THANK YOU! I’ve been requesting a video on Lil Zé for a while! I’m so happy you did Lil Zé I appreciate your hard work this channel is amazing and we love it
I’m glad you covered Lil Z. He’s probably the most realistic portrayal of a gangster I have ever seen. In real life gangsters aren’t anywhere close to honorable movies or tv shows make them out to be. They are selfish, vile and greedy who thrive in violence. I knew someone like him during my high school years. He was shot alongside his brother in 2019.
I agree, I dislike that in recent times we’ve come to glorifying gangsters and the criminal lifestyle in general. You want real heroes? Look at the police who have to deal with that crap every damn day of their lives and usually while taking insults and hatred from the very people they’re protecting
That’s usually how it ends for guys like that. My father always told me that if u wanna live that kinda life just remember there’s no pension or retirement plan the only 2 ways that a life like that can end is in a cell or in the ground. I also like how he explained that lil ze stopping the petty criminals from preying on the local people wasnt out of a noble sense to protect the people but out of a selfish desire to protect himself from police pressure which is true, anything a gangster does that seems to benefit the people of u look deep enough into it pretty much every time it’s only to somehow benefit themselves.
I love the depiction of Zé in the party scene as awkward and alone while Benny is loved by all. It served as a harsh reminder that he can't buy charisma or bully affection into his pocket. Zé might have been the boss, but Benny was the man.
lol it’s more that lilzé that isnt the kind of environment that suits lil ze he’s more into gangsterism than partying, bené was nice to everyone made friends but lil zé is the one people go to when they need help. Like when the runts robbed the store he had the trust and respect of the people, but he’s not the kind to dance and hangout if it doesn’t involve killing or stealing
@@jeffsmith3747 it`s obvious that he is hyper insecure, and can`t handle rejection. That was the whole point of the scene. To show the audience that he was not a " fearless gangster", but in reality a man unable to regulate his own emotions. In reality Bene would also be unable to leave the favala. All he knew was killing, stealing, dealing drugs. Beeing " cool" and charming would not be enough in the world outside the Favala when he is socialised into beeing a criminal from childhood. Most likely he would come in a similar situation where nobody knew him, and he would feel highly insecure. Then turn to rage and violence to get his way
The fact that this movie didn't win jack shit in the 2004 Oscar Awards and yet prove to be influential and relevant to this day is one of my deepest pet peeves
@@RafitoOoO porque filme estrangeiro para eles é europeu ou de país rico, americanos nunca vão colocar filme de qualquer outro lugar no Oscar sagrado deles.
The fact that most of these actors including lil Zé, was not professional actors but actual residents of the city of god favela is mind blowing, they are just being themselfes, thats one of the details that makes this movie such a masterpiece
The actor who portrays Lil Zé is pretty much the opposite of his character. He's a sweet and calm man, so calm that his acting coach had a hard time to make him behave like Lil Zé. There's a making of video on You tube where he's out of character, which also includes other actors, the director, the coach and etc, but it's all in Portuguese.
@@ZGtx Its not like there's a big Brazilian market for actors, outside of soap operas there's a small market for actors on comedy and that's it. If we had a bigger market in these areas they could've been remembered
@@OnePieceSS23 Brasil have an audiovisual market big enough to actors with so much talent not being forgotten. The problem is, talent doesn't solution the "problem of being black" in the market.
I’m a paraguayan who lives in brazil, man, i really wish you all outside brazil could understand our language, the movie is so much better once you understand what they actually be saying some times😂
This movie is a very realistic depiction of what it is to be poor in Rio de Janeiro. I live in one of the most forgotten regions of RJ and the amount of chaos and death we see daily is absurd. Thank you for bringing this masterpiece to your channel.
One of my favorite movies ever made I am American. And I’m thankful I don’t have to live in these conditions because it’s really sad wha these people have to deal with living in The slum
@@wattsnottaken1 hi i'm from brazil it's like we're used to this movie it's not famous here i noticed that people outside liked crazy that I can recognize which weapon the guys use by the sounds sorry for english bad
@@bigcheese2128 I don't think you understand the politics of Brazil. It doesn't matter who the president is, was or will be. There is corruption in and outside the government, which makes changes an uphill battle. On a nicer note, I invite you to visit us. Brazil is a very big country with a variety of cultures, where you'll meet excellent people, along with great food and views edit: before someone says it, I do not support any of the candidates of the past elections, it's just my perspective as a Brazilian
@@AdaptiveApeHybrid When you say “above animals” do you mean above animals as in not resorting to our carnal nature/our ability to control our urges or do you mean above animals as is in we shouldn’t be farmed, hunted or eaten like the way we currently do to animals. I think I might have taken your comment out of context😂.
Because there's a direct relationship between one's suffering and other enjoyment. That's how a sociopathic leader runs his crew, coincidentally or not, they dont tend to last as much as the more competent and social ones.
I mean, this is definitely how most people are within video games. Or at least a large amount of people. But once you kill real people, it's totally different. But why do we like to simulate this in video games?
After seeing this, I think you forgot to mention how much of an impact Benny had towards Lil Ze. While yes, Ze was extremely cruel/violent at a young age due to environmental factors, Benny had kept it in "check", openly showing affection towards people who were targeted by Ze's gun, and even physically lowering Ze's gun in front of everyone without consequence. Benny had also challenged Ze's murderous mentality in the film, fluidly, making it seem like he's done this plenty times before. Unfortunately after Benny's murder, a whole new level of evil emerged since nothing was there to keep it in check. However, Benny's empathy is channeled by Ze when he encounters and acknowledges Rocket as the camera man, thus giving Benny's gift to rocket (and openly stating it in front of his gang). If Benny had never existed, Ze would have been even more vicious then what is seen at the end of the film.
@@CHEESYHEAD684 LoL what? There is no "oOf" at all here on what you're saying! Did you NOT watch the video at all? He DOES mentions Benny THROUGHOUT this video completely, it's just that he didn't mention as much Benny EFFECTED Lil Ze as said in this comment. Watch the video first before you comment, you just look ridiculous when you don't and speak like this.
Circumstances made people like the tender trío, bene, even zenoura and big boy, lil ze was natural born monster, he crearly understood the evil of his actions(that’s why he fled after the bloodbath in the motel) and still pursued blood over money
Something you didn't mention was how much impact Benny had in Ze's life. He was the only person Ze truly cared about, and the only person who could stop Ze from murdering people without consequences, because of their genuine friendship. Hell, when Benny gets shot and dies, the first thing Ze does is cry for help, before mourning his death. In a way, Benny was his "brakes". And after Benny died, Ze became even more of a monster and went on a warpath to take over Carrot's hood (which he couldn't do previously because Benny was good friends with Carrot). Ze treated Rocket well because: 1) Rocket was a really good photographer, which was beneficial for Ze; and 2) Rocket was friends with Benny, the person he loved the most
@@Demac137 No he clearly loved him as an friend theres an reason why despite all his ego he always listened to Benny and even offered his drug empire theres an bunch of things Ze got whinch was valuable to him but despite that he still destroyed said people unlike Benny whinch he genuinly liked
@@Demac137he definitely loved benny . That was his day on, then only person who stayed by his side, didn't and didn't judge him no matter what he did.. growing up how they did, having someone like that means everything. Benny was the only person that could get Ze to somewhat think about shit he did and the consequences .. they were day ones and it's hard to find someone that stays loyal like they were to each other in the ghetto, hell anywhere really, but especially in the slums bc people will backstab you Ina second bc everyones so poor they gotta do what they gotta do so they can survive , even when Benny and zé started getting money, and living a better life they still never switched on each other , and have respect for each other (ex. Ze doesn't tey to take over carrots territory and start a way bc Benny was cool with him) .. when Benny was tryong to move away and live a different lifestyle it fucced ze up bc he knows Benny is the only person in his life that has real brotherly love with him and that's the only person Ze has ever cared about and trust , without Benny he'd be alone and, and hes don't started so much beef with everyone in the hood, no one is gonna fucc with him and other bosses will most likey't try to kill him and take his territory bc Benny was the one keeping the peace between ze and everyone else .. ze for sure cared about Benny
Lil Ze got soft on Rocket, because of his exceptional photographic skills that made him a bonafide star. He was cool in Lil Ze’s book. Lol even in his final hours he was telling Rocket to snap a pic. Everybody liked Rocket, even the runts.
@@casioak1683 Rocket was lucky to escape death by Zé's hands but that's it. He isn't lucky just because he's not evil. He represents most of the people who live in the slums and favelas but still move forward to make something with their lives, no wonder he grew up to write this amazing novel.
Because they are either fictional, have some redeeming qualities or sense of honor, or have justifications for their actions, Whereas Lil Ze is a real life person.
Ze is a truly terrifying villain, the scene where he shoots the crying kid in the foot has always stuck with me. This is one of my favourite films of all time and I think it's one of greatest films of the past 20 years.
