon if your bored kinda just went over that but i need filler for the review

Please give the film time to start rolling and it will pull you in. The story has it's gruesome parts but these are very much needed to demonstrate the emotional journey which it will take you on. I found myself welling up at the end of the film and I am not one for being like that. If you do watch & enjoy this film then I would recommend watching The Intouchables 2011 (not the untouchables) & City of God. This film has a gentle pace and you will find that you might start liking the Thug, you will find yourself questioning your morals and your view of justice as the film progresses. I don't want to spoil the movie so just watch and enjoy!

Tsotsi, which translates as thug, is a young man from Soweto whose birth name we learn eventually is David. The film begins with Tsotsi and his gang killing a man for money. The murder creates strife within the gang and one of them - Boston aka Teacher Boy - challenges Tsotsi asking if he has any sense of decency or empathy with another. At this point we the audience are not persuaded that he does as his response is to beat Boston senseless.Tsotsi carries out a car jacking and discovers a baby in the back. He decides to take the baby with him rather than leave it. This decision alters Tsotsi's destiny; as he struggles with caring for the baby he rediscovers being David.The film's main theme is redemption. Another theme is that of being crippled. One of David's early memories is seeing his dad cripple his mother's Rottweiler. This memory represents the trauma of David's young life. Later he meets the crippled man who, forced to explain why he goes on living at gun point, tells Tsotsi that he enjoys feeling the warmth of the sun on his hands. Tsotsi discovers that the woman whose car and baby he stole has been left paralysed. All of this affects Tsotsi and he begins the process of changing back to being David. What is redeemed is his own emotionally crippled self.Beautifully shot the colour and light is used effectively not only to express the emotions of the film, but it's also representative of Tsotsi's journey back to the colour and light that shines on him like that from the mobile made of broken glass - an image of his fractured heart. The film extends its hand to the Tsotsis of South Africa.

Six days in the violent life of a young Johannesburg gang leader (Presley Chweneyagae).This is a film about violence, crime and redemption. I am unclear what to make of it. The lead character was not likable, and his redemption hardly makes up for his crimes. So, not sure if I should applaud the film for its sincerity or be disappointed that the hero is not heroic.I did appreciate the contrast of rich and poor. One could easily make the point that the rich were bad guys and the poor were good guys, or at least exploited and oppressed. But that was never apparent. In fact, the wealthy man is the victim here and we have no reason to dislike him simply for his wealth. And although we may feel bad for the homeless, there is no reason to side with them.There was also a constant theme of AIDS in the background, though I am at a loss to explain what purpose it served.