City of God

Name: City of God
Genre: Drama, Crime
Released: 2002-08-30
Duration: 2 h 9 min
Rating: 8.4
Cast: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen

2002·Movie·R·129 min·★ 8.4(8,219)

Drama Crime

“If you run, the beast catches you; if you stay, the beast eats you.”

In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.

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Where to watch City of God in United States

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Click a service to open City of God there. Availability last verified on June 20, 2026.

Where is City of God streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	Kanopy, Hoopla	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
India	—	Google Play Movies, YouTube
United Kingdom	—	Sky Store
Canada	Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads	Apple TV Store, CosmoGo
Australia	—	Apple TV Store
France	Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, HBO Max Amazon Channel	Canal VOD, Orange VOD, LaCinetek
Spain	Acontra Plus, Acontra Plus Amazon Channel, Runtime	Acontra Plus
Brazil	Netflix, HBO Max, Globoplay, Netflix Standard with Ads	Google Play Movies
Japan	U-NEXT	Amazon Video
South Korea	—	Google Play Movies

About City of God

City of God is a 2002 Portuguese-language drama and crime film directed by Fernando Meirelles. The cast is led by Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen. It has a runtime of 2h 9m. Viewers rate it 8.4/10 across 8200 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla.

City of God was produced by O2 Filmes, VideoFilmes, and Wild Bunch and made in Brazil and France. It was released on August 30, 2002, and carries a R certification. Made on a budget of about $3 million, it went on to gross $31 million worldwide.

Director: Fernando Meirelles
Writers: Bráulio Mantovani
Release date: August 30, 2002
Original language: Portuguese
Age rating: R
Status: Released
Country: Brazil, France
Budget: $3 million
Box office: $31 million
Production: O2 Filmes, VideoFilmes, Wild Bunch

#street gang#photographer#gangster#rio de janeiro#gang war#ghetto#based on true story#coming of age#introspective#conceited

City of God cast & crew

City of God was directed by Fernando Meirelles and written by Bráulio Mantovani.

The cast features Alexandre Rodrigues as Buscapé - Rocket, Leandro Firmino as Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé, Phellipe Haagensen as Bené - Benny, Douglas Silva as Dadinho - Li'l Dice, Jonathan Haagensen as Cabeleira - Shaggy, and Matheus Nachtergaele as Sandro Cenoura - Carrot.

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Ed Cortês, cinematography is by César Charlone, and it was produced by Andrea Barata Ribeiro and Mauricio Andrade Ramos.

Is City of God worth watching?

City of God holds an audience score of 8.4/10 from 8,219 ratings, ranking it among the most acclaimed drama films.

At 2h 9m, it's a standard feature-length watch.

If you enjoy drama and crime, City of God is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch City of God

In United States, you can stream City of God on Kanopy and Hoopla, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.