I would argue that Benny was the only person Lil Zé loved. Hence the flashback to when they were kids when Benny said he was leaving. What’s sad is he didn’t know how to express it in a healthy way because he’s never been loved by anyone but Benny.
Benny was also the person who he loved the most, I guess Benny was his emotional support, he even offered to give Benny his own drug empire if he stayed.
Lil Ze is basically this film's Marlo Stanfield from The Wire...a living breathing enbodiment of the worse case result of a child...an actual Michael Myers mindset created by true slum life.
It is excellent comparison with these two. Both characters have no kind of redeeming humanity within them. They only care about two things. the crown and power over others. The only subtle difference is between the two is that lil Zee takes sadistic delight every one of his crimes. Mario is completely numb to everything he does. He simply does it because he has the power to do so without ever looking like he has any Joy or pleasure from it.
The common sentiment towards Marlo in these comment threads is just pure hatred, which is understandable, given his actions throughout the series. But I've always tried to picture Marlo's younger years, the ones we are not shown, both the neglect and the ultra violence he was exposed to at a very young age. Now on the one hand you could say he was pure evil from the very start but I've always chosen to look at him having to extinguish any sort of goodness he had within himself at a very young age in order to not become the prey and in that light, he is somewhat of a tragic figure. ---- Aside from those points I've also seen Marlo / Lil Ze not as single character so much but the representation of the eternal fury and hunger of the next generation, the young lions who simply will not / can not be reasoned with. Doing their part in the cycle of Life...no matter how vicious...and if they live long enough to 'become' Avon or String ( running things just a bit more low-key and enjoying the fruits of their labor ) along comes the new wave young, hungry lions...and round & round we go.
@@SkuYguY_ Bro, I still would think Lil Ze is more terrifying than them, all he wanted was bloodshed, no peace whatsoever just bloodshed and full control. Tony Soprano at least was a good leader and kept peace between families, he only killed someone if he had too, and if they were apart of the mob life and F’d around. Ralph was crazy yeah, but he too at least had so morals and didn’t just off people because he felt like it, he off’d the dancer because she challenged his manhood and became a big problem for him, he also off’d people that got in the way of his business. O Dogg from Menace to Society is probably a little more scarier than Tony and Ralph because of his disregard for human life and the consequences it will bring him too, that’s the thing about both Lil Ze and O Dogg, they were unpredictable murderers and just offed someone because they wanted a good laugh and didn’t care about the consequences of that coming back to haunt them. You should of said Tommy from Goodfellas or Nicky from Casino, both of them were classified as the same type of unpredictable monsters that you didn’t even want to be in the same vicinity in and would probably kill you just because you looked at them or walked passed them on a bad day, just like Lil Ze and O Dogg, all of them have a disregard for human life and the consequences that it will bring them. In terms of smarter criminals who kill, only THEN you are right about Tony Soprano and Ralph being better villains, because they are smarter about their killings in a sense, and actually operate like businessmen.
Characters or real life people like these are far more terrifying than any slasher or horror villain since they very much exist in real life as the environment or life experiences they grew up in or with could very much turn anyone into a monster. Whereas characters like The Joker or Michael Myers are easy to spot, Lil Zé could be anyone, hiding or living in the real world, depending on where they grew up or live in.
"son of mine, do not envy the violent man nor follow any of his ways" "filho meu, não inveje o homem violento nem sigas nenhum de seus caminhos" -Provérbios 3:31
The worst and most terrifying thing about Zé Pequeno isn't even that he was a real person, but that he wasn't the first like that and wasn't the last. To this day there are people like him in many, MANY favelas here on Rio, specially in CDD (City of God's brasilian acronym).
I'm brazilian and I'm so glad to see one of our best movies, and probably one of the baddest villans analized. Being from Rio, I can tell you guys, this movie, besides the adaptation, is like 90% real, till today.
@@alperene8528 yep & the yo & the melph & the old desire & florida & st.bernard & st Thomas, & the fisher & many more. Like how Rio got those flavelas the N.O. had & still got some of those jects. They just remodeled a lot of them.
You're right, that's right, Lil Dice looked for an Exu from Quimbanda to open his path in the new venture and help massacre his enemies, Exu "7 boilers" then changes Lil Dice's name to Lil Ze, puts the "Guia" on neck and tells him not to fornicate with it.
This movie shifted my entire paradigm. My mom is from Jamaica which has some really rough areas. I’ve seen some crazy things and met some really nefarious people while stationed in the military. I still wasn’t all the way prepared for what I saw in this movie.
This movie, alongside Elite Squad, help shed light on just how violent and poor was the reality of the slums from the 70s all the way to the 90s. I appreciate the fact that, while acknowledging his evil nature, you did not shy away from saying that Zé was a product of his environment as well. Yes he is a monster, but the government that didn't took care of him and his home ended up giving him all the right tools to express the worst parts of himself and maximize the evil he spread. That's why, while he is the villain and focus of the story, at the end of the day the story was about the City of God, not about him.
@@gfcosta8713 that applies to all of latin america. every country has safe locations, but like u said, it also has locations like the slums of brasil wear this behavior persists. i definitely didn’t mean all of brasil is like this, im from colombia myself so id like to say i’m familiar with how latin america is
oh man, i totally forgot lil Ze and everyone else was based on real people... already, I'm a little scared about remembering just how awful this character is 😆
Most police and crime films from Brazil made in the early 2000s are semifictional works. Even Benny wasn't as benign as the movie makes him out to be. You can see this on the scene where he is racing a "friend" on their bikes, but the friend throws the race just because of how scared he is. These gangsters were even worse in real life, trust me
@@odd-eyes6363 Yeah, last time I saw some of them, six of them entered on the bus, the 60 people on the bus were dead silently and looking on 15 seconds, they were laughing talking about people they had killed as if killing for them was as relevant as eating ice cream, they were scary in a way no movie can portray, it was almost as if killing people totally changes someone behavior, way of talking, moving the body, eyes, etc. They were so scary just by looking at them that I dont believe any movie will be able to ever portray that
Pior que eu sinto que isso se aplica mais no cinema brasileiro como um geral. A grande maioria da galera que eu conheço que curte filme BR trata cidade de deus como um dos melhores (de fato é)
Tá maluco! Eu vi muito esse filme estudando audiovisual. O problema é a galera daqui querer comparar filme nacional com hollywood o tempo todo. Não importa quantos filmes da marvel saíram e vão sair, eu sempre vou preferir reassistir O Homem Que Copiava kkkkkk
@@aedes947 enquanto tem gringo que nem consegue terminar o filme muita gente aqui acha até engraçado tirando umas 3 cenas mais chocantes, eu mesmo acho Pixote bem mais pesado
Side note: Its incredible how Slumdog Millionaire's Salim is basically a copy of Lil Ze, (the whole movie has so many parallels to City of God), yet Slumdog still managed to win the Oscars, while City of God only was nominated. What a shame. City of God was truly better and deserved more credit.
It's just how it works really,brazil media isn't really valued out of brazil,at least me as a Brazilian have never seen many recognitions of it,heck take that one Simpsons episode that's shows brazil as a giant dumpster basically,thats how most other countries see brazil
No way you did City of God 😳.Man ,this is such a GREAT underrated classic in my eyes.Lil Ze was an absolute monster ,especially that scene with Knockout Ned’s girlfriend .Favorite quote “You killed the coolest hood in the City Of God”I friggin love you for this lmao
He’s well rounded in hood modern day and old creations even video games. I wonder how old vile eye is
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My favorite Brazilian film. Usually movie directors have a hard time understanding the complexity of Brazilian urban violence. This movie is very sensible portraying the matter.
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I recommend O Invasor and O Homem do Ano. Far form being this good, but acceptable portraits of the criminal element. Cronicamente Inviável is another great movie that paints a broader picture of Brazilian sociological horror.
Using the Lil Zé example as proof that factors outside of the home are more important that factors inside the home has some logical issues. Mainly that Lil Zé really didn't have a home to be "brought up in" which would have inherently forced his life outside of the home to be more impactful.
I saw this movie some 10 years ago and I remember being literally shocked by the violence and how random it is (the banana scene or the hotel Z return, for example).
I remember the director being confused about people saying how violent it was because there is relatively few instances of the violence actually being on screen, the person being shot is always just off screen or the violence is implied and your brain fills in the gaps. Much less graphic than something like The Boys, but that much more real for some reason.
@@ncl7495 naaa i can't agree with that. Maybe it's like that most lileky in Rio and SP (maybe MG and Ceará too), but i never saw anything close to that living in DF and later in it's surroundings which is also said to have a dangerous neighborhood.
