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Lunch » Tags » Movies » Reviews » Tsotsi

Tsotsi

13 Ratings: 4.5

A movie directed by Gavin Hood.

In Gavin Hood's South African drama (an Oscar nominee for best foreign film), the nonactor Presley Chweneyagae plays Tsotsi, a hooded, toughened gang leader in a Johannesburg shantytown who kills for money and beats his friend for challenging his … see full wiki

Tags: Movies, Dramas, Foreign Films, Foreign Movies, Reel Overseas, Best Foreign Language Films, see all

Cast: Terry Pheto, Mothusi Magano, Presley Chweneyagae, Israel Makoe, Kenneth Nkosi

Director: Gavin Hood

8 reviews about Tsotsi

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review by woopak_the_thrill. April 19, 2010

posted in Love of Foreign Films

Hey, Thug!... What Do You Have in That Paper Bag?

Winner of the 2005 Best Foreign Language film award in the Oscars, writer/director Gavin Hood’s “TSOTSI” is about a thug (Tsotsi means exactly that in its local dialect) who is seemingly cold, emotionless and yet, finds a shot at redemption when he finds himself in a very compromising situation. The film was freely adapted on the novel with the same name by Athol Fugard. The film is set in a Soweto Slum in South Africa. Tsotsi (Benny Moshe)is a young man with … more

Comments (10) Compliments (60)

Quick Tip by woopak_the_thrill. March 11, 2010

A Quick Tip by woopak_the_thrill

Powerful, compelling portrayal of a slice of real life.

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review by Giordano. March 07, 2010

Film Producers Are Not Altruists

I rented and watched "Tsotsi" because I had just read the novel. I read the novel because I had just seen a stage production of a play by Athol Fugard. I suppose that, if and when a TV series depicting the later life of Tsotsi/David is produced, I'll watch that too. The play was the best. The acting was superb. The script was brilliant, though I personally can't follow Fugard into his religious ecstasy. The novel was an early, unfinished effort by Fugard -- very powerful … more

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review by ZintaAistars. December 27, 2007

With Visible Heartstrings

Yes, I knew I was having my heart tugged, occasionally rather forcefully. Tsotsi, with a powerful performance by Presley Chweneyagae in the lead role, is a story about a young man who has become tougher than nails, and just as piercing in his hardened cruelty, and how within six days he finds some still tender places in his buried-deep heart. There are no surprise twists in this plot, but I don't need surprises to enjoy a movie. I'm not even sure I bought into how the story … more

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review by JP_Rocky_Raccoon. December 11, 2006

Needy for the Milk of Human Kindness

'Tsotsi' is a great story--not only because of the universality of love gone wrong and the experience of jaundiced youth, but it is also a nice update to post-apartheid Johanesberg, South Africa. The title character is a tense and tough member of a group of criminals who hangs out at a local bar and goes to rich neighborhoods to rob vulnerable mansions under the protection of iron gates. Tsotsi is quiet with an undercurrent of raw violence that is ready to erupt at the drop of a hat. At one point, … more

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review by FreeDom4. August 25, 2006

posted in Movie Hype

wonderful movie

This movie falls into the category of art rather than entertainment. The music, acting, and story blend together to form a portrait of a young man (tsotsi) in trouble. The interesting thing is that the director does not decide for you whether the young man is good and whether he will be redeemed. But, he does take you on a very emotional journey. Definitely something to check out if you are interested in going beyond the stale Hollywood fare.

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review by MzJen_2_review. August 18, 2006

It's amazing what reaches a gang leaders heart.

`Tsotsi' is one gorgeous and thrilling film. Not only is it a first-rate piece of storytelling, but it also takes the viewer into a world of South African poverty and crime that one might not know existed. Director/writer Gavin Hood offers us a tale of tragic redemption and uncommon poetry in a subculture of the most abject immorality. The actors here were phenomenal and their performances were both realistic and believable. Natural talented Presley Chweneyagae , as Tsotsi, … more

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review by gradyharp. August 04, 2006

The Gradual Ascension to Manhood and Decency

TSOTSI is a jewel of a film, well deserving the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film of 2005. Though set in Johannesburg, South Africa, the story is unfortunately so universal that the film could have been made in any country in the world: the lost children of abusive parents who survive life by relying on crime fill the streets of the poor neighborhoods of all major cities. TSOTSI is a tragedy but it carries a sense of hope and redemption that makes it a powerful statement indeed. Tsotsi … more

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