@@sjbrooksy45 imo, it's because the violence isn't... Artistic. Death happens. That's it. It's not supposed to look pretty, to have a beautiful camera angle, to accommodate for dialogue, to make characters look strong in the face of it. It's not about fairness or justice. For the unlucky ones, the movie of life just cuts out: One day you are working as a cashier and a stray bullet gets stuck in your head. City of God does a great job at showing how quickly it happens, and how fragile we humans actually are. There's no need for tons of blood, or to drag it on to make the scene look "cool". If a weapon can kill someone in a second, in this movie it actually does.
holy crap??!? i was the person who left a comment on the most recent vid hoping for this exact villain to be done, i wasn't expecting to see it anytime soon???? god, i love this channel 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
As a Brazilian I can say this upload is a beautiful testament of the quality of your videos. The amount of care and effort you put in your content is truly amazing. Thank you
As a Brazilian I can say that the "Lil Zé" give me some laugh (Cause we don't translate Lil to Pequeno, we just use the Lil, but it's the accurate translation), but jokes aside, great analyses, Lil Zé really represents (As possible a movie can show without being forbidden) how Brazilian drug dealers are, the cruelty of deaths are beyond just being shot by guns like most movies show. The tortures used by organized crime are some medieval things, with people being ripped apart piece by piece slowly, burned alive and stuff like this. A great movie and a great vídeo.
I love this movie and im so happy you analyzed Zé Pequeno (Lil Zé) , City of God is perhaps one of the best movies about the reality of life in this corner of the world we call Latin America. A few details about the movie: -Brazilians have a tendency to use a nicknames so often they become almost as a birthname, an example is the famous Brazilian player Pelé whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento. -Being a movie set in Rio de Janeiro we never see el Cristo Redentor (Christ Redeemer) statue, one of the classic landmarks of the city, it hammers home that these people are forgotten by God, ironic considering the name of the favela, it also shows how no one who tries to leave the favela ever does, Shaggy, Goose, Benny they die, only Rocket (Buscape) manages to escape because he has something he needs, his photographs and his ability as a photographer. -The legacy of violence in places like Rio de Janeiro will always continues as we see in the end of the movie when the Runts kill Lil Zé and talk about looking for other people to kill, like a disease it only spreads and it is often said that "if the young are violent now, the next ones will be worst" which is common in Latin America (i live in Chile and ive seen this in the news) , just like Lil Zé started killing so others will not only follow his footsteps but look to out do those they learnt it from. -I recommend you watch Tropa de Elite (Elite Squad) which talks about the BOPE, a special forces brigade that figths narcos in the favelas of Rio, its an interesting look at how these soldiers think and ties in well to the themes of City of God as a view of how the world around you affects you.
When you analyze characters based on crime bosses like Tony Soprano or Lil Ze, it reminds me of how many people that are CEO's and Heads of State also show sociopathic and psychopathic tendencies. Can you do a series on some of these people ? Also City of God is an underrated classic, thanks for showcasing it.
mfs made the word "underrated" an absolutely meaningless set of letters. Net they're gonna say Godfather is a little-known underrated hidden gem that went under everyone's radar and nobody has seen it.
I watched this in my film class in HS it's such an experience for how not only does the camera of this captures animals, the character, and objects of this film, but the building like its a character
I remember City of God (2002) was fantastic, but I forgot so much of the plot. I remembered that one dude became a journalist and hooked up with that one lady.
I’m so glad you covered this character! He’s by far one of the most memorable people to appear in a film. It’s a shocking and complex story that isn’t talked about nearly enough.
The Michael Jordan analogy was so on point. Loved your analysis of the character man. Lil Zé is a brazillian icon. It's really great to see such a fresh take on a story i love to death.
I would love to see the Making of this movie. How the director got those child actors to show such huge range in emotions boggles my mind and scares me actually.
As crianças ficavam separadas dos atores adultos, eram crianças da periferia que foram selecionadas por testes. A cena da criança escolhendo na mão ou no pé, a criança ao lado realmente não sabia como iria funcionar a cena, por isso a realidade, algumas outras cenas foram feitas assim também com o intuito de assustar e entregar mais verdade na encenação.
He's a perfect example that psychopaths are born sociopaths are made. He wasn't the only monster in that film for sure he was made to be the way he was.
Who were the other monsters??? I inclined to say HE was born like that.. The other kids were robbers LilDice/Ze wanted to kill.. And is very intelligent like most pschycopaths are
@@dc7236 the other kids are monsters like him, that's the point. They kill Zé in cold blood to replace him and would grow up to help lead one of the most violent criminal organizations ever. Their last line in the movie is about said criminal organization.
@@dc7236 Most psychopaths are dumb and in prison. Movie psychopaths are in general intelligent, because it represent a total dominance of rationalization over emotional response, wich is fun but its a complete exaggeration
@@dragooll2023 actual there a very small percentage of pyschyopaths but just about all of them are intelligent, and charming They are not all murderers tho.
11:43 I thank you so much for this quote. As a teen in high school I remember telling my teacher that an individual’s environment truly shapes what they become into and she said no and named multiple exceptions of people who had but with that said those are exceptions not the rule and I as a 15-17 year old child couldn’t fathom in anyway how she was right I still don’t and this teacher of mine was someone who had a profound positive influence in life on me not someone who shot my opinions down but this interaction always stuck with me. And I’ll leave my own quick personal anecdote my mother calling me at 2:45 pm knowing I’d come home at 3 everyday after school asking me if I wanted a sandwich with some iced tea is the reason I never shot up a school or became a monster and ended up in prison. Your environment shapes you and the shitty person ive become and am learning to overcome thanks you for this. I thank you for your content it’s helped me sleep when I can’t and helped me therapeutically, if you ever read this thank you @TheVileEye.
YES!!! I’ve wanted you to do Lil Ze for ages now! Please also make analysis videos on the following villains: Hans Beckert - M Begbie - Trainspotting Ben - Man Bites Dog Lavrentiy Beria - The Death of Stalin Mr Bytes - The Elephant Man Lt. Chang - Only God Forgives Joe Cooper - Killer Joe Phyllis Dietrichson - Double Indemnity Robert G. Durant - Darkman Evil Genius - Time Bandits Auric Goldfinger - Goldfinger Trevor Goodchild - Æon Flux Eve Harrington - All About Eve J. J. Hunsecker - Sweet Smell of Success El Indio - For a Few Dollars More Mrs. Eleanor Iselin - The Manchurian Candidate Kakihara - Ichi the Killer Rosa Klebb - From Russia with Love Egor Korshunov - Air Force One Raymond Lemorne - The Vanishing Harry Lime - The Third Man Don Logan - Sexy Beast David Lo Pan - Big Trouble in Little China Feathers McGraw - The Wrong Trousers Santanico Pandemonium - From Dusk till Dawn Peter and Paul - Funny Games 97 Reverend Harry Powell - The Night of the Hunter Professor Ratigan - The Great Mouse Detective Daddy & Mommy Robeson - The People Under the Stairs Francisco Scaramanga - The Man with the Golden Gun Khan Noonien Singh - Star Trek Lord Summerisle - The Wicker Man The Swede - Hell on Wheels Dr Szell - Marathon Man Varla - Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Lorren Visser - Blood Simple Percy Wetmore - The Green Mile Johnny Wong - Hard Boiled
May I add: Mickey and Mallory Knox -NBK “Villain” -Prisoners Leather face family- Tex Chainsaw Brick Top- Snatch Maybe…spoiler-ish for Brothers Sam Cahill
Homelander (The Boys) Dio (DIO) Brando (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) Mrs. Jones (Prisoners) Akan (Hardcore Henry) I can’t think of any others off the top of my head tbh
I watched this movie in film class and it was a film that GRASPED me, y'know? Usually movies entertain me, or characters resonate with me personally, or deliver themes or tones that really hit home, but this movie was like a beautiful car crash I couldn't look away from. I loved everything about it, even that it made me uncomfortable.
Thanks Vile Eye. This video made me watch the movie. Lil Z was evil incarnate. A pure terror. And this is the movie version, I can only imagine what he's like in the book
Funny enough i rewatched this masterpiece the third time just an hour back. I guess i chose perfect timing to delve into the character of Ze. Glad to hear my observations of him were mostly correct. Thank you for the video
I don't know about that, lil ze always seemed a bit unhinged compared to everyone else. Plus Benny and Rocket both come from the same city but were far less insane
The only thing tragic is that Li’l Zé didn’t get taken out sooner. The guy was a monster even when he was a kid. He was a sadistic rapist and murderer.
Nah. Lil Ze was exceptionally cruel, even for someone who grew up in that environment. Not to mention the majority of people who grow up in rampant poverty don’t engage in that kind of violence.
I think Knockout Ned is a better example of a tragic character. Really chill and cool at first but was roped into gang violence because of what happened to his girlfriend and his family. Lil Ze was evil from the start.
@@aedes947 Brazil is an absurd country, the fact it exists as it does is somewhat of a miracle. There's a lot of potential though, hopefully one day soon it will be harnessed.
Great stuff. I wish more people would open themselves to dialog like this. A lot of individuals don't know that people have different idols for different reasons. And that these idols can alter their outlook on life. Circumstance is fact not fiction.
Ohhhhh shit, this movie is a national treasure in Brazil 🇧🇷. Cidade de Deus (City of God) and Tropa de Elite (Elite Squad), both amazing movies and as someone who lives in Rio de Janeiro, though heightned and dramatized, those movies represent alot to people and show just how life can be quite horrifying in the favelas. So good. Great choice "Meu nome não é mais Dadinho, é Zé pequeno, porra!"
@@ZGtx YES! I always have seen that, even when I was a child watching this movie, and yet, my parents were congratulating the brutal actions the police took. Like what??? They are supposed to do the "right thing".
I confess I was kinda reluctant on watching this because normally people have so many stereotypes about brasil that I was afraid they would show up in here but I'm glad I did watch it. Your analysis was amazing and managed to explain how and why Zé was so evil without stripping him of his humanity and putting him in this "he is not a person he is a monster" category (and I say that bc I think is so much interesting and truthful to see evil people as people too and not try to separate them from the rest of us) Analyzing evil people as humans first gives depth on how we see each other and ourselves and what people can be capable of, and you did this wonderfully
Good work. I first came across this film when I was living among wannabe gangsters. Pretty sure it was my first Brazilian film. I love it but can only watch it with huge gaps in between viewings. The art is so powerful it moves me to conflicting emotions.
I can't believe you made on episode about Zé Pequeno! I'm Brazilian and I always thought about how people don't pay attention of how evil he really is.
One of the best movies I seen in the theaters when I was in high school crazy almost 20 years ago. Especially me Brazilian/Spaniard this movie hit me hard.
Hahah o meme é real, mencionar algo Brazil, The Brazilians aparecem haha. Nem sabia que teve esse público do Vile Eye, muito legal. E sim, outros vilões bons, só nos filmes de tropa de elite
Even with amazing classics on cinema, this movie still one of my favs. Being a brazilian just improves my love to it. I hope more people on the world meet that gem.
Check out www.piavpn.com/Vile for an 82% discount on Private Internet Access! That’s $2.03 a month and get 4 extra months free!
The vile eye please do the analyzing evil video on the god emperor of mankind from Warhammer 40K
Meredith disclosure please
THANK YOU! I’ve been requesting a video on Lil Zé for a while! I’m so happy you did Lil Zé I appreciate your hard work this channel is amazing and we love it
Do qualen movie cliff hanger
Do qualen movie cliff hanger
I’m glad you covered Lil Z. He’s probably the most realistic portrayal of a gangster I have ever seen. In real life gangsters aren’t anywhere close to honorable movies or tv shows make them out to be. They are selfish, vile and greedy who thrive in violence. I knew someone like him during my high school years. He was shot alongside his brother in 2019.
I agree, I dislike that in recent times we’ve come to glorifying gangsters and the criminal lifestyle in general. You want real heroes? Look at the police who have to deal with that crap every damn day of their lives and usually while taking insults and hatred from the very people they’re protecting
Rio and São paulo are Real unique states and hoods. Quebradas, periferias, favelas, ruas... and so on.
Same here, unfortunately. People like him are the worst to meet in real life.
Iil z is the portrayal of a gang banger gone off the deep end but benny is also a portrayal of gang members out there, both can be true
That’s usually how it ends for guys like that. My father always told me that if u wanna live that kinda life just remember there’s no pension or retirement plan the only 2 ways that a life like that can end is in a cell or in the ground. I also like how he explained that lil ze stopping the petty criminals from preying on the local people wasnt out of a noble sense to protect the people but out of a selfish desire to protect himself from police pressure which is true, anything a gangster does that seems to benefit the people of u look deep enough into it pretty much every time it’s only to somehow benefit themselves.
I love the depiction of Zé in the party scene as awkward and alone while Benny is loved by all. It served as a harsh reminder that he can't buy charisma or bully affection into his pocket. Zé might have been the boss, but Benny was the man.
Yeah that's the thing he's the boss
Benny's the man
lol it’s more that lilzé that isnt the kind of environment that suits lil ze he’s more into gangsterism than partying, bené was nice to everyone made friends but lil zé is the one people go to when they need help. Like when the runts robbed the store he had the trust and respect of the people, but he’s not the kind to dance and hangout if it doesn’t involve killing or stealing
@@jeffsmith3747 it`s obvious that he is hyper insecure, and can`t handle rejection. That was the whole point of the scene. To show the audience that he was not a " fearless gangster", but in reality a man unable to regulate his own emotions.
In reality Bene would also be unable to leave the favala. All he knew was killing, stealing, dealing drugs. Beeing " cool" and charming would not be enough in the world outside the Favala when he is socialised into beeing a criminal from childhood. Most likely he would come in a similar situation where nobody knew him, and he would feel highly insecure. Then turn to rage and violence to get his way
It is the definition of "better be loved" (Benny), than "be feared" (Ze).
@Ikaros23 didn't Bené has high compassion enough to stop Lil Zé from doing vile sh**?
The fact that this movie didn't win jack shit in the 2004 Oscar Awards and yet prove to be influential and relevant to this day is one of my deepest pet peeves
Filme fora dos Estados Unidos tem sorte de serem lembrados pelo público, por isso não ganham Oscar.
@@haengeltheknight1212 existe uma categoria especialmente pra filme em língua estrangeira e também não levou.
@@RafitoOoO porque filme estrangeiro para eles é europeu ou de país rico, americanos nunca vão colocar filme de qualquer outro lugar no Oscar sagrado deles.
@@haengeltheknight1212 Fernanda Montenegro que o diga.
@@RafitoOoO Países Europeus e extremo asiático,né?
The fact that most of these actors including lil Zé, was not professional actors but actual residents of the city of god favela is mind blowing, they are just being themselfes, thats one of the details that makes this movie such a masterpiece
And they, in their majority, have been forgotten by Brazilian media. Be it in the TV, web or cinema.
The actor who portrays Lil Zé is pretty much the opposite of his character. He's a sweet and calm man, so calm that his acting coach had a hard time to make him behave like Lil Zé. There's a making of video on You tube where he's out of character, which also includes other actors, the director, the coach and etc, but it's all in Portuguese.
No they were not being themselves they were acting.
@@ZGtx Its not like there's a big Brazilian market for actors, outside of soap operas there's a small market for actors on comedy and that's it. If we had a bigger market in these areas they could've been remembered
@@OnePieceSS23 Brasil have an audiovisual market big enough to actors with so much talent not being forgotten.
The problem is, talent doesn't solution the "problem of being black" in the market.
No foreign film has immersed me like City of God. It’s like I forgot I was reading subtitles. Incredible villain, amazing film.
TOTALLY. City Of God and Apocalypto for me were the two films that had me forget it was a foreign film.
I’m a paraguayan who lives in brazil, man, i really wish you all outside brazil could understand our language, the movie is so much better once you understand what they actually be saying some times😂
@@realdragao6367I spent a year learning Portuguese specifically to understand the slang in city of God lol
@@TherapyGelwhat dedication
This movie is a very realistic depiction of what it is to be poor in Rio de Janeiro. I live in one of the most forgotten regions of RJ and the amount of chaos and death we see daily is absurd. Thank you for bringing this masterpiece to your channel.
One of my favorite movies ever made I am American. And I’m thankful I don’t have to live in these conditions because it’s really sad wha these people have to deal with living in The slum
@@wattsnottaken1 hi i'm from brazil it's like we're used to this movie it's not famous here i noticed that people outside liked crazy that I can recognize which weapon the guys use by the sounds sorry for english bad
I can only imagine how much worse it must be with bolsonaro in power. Praying for u to be safe and well
@@bigcheese2128 I don't think you understand the politics of Brazil. It doesn't matter who the president is, was or will be. There is corruption in and outside the government, which makes changes an uphill battle.
On a nicer note, I invite you to visit us. Brazil is a very big country with a variety of cultures, where you'll meet excellent people, along with great food and views
edit: before someone says it, I do not support any of the candidates of the past elections, it's just my perspective as a Brazilian
Verdade gata😢
What's scary about this guy is not that he is cold but that hurting people actually brings him joy. He sees killing people as eating candy o.o
Causing others pain brings countless people joy. Most people just won't go this far.
The world is full of sadists 🙊
@@GummiJD we (humanity) love to see ourselves above animals but that's not how I see it 🙊
@@AdaptiveApeHybrid When you say “above animals” do you mean above animals as in not resorting to our carnal nature/our ability to control our urges or do you mean above animals as is in we shouldn’t be farmed, hunted or eaten like the way we currently do to animals. I think I might have taken your comment out of context😂.
Because there's a direct relationship between one's suffering and other enjoyment. That's how a sociopathic leader runs his crew, coincidentally or not, they dont tend to last as much as the more competent and social ones.
I mean, this is definitely how most people are within video games. Or at least a large amount of people. But once you kill real people, it's totally different. But why do we like to simulate this in video games?
After seeing this, I think you forgot to mention how much of an impact Benny had towards Lil Ze. While yes, Ze was extremely cruel/violent at a young age due to environmental factors, Benny had kept it in "check", openly showing affection towards people who were targeted by Ze's gun, and even physically lowering Ze's gun in front of everyone without consequence. Benny had also challenged Ze's murderous mentality in the film, fluidly, making it seem like he's done this plenty times before. Unfortunately after Benny's murder, a whole new level of evil emerged since nothing was there to keep it in check.
However, Benny's empathy is channeled by Ze when he encounters and acknowledges Rocket as the camera man, thus giving Benny's gift to rocket (and openly stating it in front of his gang).
If Benny had never existed, Ze would have been even more vicious then what is seen at the end of the film.
I agree, that’s well put and said!
He never mentions Benny this video? oof
@@CHEESYHEAD684 LoL what? There is no "oOf" at all here on what you're saying! Did you NOT watch the video at all? He DOES mentions Benny THROUGHOUT this video completely, it's just that he didn't mention as much Benny EFFECTED Lil Ze as said in this comment. Watch the video first before you comment, you just look ridiculous when you don't and speak like this.
@@Gadget-Walkmen People have this habit of reading comments to gauge what the video is about and commenting before watching the complete video.
@@ziggystatdust6008 people are ridiculous for doing that, that's what.
The scariest part about Zé is that the circumstances that made him what he was are still pretty much real.
Not pretty much. VERY real
Circumstances made people like the tender trío, bene, even zenoura and big boy, lil ze was natural born monster, he crearly understood the evil of his actions(that’s why he fled after the bloodbath in the motel) and still pursued blood over money
@@DracoMint yup remember he's got plans
@@toptiertech7291 beyond very
Something you didn't mention was how much impact Benny had in Ze's life. He was the only person Ze truly cared about, and the only person who could stop Ze from murdering people without consequences, because of their genuine friendship. Hell, when Benny gets shot and dies, the first thing Ze does is cry for help, before mourning his death. In a way, Benny was his "brakes". And after Benny died, Ze became even more of a monster and went on a warpath to take over Carrot's hood (which he couldn't do previously because Benny was good friends with Carrot). Ze treated Rocket well because: 1) Rocket was a really good photographer, which was beneficial for Ze; and 2) Rocket was friends with Benny, the person he loved the most
He didn’t love them the same way a regular person would. He just found them valuable to him
@@Demac137 No he clearly loved him as an friend theres an reason why despite all his ego he always listened to Benny and even offered his drug empire theres an bunch of things Ze got whinch was valuable to him but despite that he still destroyed said people unlike Benny whinch he genuinly liked
@@Demac137he definitely loved benny . That was his day on, then only person who stayed by his side, didn't and didn't judge him no matter what he did.. growing up how they did, having someone like that means everything. Benny was the only person that could get Ze to somewhat think about shit he did and the consequences .. they were day ones and it's hard to find someone that stays loyal like they were to each other in the ghetto, hell anywhere really, but especially in the slums bc people will backstab you Ina second bc everyones so poor they gotta do what they gotta do so they can survive , even when Benny and zé started getting money, and living a better life they still never switched on each other , and have respect for each other (ex. Ze doesn't tey to take over carrots territory and start a way bc Benny was cool with him) .. when Benny was tryong to move away and live a different lifestyle it fucced ze up bc he knows Benny is the only person in his life that has real brotherly love with him and that's the only person Ze has ever cared about and trust , without Benny he'd be alone and, and hes don't started so much beef with everyone in the hood, no one is gonna fucc with him and other bosses will most likey't try to kill him and take his territory bc Benny was the one keeping the peace between ze and everyone else .. ze for sure cared about Benny
Yeah, Ze is a sociopath, that while he do atrocious thing for fun or seemingly have no moral, he genuinely care for Benny
Lil Ze got soft on Rocket, because of his exceptional photographic skills that made him a bonafide star. He was cool in Lil Ze’s book. Lol even in his final hours he was telling Rocket to snap a pic. Everybody liked Rocket, even the runts.
Rocket is just being extremely lucky. It's like God destined him that way, to observe the rotten world around him and then tell his story to us.
Zack tv was Chicago's Rocket
Rocket aka Buscapé
@@casioak1683 Rocket was lucky to escape death by Zé's hands but that's it. He isn't lucky just because he's not evil. He represents most of the people who live in the slums and favelas but still move forward to make something with their lives, no wonder he grew up to write this amazing novel.
@@Jayphil1 rip ZackTV
I know most gangsters are ranked A tier level of evil in this channel, but this is the one gangster I personally would rank in S tier.
Because they are either fictional, have some redeeming qualities or sense of honor, or have justifications for their actions, Whereas Lil Ze is a real life person.
I would still rank him A tier. I feel like everything he talked about with role models and the environment you grow up in would be the reason
@@conormcginn3312 Lil z was naturally born rotten, i think no matter in what situation he was born he would had been a terrible person
He's like the Shin Akuma of all gangsters lol
@@zello4075 nah you can’t say that, it’s the environment that produced the worst in hun
Saw this movie back in high school. That lil psychopath has always stood with me for how young he started out as a killer.
I wouldnt say psychopath but Zé is a sociopath
I saw this movie as a young kid.
We used to repeat the quotes in school ...
I think we just messed up.
@@DizzyMakavelli we are
Ze is a truly terrifying villain, the scene where he shoots the crying kid in the foot has always stuck with me. This is one of my favourite films of all time and I think it's one of greatest films of the past 20 years.
I would argue that Benny was the only person Lil Zé loved. Hence the flashback to when they were kids when Benny said he was leaving.
What’s sad is he didn’t know how to express it in a healthy way because he’s never been loved by anyone but Benny.
Benny was also the person who he loved the most, I guess Benny was his emotional support, he even offered to give Benny his own drug empire if he stayed.
:(
Yeah, Ze's moral and value is too twisted, he don't know how to express his affection.
Lil Ze is basically this film's Marlo Stanfield from The Wire...a living breathing enbodiment of the worse case result of a child...an actual Michael Myers mindset created by true slum life.
I wonder if the character of Marlo might have been influenced by City of God. You're right, he is similar to Lil Ze in some aspects.
It is excellent comparison with these two. Both characters have no kind of redeeming humanity within them. They only care about two things. the crown and power over others. The only subtle difference is between the two is that lil Zee takes sadistic delight every one of his crimes. Mario is completely numb to everything he does. He simply does it because he has the power to do so without ever looking like he has any Joy or pleasure from it.
The common sentiment towards Marlo in these comment threads is just pure hatred, which is understandable, given his actions throughout the series.
But I've always tried to picture Marlo's younger years, the ones we are not shown, both the neglect and the ultra violence he was exposed to at a very young age.
Now on the one hand you could say he was pure evil from the very start but I've always chosen to look at him having to extinguish any sort of goodness he had within himself at a very young age in order to not become the prey and in that light, he is somewhat of a tragic figure.
----
Aside from those points I've also seen Marlo / Lil Ze not as single character so much but the representation of the eternal fury and hunger of the next generation, the young lions who simply will not / can not be reasoned with.
Doing their part in the cycle of Life...no matter how vicious...and if they live long enough to 'become' Avon or String ( running things just a bit more low-key and enjoying the fruits of their labor ) along comes the new wave young, hungry lions...and round & round we go.
Luigi Stanfield and Princess Omar
I’m waiting for him to cover Marlo and stringer
One of the best and most terrifyingly unpredictable gang villain in all of film and tv of all time.
Lil Ze was a big time psychopath
Naw Zé is a sociopath
Lmao u just can't think of other gang villains I'll help you out Ralph ciffareto from sopranos
@@SkuYguY_ Bro, I still would think Lil Ze is more terrifying than them, all he wanted was bloodshed, no peace whatsoever just bloodshed and full control.
Tony Soprano at least was a good leader and kept peace between families, he only killed someone if he had too, and if they were apart of the mob life and F’d around.
Ralph was crazy yeah, but he too at least had so morals and didn’t just off people because he felt like it, he off’d the dancer because she challenged his manhood and became a big problem for him, he also off’d people that got in the way of his business.
O Dogg from Menace to Society is probably a little more scarier than Tony and Ralph because of his disregard for human life and the consequences it will bring him too, that’s the thing about both Lil Ze and O Dogg, they were unpredictable murderers and just offed someone because they wanted a good laugh and didn’t care about the consequences of that coming back to haunt them.
You should of said Tommy from Goodfellas or Nicky from Casino, both of them were classified as the same type of unpredictable monsters that you didn’t even want to be in the same vicinity in and would probably kill you just because you looked at them or walked passed them on a bad day, just like Lil Ze and O Dogg, all of them have a disregard for human life and the consequences that it will bring them.
In terms of smarter criminals who kill, only THEN you are right about Tony Soprano and Ralph being better villains, because they are smarter about their killings in a sense, and actually operate like businessmen.
not to mention he was based an actual person who did far worse than what was in the movie
@@KiyoAloto yup he was
Characters or real life people like these are far more terrifying than any slasher or horror villain since they very much exist in real life as the environment or life experiences they grew up in or with could very much turn anyone into a monster. Whereas characters like The Joker or Michael Myers are easy to spot, Lil Zé could be anyone, hiding or living in the real world, depending on where they grew up or live in.
There million of people just like him
Spot on! Comic book villains are more like caricatures
He should analyse Philip and Elizabeth Jennings from 'The Americans'. A perfect example of how ideology can warp the human conscience.
@@nihiqallam5616 i have some 'friends' like him here in br, it's pretty scary the things i saw then do
"son of mine, do not envy the violent man nor follow any of his ways"
"filho meu, não inveje o homem violento nem sigas nenhum de seus caminhos"
-Provérbios 3:31
The worst and most terrifying thing about Zé Pequeno isn't even that he was a real person, but that he wasn't the first like that and wasn't the last. To this day there are people like him in many, MANY favelas here on Rio, specially in CDD (City of God's brasilian acronym).
Sadly we might also have some similar people like that here in South Africa but it seems in Brazil is more common which is tragic
I'm brazilian and I'm so glad to see one of our best movies, and probably one of the baddest villans analized. Being from Rio, I can tell you guys, this movie, besides the adaptation, is like 90% real, till today.
Yeah it's cut throat down there. Reminds me of New Orleans.
@@antoniodalton9256Choppa city don't play
@@antoniodalton9256 magnolia projects
@@alperene8528 yep & the yo & the melph & the old desire & florida & st.bernard & st Thomas, & the fisher & many more. Like how Rio got those flavelas the N.O. had & still got some of those jects. They just remodeled a lot of them.
@@antoniodalton9256 I have made researches on them because im a fan of old southern hip hop and they were making songs on places like this.
Can’t believe it took soo many episodes to get to this character. Easily one of the most pure evil characters to grace the silver screen
Lil Ze violated Knock-out Ned’s girlfriend while wearing the amulet, thus sealing his fate.
Never thought about this, although I think Ze would've met a dark fate regardless. I wonder how serious the movie and novel took this.
Yes exactly I wanted to reply that but you beat me to the punch
@@alfredmohammed9197he was told not to have relations with it on basically his soul was tied to it and he disobeyed
You're right, that's right, Lil Dice looked for an Exu from Quimbanda to open his path in the new venture and help massacre his enemies, Exu "7 boilers" then changes Lil Dice's name to Lil Ze, puts the "Guia" on neck and tells him not to fornicate with it.
This movie shifted my entire paradigm. My mom is from Jamaica which has some really rough areas. I’ve seen some crazy things and met some really nefarious people while stationed in the military. I still wasn’t all the way prepared for what I saw in this movie.
This movie, alongside Elite Squad, help shed light on just how violent and poor was the reality of the slums from the 70s all the way to the 90s. I appreciate the fact that, while acknowledging his evil nature, you did not shy away from saying that Zé was a product of his environment as well. Yes he is a monster, but the government that didn't took care of him and his home ended up giving him all the right tools to express the worst parts of himself and maximize the evil he spread. That's why, while he is the villain and focus of the story, at the end of the day the story was about the City of God, not about him.
keep in mind this is not a thing of the past. this reality still haunts latin america to this day
@@winkletinkle8007 In Brasil it's not like this anymore, it's bad but just in the slums.
@@gfcosta8713 that applies to all of latin america. every country has safe locations, but like u said, it also has locations like the slums of brasil wear this behavior persists. i definitely didn’t mean all of brasil is like this, im from colombia myself so id like to say i’m familiar with how latin america is
@@winkletinkle8007 yes, people in Québec really be suffering
@@fusososososo3507 quebec is in latin america? i think u got the wrong hemisphere bud
oh man, i totally forgot lil Ze and everyone else was based on real people... already, I'm a little scared about remembering just how awful this character is 😆
Sim eu tenho medo. Você é mais valorizado!! A louvor de mãe menininha!
I’ve met a few individuals like Ze. All it is are just capable people with malevolent intent.
Aqui no Brasil tem pessoas até piores !
Most police and crime films from Brazil made in the early 2000s are semifictional works. Even Benny wasn't as benign as the movie makes him out to be. You can see this on the scene where he is racing a "friend" on their bikes, but the friend throws the race just because of how scared he is. These gangsters were even worse in real life, trust me
@@odd-eyes6363 Yeah, last time I saw some of them, six of them entered on the bus, the 60 people on the bus were dead silently and looking on 15 seconds, they were laughing talking about people they had killed as if killing for them was as relevant as eating ice cream, they were scary in a way no movie can portray, it was almost as if killing people totally changes someone behavior, way of talking, moving the body, eyes, etc.
They were so scary just by looking at them that I dont believe any movie will be able to ever portray that
Sou brasileiro e sempre fico surpreso que esse filme parece ser mais valorizado no exterior do que no proprio pais
oloko ce chuta uma moita aparece um Br
O modo como esse filme é visto no exterior é muito diferente da maneira que nós vemos. Pra eles é um choque, pra gente... nem preciso falar nada.
Pior que eu sinto que isso se aplica mais no cinema brasileiro como um geral. A grande maioria da galera que eu conheço que curte filme BR trata cidade de deus como um dos melhores (de fato é)
Tá maluco! Eu vi muito esse filme estudando audiovisual. O problema é a galera daqui querer comparar filme nacional com hollywood o tempo todo. Não importa quantos filmes da marvel saíram e vão sair, eu sempre vou preferir reassistir O Homem Que Copiava kkkkkk
@@aedes947 enquanto tem gringo que nem consegue terminar o filme muita gente aqui acha até engraçado tirando umas 3 cenas mais chocantes, eu mesmo acho Pixote bem mais pesado
One of the scariest villains in existence
Side note: Its incredible how Slumdog Millionaire's Salim is basically a copy of Lil Ze, (the whole movie has so many parallels to City of God), yet Slumdog still managed to win the Oscars, while City of God only was nominated. What a shame. City of God was truly better and deserved more credit.
It's just how it works really,brazil media isn't really valued out of brazil,at least me as a Brazilian have never seen many recognitions of it,heck take that one Simpsons episode that's shows brazil as a giant dumpster basically,thats how most other countries see brazil
Nice to see a movie that doesn't glamourise a sociopathic criminal. Hollywood has a problem with that
I need The Vile Eye to breakdown Bishop from Juice. That was an amazing performance for damn near a psycho killer type character by 2Pac.
💯💯💯
👍
Him? He just don'tgive a FUck
This
This would be a GREAT one!
No way you did City of God 😳.Man ,this is such a GREAT underrated classic in my eyes.Lil Ze was an absolute monster ,especially that scene with Knockout Ned’s girlfriend .Favorite quote “You killed the coolest hood in the City Of God”I friggin love you for this lmao
Benny was the coolest hood for sure, his death was heartbreaking. A thing so sad that even lil z have shown human emotions
@@thalesanastacio760 facts , he was the only person Lil Ze respected and cared about
Movie sucks
@@hatb36 I think atleast at the end of the film he respected Rocket too.
He’s well rounded in hood modern day and old creations even video games. I wonder how old vile eye is
My favorite Brazilian film. Usually movie directors have a hard time understanding the complexity of Brazilian urban violence. This movie is very sensible portraying the matter.
I recommend O Invasor and O Homem do Ano. Far form being this good, but acceptable portraits of the criminal element. Cronicamente Inviável is another great movie that paints a broader picture of Brazilian sociological horror.
@ meu tio matou um cara is one of my top movies
@@idontlikemoromsfaz tem que assisti. Quando adolescente, achei muito bom e divertido.
Took a film class in college and this was one of the films we had to analyze and write a report on. Turned into my favorite film we watched that year.
Using the Lil Zé example as proof that factors outside of the home are more important that factors inside the home has some logical issues. Mainly that Lil Zé really didn't have a home to be "brought up in" which would have inherently forced his life outside of the home to be more impactful.
His home was the gangs and the gangsters.
I saw this movie some 10 years ago and I remember being literally shocked by the violence and how random it is (the banana scene or the hotel Z return, for example).
For me it was the movie KIDS. 90 minutes changed my life forever.
its funny cause here in brazil, we're so used to this that it doesnt affect us the same as u gringos, i think most latin america its like that
I remember the director being confused about people saying how violent it was because there is relatively few instances of the violence actually being on screen, the person being shot is always just off screen or the violence is implied and your brain fills in the gaps. Much less graphic than something like The Boys, but that much more real for some reason.
@@ncl7495 naaa i can't agree with that. Maybe it's like that most lileky in Rio and SP (maybe MG and Ceará too), but i never saw anything close to that living in DF and later in it's surroundings which is also said to have a dangerous neighborhood.
@@sjbrooksy45 imo, it's because the violence isn't... Artistic. Death happens. That's it. It's not supposed to look pretty, to have a beautiful camera angle, to accommodate for dialogue, to make characters look strong in the face of it. It's not about fairness or justice. For the unlucky ones, the movie of life just cuts out: One day you are working as a cashier and a stray bullet gets stuck in your head. City of God does a great job at showing how quickly it happens, and how fragile we humans actually are. There's no need for tons of blood, or to drag it on to make the scene look "cool". If a weapon can kill someone in a second, in this movie it actually does.
I watched this while learning Portuguese and it became one of my favorite films of all time. many gems in brazilian filmography.
e você aprendeu?
@@Rrodfer aprendi mesmo kkkk
holy crap??!? i was the person who left a comment on the most recent vid hoping for this exact villain to be done, i wasn't expecting to see it anytime soon???? god, i love this channel 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
As a Brazilian I can say this upload is a beautiful testament of the quality of your videos. The amount of care and effort you put in your content is truly amazing. Thank you
Also, it would be awesome if you did a video on Captain Nascimento from Tropa de Elite.
Tirando a pronuncia de Dadinho pra Dajin, tudo perfeito!
@@Rrodfer agnt erraria mt coisa se fosse pra gravar um video com palavras em uma lingua a qual nós n estamos acostumados tbm kkkk
As a Brazilian I can say that the "Lil Zé" give me some laugh (Cause we don't translate Lil to Pequeno, we just use the Lil, but it's the accurate translation), but jokes aside, great analyses, Lil Zé really represents (As possible a movie can show without being forbidden) how Brazilian drug dealers are, the cruelty of deaths are beyond just being shot by guns like most movies show. The tortures used by organized crime are some medieval things, with people being ripped apart piece by piece slowly, burned alive and stuff like this. A great movie and a great vídeo.
e bobão , tem que ficar falando de tudo meudeusp
I love this movie and im so happy you analyzed Zé Pequeno (Lil Zé) , City of God is perhaps one of the best movies about the reality of life in this corner of the world we call Latin America.
A few details about the movie:
-Brazilians have a tendency to use a nicknames so often they become almost as a birthname, an example is the famous Brazilian player Pelé whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento.
-Being a movie set in Rio de Janeiro we never see el Cristo Redentor (Christ Redeemer) statue, one of the classic landmarks of the city, it hammers home that these people are forgotten by God, ironic considering the name of the favela, it also shows how no one who tries to leave the favela ever does, Shaggy, Goose, Benny they die, only Rocket (Buscape) manages to escape because he has something he needs, his photographs and his ability as a photographer.
-The legacy of violence in places like Rio de Janeiro will always continues as we see in the end of the movie when the Runts kill Lil Zé and talk about looking for other people to kill, like a disease it only spreads and it is often said that "if the young are violent now, the next ones will be worst" which is common in Latin America (i live in Chile and ive seen this in the news) , just like Lil Zé started killing so others will not only follow his footsteps but look to out do those they learnt it from.
-I recommend you watch Tropa de Elite (Elite Squad) which talks about the BOPE, a special forces brigade that figths narcos in the favelas of Rio, its an interesting look at how these soldiers think and ties in well to the themes of City of God as a view of how the world around you affects you.
The statue of Christ is too far...
But I liked your vision of the topic.
Tropa de Elite is about police corruption and police brutality. People got it completely wrong.
When you analyze characters based on crime bosses like Tony Soprano or Lil Ze, it reminds me of how many people that are CEO's and Heads of State also show sociopathic and psychopathic tendencies. Can you do a series on some of these people ?
Also City of God is an underrated classic, thanks for showcasing it.
+1
Plenty. We think they become extremely rich by being nice in every competition (sometimes even unfair & dirty).. huh. But no.
There's no way of becoming a billionaire without commiting a few crimes.
Bros a leftist
mfs made the word "underrated" an absolutely meaningless set of letters. Net they're gonna say Godfather is a little-known underrated hidden gem that went under everyone's radar and nobody has seen it.
The end credits song from City of God is called No Caminho do Bem, On The Path of Good, which is so fitting for the entire flick.
This is literally my favorite movie of all time!!
I just watch this film, and it's such a raw, gritty and amazing film. It really shakes you, and this video essay was so good.
I watched this in my film class in HS it's such an experience for how not only does the camera of this captures animals, the character, and objects of this film, but the building like its a character
I remember City of God (2002) was fantastic, but I forgot so much of the plot. I remembered that one dude became a journalist and hooked up with that one lady.
Yeah, I remember that ending. Glad to see that guy luck out in the end, and with a MILF on top of that!
That's rocket. The guy with the camera
I’m so glad you covered this character! He’s by far one of the most memorable people to appear in a film. It’s a shocking and complex story that isn’t talked about nearly enough.
0:04 is that the same guy standing by the doorway in the hotel scene in Pulp Fiction
No, but it looks like him though
Lol
Man , I have been asking for this episode for months! My prayers have been answered
The Michael Jordan analogy was so on point. Loved your analysis of the character man. Lil Zé is a brazillian icon. It's really great to see such a fresh take on a story i love to death.
Such a incredible movie man I wish more people knew about it
Forreal it’s a masterpiece
I think it's one of the most popular international movies of all time. But people of the newer generation haven't seen it.
@@clarencejones8180 yeah that's what I'm talking about
I would love to see the Making of this movie. How the director got those child actors to show such huge range in emotions boggles my mind and scares me actually.
As crianças ficavam separadas dos atores adultos, eram crianças da periferia que foram selecionadas por testes. A cena da criança escolhendo na mão ou no pé, a criança ao lado realmente não sabia como iria funcionar a cena, por isso a realidade, algumas outras cenas foram feitas assim também com o intuito de assustar e entregar mais verdade na encenação.
This is my favorite villain of all cinema.
He's a perfect example that psychopaths are born sociopaths are made. He wasn't the only monster in that film for sure he was made to be the way he was.
Who were the other monsters???
I inclined to say HE was born like that.. The other kids were robbers
LilDice/Ze wanted to kill.. And is very intelligent like most pschycopaths are
@@dc7236 the other kids are monsters like him, that's the point. They kill Zé in cold blood to replace him and would grow up to help lead one of the most violent criminal organizations ever. Their last line in the movie is about said criminal organization.
@@dc7236 Most psychopaths are dumb and in prison. Movie psychopaths are in general intelligent, because it represent a total dominance of rationalization over emotional response, wich is fun but its a complete exaggeration
@@dragooll2023 actual there a very small percentage of pyschyopaths but just about all of them are intelligent, and charming
They are not all murderers tho.
@@odd-eyes6363 they were scared of him..
He killed senselessly even killed some of them. They finally had him at a vulnerable spot and boom💥
Amazingly well written novel/movie and criminally underrated acting.. thank you for covering Lil Ze
One of my favourite movies. Lil Ze was a scary character. Everytime he appeared on screen I would get a little scared
11:43 I thank you so much for this quote. As a teen in high school I remember telling my teacher that an individual’s environment truly shapes what they become into and she said no and named multiple exceptions of people who had but with that said those are exceptions not the rule and I as a 15-17 year old child couldn’t fathom in anyway how she was right I still don’t and this teacher of mine was someone who had a profound positive influence in life on me not someone who shot my opinions down but this interaction always stuck with me. And I’ll leave my own quick personal anecdote my mother calling me at 2:45 pm knowing I’d come home at 3 everyday after school asking me if I wanted a sandwich with some iced tea is the reason I never shot up a school or became a monster and ended up in prison. Your environment shapes you and the shitty person ive become and am learning to overcome thanks you for this. I thank you for your content it’s helped me sleep when I can’t and helped me therapeutically, if you ever read this thank you @TheVileEye.
One of the best movies ever made. It impacted me for days...
Masterpiece of a film, I love how this movie didn’t shy away from the violence, phenomenal film highly recommended
YES!!! I’ve wanted you to do Lil Ze for ages now!
Please also make analysis videos on the following villains:
Hans Beckert - M
Begbie - Trainspotting
Ben - Man Bites Dog
Lavrentiy Beria - The Death of Stalin
Mr Bytes - The Elephant Man
Lt. Chang - Only God Forgives
Joe Cooper - Killer Joe
Phyllis Dietrichson - Double Indemnity
Robert G. Durant - Darkman
Evil Genius - Time Bandits
Auric Goldfinger - Goldfinger
Trevor Goodchild - Æon Flux
Eve Harrington - All About Eve
J. J. Hunsecker - Sweet Smell of Success
El Indio - For a Few Dollars More
Mrs. Eleanor Iselin - The Manchurian Candidate
Kakihara - Ichi the Killer
Rosa Klebb - From Russia with Love
Egor Korshunov - Air Force One
Raymond Lemorne - The Vanishing
Harry Lime - The Third Man
Don Logan - Sexy Beast
David Lo Pan - Big Trouble in Little China
Feathers McGraw - The Wrong Trousers
Santanico Pandemonium - From Dusk till Dawn
Peter and Paul - Funny Games 97
Reverend Harry Powell - The Night of the Hunter
Professor Ratigan - The Great Mouse Detective
Daddy & Mommy Robeson - The People Under the Stairs
Francisco Scaramanga - The Man with the Golden Gun
Khan Noonien Singh - Star Trek
Lord Summerisle - The Wicker Man
The Swede - Hell on Wheels
Dr Szell - Marathon Man
Varla - Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
Lorren Visser - Blood Simple
Percy Wetmore - The Green Mile
Johnny Wong - Hard Boiled
May I add:
Mickey and Mallory Knox -NBK
“Villain” -Prisoners
Leather face family- Tex Chainsaw
Brick Top- Snatch
Maybe…spoiler-ish for Brothers
Sam Cahill
how is chang the villain? hes literally supposed to be god
Yes! I too am still waiting on Christian Szell from Marathon Man.
@@snazzy8767 exactly
Homelander (The Boys)
Dio (DIO) Brando (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure)
Mrs. Jones (Prisoners)
Akan (Hardcore Henry)
I can’t think of any others off the top of my head tbh
One of my favorite movies of all time. Top 5. The cinematography was unmatched, and it was based on true events
I watched this movie in film class and it was a film that GRASPED me, y'know? Usually movies entertain me, or characters resonate with me personally, or deliver themes or tones that really hit home, but this movie was like a beautiful car crash I couldn't look away from. I loved everything about it, even that it made me uncomfortable.
I’m so happy you’re analyzing this great film! I think it’s definitely a film that should be more discussed rather than being such a hidden gem
This movie is probably my favourite ever, it's such a harrowing story that rings true for so many.
About time, lil ze is one of the greatest villains in world cinema
You know he was a real person right?
@@DanteCrowlley even better
Have heard about morbius?
@@DanteCrowlley I'm only talking about the movie obviously
Lil Ze was a whole DEMON
Thanks Vile Eye. This video made me watch the movie. Lil Z was evil incarnate. A pure terror. And this is the movie version, I can only imagine what he's like in the book
Funny enough i rewatched this masterpiece the third time just an hour back.
I guess i chose perfect timing to delve into the character of Ze. Glad to hear my observations of him were mostly correct. Thank you for the video
man you never disappoint! city of god is one of my favorite foreign films
This movies is really good from start to finish and the character development is nice and truly portrays exactly how they would've grown up
Lil Ze is much more tragic to me than anything, if only he didn’t grow up where he did, he’d probably be a very smart individual
I don't know about that, lil ze always seemed a bit unhinged compared to everyone else. Plus Benny and Rocket both come from the same city but were far less insane
I dont give anyone slack, and Lil Ze was a damned monster man
The only thing tragic is that Li’l Zé didn’t get taken out sooner. The guy was a monster even when he was a kid. He was a sadistic rapist and murderer.
Nah. Lil Ze was exceptionally cruel, even for someone who grew up in that environment. Not to mention the majority of people who grow up in rampant poverty don’t engage in that kind of violence.
I think Knockout Ned is a better example of a tragic character. Really chill and cool at first but was roped into gang violence because of what happened to his girlfriend and his family. Lil Ze was evil from the start.
Love the way your accent sounds when saying words in portuguese! Thank you for showing this beautiful movie/novel to the english speaking community!
I was expecting more analysis of his relationship with Benny and why that seemed to be the only person he cared about
I'm so happy you've done a video on this character! Been anticipating this one so much, thank you! ❤️
My Brazilian roommate said this film was kinda crazy, but not to bad. Boy was he wrong. This is a moving, and often times gut wrenching, film.
Suppose we're just kinda used to it... lol
We often see things much worse here in shrug it off as "normal". Brazilians accept the absurd as normal. That's why my country will never go anywhere.
@@aedes947 Brazil is an absurd country, the fact it exists as it does is somewhat of a miracle. There's a lot of potential though, hopefully one day soon it will be harnessed.
(I’m American) i discovered this movie when I was in junior high and I fell in love with it the first time I watched it
He's probably seen one to many people robbed in the streets over there.
One of the best and most detailed origin story's of a real villain!
Great stuff. I wish more people would open themselves to dialog like this. A lot of individuals don't know that people have different idols for different reasons. And that these idols can alter their outlook on life. Circumstance is fact not fiction.
This has been my favorite movie since I watched it at 16 ❤ thank you for covering this character.
This bouta be a certified hood classic
Ohhhhh shit, this movie is a national treasure in Brazil 🇧🇷. Cidade de Deus (City of God) and Tropa de Elite (Elite Squad), both amazing movies and as someone who lives in Rio de Janeiro, though heightned and dramatized, those movies represent alot to people and show just how life can be quite horrifying in the favelas. So good. Great choice "Meu nome não é mais Dadinho, é Zé pequeno, porra!"
National
Heightened, these
Tropa de elite is a great movie, the problem is people didn't get the message about how bad is police corruption and just glorified police brutality.
Dadinho é o caralho, meu nome é Zé pequeno porra!
@@ZGtx YES! I always have seen that, even when I was a child watching this movie, and yet, my parents were congratulating the brutal actions the police took. Like what??? They are supposed to do the "right thing".
I had the pleasure to met lil ze acror in real life, he is a really nice guy
It would be so cool to meet an actor
I confess I was kinda reluctant on watching this because normally people have so many stereotypes about brasil that I was afraid they would show up in here but I'm glad I did watch it. Your analysis was amazing and managed to explain how and why Zé was so evil without stripping him of his humanity and putting him in this "he is not a person he is a monster" category (and I say that bc I think is so much interesting and truthful to see evil people as people too and not try to separate them from the rest of us) Analyzing evil people as humans first gives depth on how we see each other and ourselves and what people can be capable of, and you did this wonderfully
Thanks for sharing 🙏🏾
Prayers out for those in similar situations such as lil ze
Damn, I started to watch this channel about 1 year ago I think, it's amazing to watch a Brazilian piece of art in a video like this
I must admit,he scared me when J was little because of how real he was.Yet you usually don’t see the backstory of shooters like that
I've been asking for this vid for ages. My prayers have been answered. Thank you vile eye
Good work.
I first came across this film when I was living among wannabe gangsters. Pretty sure it was my first Brazilian film.
I love it but can only watch it with huge gaps in between viewings.
The art is so powerful it moves me to conflicting emotions.
Yo Benny has some massive balls to just casually LOWER THE GUN. Like fr that sum scary stuff right there.
Oh, snap.
Getting closer to an O Dogg from Menace to Society episode. 😃
Need this
I've been waiting for this one. City of God is one of my favorite movies and Lil Ze is wonderful villain
I've seen this movie once and that was enough for me. It's brutal to watch.
It's such a fresh take having the protagonist (Rocket) neither being a criminal nor being hunted by them, till the very end he was liked by everybody.
I can't believe you made on episode about Zé Pequeno! I'm Brazilian and I always thought about how people don't pay attention of how evil he really is.
One of the best movies I seen in the theaters when I was in high school crazy almost 20 years ago. Especially me Brazilian/Spaniard this movie hit me hard.
You have to do Bishop from Juice, Nino Brown from New jack city, Marlo and Stringer bell from the wire, and Franklin saint from Snowfall.
NAO ACREDITO! Finalmente ze pequeno sendo reconhecido pelo vile eye
Quem sabe ele analisa o Rocha, miliciano do tropa de elite 2 ? Kkk meu chute é que esse cara é vilão nivel S
Hahah o meme é real, mencionar algo Brazil, The Brazilians aparecem haha. Nem sabia que teve esse público do Vile Eye, muito legal. E sim, outros vilões bons, só nos filmes de tropa de elite
Vile precisa já embalar no Tropa de Elite
Foda demais. O Rocha era mal pra krl. gostaria de um análise
@@user-cz7gq2ze8y é, tomara que seja só ele n sabendo pronunciar. E n achando que a gente fala espanhol
One of my favorite villains
Even with amazing classics on cinema, this movie still one of my favs.
Being a brazilian just improves my love to it. I hope more people on the world meet that gem.